Paper Mache Bowl

So this project came about because I am busy trying to think of eco craft projects for my camp this summer. I tested this one out on my 5 year old because if he can do it the group of 9 year old's I'm having will find it easy. I wanted to show them that they can make most of what they will need so I didn't want to be mixing glue and water for the paste, instead we went back to the way I had made glue with my mum, flour and water. 

You will need:

Old paper from the recycling, ours was blue because we'd had letters home from school but any non glossy letter paper or newspaper would work.

Flour 1 cup

Water 3 cups

Vaseline 

A bowl (as the mold)

Begin by smearing a thick layer of Vaseline inside the bowl.

Next layer some torn up pieces of paper all over the inside of the bowl.

For the next layer we add glue. To make the glue we combined 1 cup of flour and 3 cups of water in a saucepan and then whisked it until the lumps disappeared. As the glue began to thicken we removed it from the heat and let cool a bit before you use it. As you can see in the pictures I let Buba help me with this but it is hot so if your child does want to stir make sure they are well supervised and aware of what is hot and not to touch.

Now for the messy bit. Paint a layer of the homemade glue over the dry layer in the bowl and cover with more paper. Repeat this 3 or 4 times.

Once it has a thick covering leave it out to dry. When it is dry you should be able to wiggle it easily from the bowl, now you have your own bowl to decorate.

I wanted Buba to trim the edges of his bowl and decorate it but he liked it just the way it is. I think we might use this method to create our Easter baskets this year, save on the plastic imported from China. Far more Eco friendly, plus when we are done it can all go in my compost.