You are here: Home / Archives for Education / Africa

Papier Mache Mask

August 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

What you need:
•  A gallon-sized milk jug
• News paper
• Flour
•  Salt
•  Acrylic paints
• Scissors
• Utility knife

What you do:
• Using  scissors, cut the milk jug along the seam.
• Cut the eye holes with a utility knife.
• Shred newspaper lengthwise in two-inch strips.
• Make simple non-toxic paste.
• Begin with one cup of flour, one teaspoon salt and two cups of lukewarm water.
• Blend the salt and flour. Gradually add the water while stirring to form a smooth paste. Try to dissolve all lumps. Add enough water so you have a thin soup-like consistency.
• Dip one piece of newspaper in the paste.
• Strip the excess liquid by squeezing it between your index finger and thumb.
• Apply to the back side of the jug, beginning at the top.
• Work in one direction.
• Overlap strips of newspaper, smoothing them out with your fingertips to release trapped air bubbles.
• Cover the entire backside of the jug.
• Turn the jug over and cover it with newspaper as well.
• Wrap the handle in strips. Overlap sides.
• Place your mask under a fan or in direct sunlight to dry.
• Base paint your dry mask both front and back using a white or light-colored acrylic paint.
• Wait a minimum one-half hour before applying a second coat of paint to cover newspaper bleed.
• Let dry for one day.
• Paint the face however you desire.

Don’t forget to vote for us DAILY! It only takes one click…
Vote for us

Filed Under: Africa, Crafts, Education, Leisure & Activities, Paper, Recycling Tagged With: , , , ,

Coffee “Fossils”

June 25, 2011 By 1 Comment

What you’ll need:
• 1 cup of used coffee grounds
• 1/2 cup of cold coffee
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• Wax paper
• Mixing bowl
• Some small objects to make impressions in the dough (Twigs, Leaves(stiff bay leaves work well), dead, hard-shelled bugs like roly-polys, seashells, chicken bones, plastic dinosaur models for skin textures or footprints.) 
• Empty can or a butter knife
• Toothpicks, optional
• String to hang your fossil, optional

What you need:
• Stir the together the coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour, and salt until well mixed.
• Knead the dough together and then flatten it out onto the waxed paper.
• Use the can to cut out circles of the dough or use the dull knife to cut slabs large enough to fit your “fossil” objects.
• Press your objects firmly into the dough. When you take the object out, you have your “fossil”. If you want to hang the fossil, poke holes into the edge to hold the string.
• Let the fossil dry overnight (and up to two days) and then hang it if you wish.

Tips: To reduce the drying time, bake the fossils for a short period of time to get the “dough” to harden.

Filed Under: Africa, Crafts, Earth Day, Education, Leisure & Activities, Recycling, Science Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

African Mask

June 22, 2011 By 1 Comment

What you need:
• Paper plate
• Hole punch
• Craft knife
• Pipe cleaners
• Colored pasta
• Newspapers
• White glue
• Poster paint
• Paint brush

What you do:
• Punch 6 to 8 holes around the top half portion of the paper plate.
• Draw and cut out a pair of eye holes.
• Take some strips of newspaper. Twist and form them into a mouth and nose shape.
• Use white glue to attach the newspaper nose and mouth to the paper plate.
• Let the glue dry for a few minutes.
• Paint your mask with brown poster paint.
• Use white paint to make designs on the mask.
• Cut pipe cleaners in half and attach each piece to a hole on the mask. Simply loop one end of the pipe cleaner around the hole and twist it to secure it in place.
• String colored pasta through each pipe cleaner. Seal the end by folding down the tip of the pipe cleaner.
• Once you’re finished, you’re ready to show off your African mask.

Attach an elastic band on the two lowermost holes to wear the mask or you may simply put up the mask on the wall.

Filed Under: Africa, Crafts, Leisure & Activities, Macaroni Tagged With: , , , , , ,