Since I was in between jobs for the first time during the first covid wave and the capacities of the kindergarten were limited, I decided to take it easy and stay home with my little one. During this time, we went for walks in the local woods, cycled to the sea and crafted at home. Crafting ideas for kids you can find successfully in Pinterest – that was the case with this mushroom. I liked thet fact that it can be done from handy home resources.
What does this mushroom consist of?
- 2 paper plates (left over from a birthday party)
- 2 rolls of toilet paper
- gouache paint
How do you put it all together? Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures of the process, so I’m trying to manage with words now.
- As you can see from the picture, you need to cut one plate and a roll of paper. On the plate that goes down to the bottom, the edges can be cut into zigzags to mimic grass. At first, I cut one roll of paper lengthwise so that it would be like one sheet of paper and it would be easier to cut further. Then I cut it crosswise in a zigzag pattern to form two open rolls with one straight edge and the other zigzag like grass. We finally wrapped these two pieces around the lower part of the mushroom leg to imitate the grass. The straight edge of one piece needs to be cut into tassels to glue to the bottom plate. What you can’t see in the picture: the top of the mushroom leg also needs to be striped to be glued to the mushroom hat.
- Now comes the fun part where the little ones can get involved – all the outer sides of the parts should be painted. We had gouache paints and the little one could already operate with a brush. The mushroom was exciting enough for her to paint it herself. I already had to take over with the grass, because she ran out of patience. Smaller ones can cover them with finger paints instead.
- We let the paint dry for 24 hours just in case. Once this “difficult time” has been overcome, they must be glued together with crafting glue. The order in which this is done is not particularly important here. The only important point is that the grass rollers should be placed around the mushroom leg before gluing to the lower plate.
There are many more exciting things you can do with toilet paper rolls – I always keep a few pieces in reserve to do something spontaneously. Check your inventory of paper dishes as well – maybe you already have an idea!
Blue Crafting Soul 