Thank God for snow days!  I’m not sure we would have gotten this project done had it not been for the two snow days and extra in-service day off!  But here it is, in its full glory — Planet Uranus.

Until I get more proficient at embedding pictures in the blog, for now let it suffice that the process in photos is under “Recent Assets.”

Your biggest asset in pinata-making should be Pinata Boy’s site.  Be sure to view his gallery for some awesome inspiration.

The basic steps:

• Inflate balloon.  Cover with newspaper, going over the edges of the paper with masking tape.
• Shred newspaper into about 1-inch strips.
• Mix flour and water into a soupy paste.
• Dip strips.  Pull off excess with index and middle finger.
• Cover balloon, overlapping strips a bit.  Smooth with hands.
• LET DRY between coverings.  (We used a fan to expedite the process.)
• Repeat 3-4 times.
• We attached a ring, taping the tabs to the ball with masking tape.
• Cut strips of crepe paper into a small stack.
• Using scissors, make a “fringe” about half-way up down the length of the strip.
• Glue to ball the intact side of crepe paper.
• OVERLAP the crepe paper.  The closer the strips, the fuller the “fluff” that’s made by folding up the cut side of the crepe paper.
• Cut/saw a flap into the pinata and make a hole for the hanging mechanism.
• Devise a hanging device.  (We used a wire hanger.)
• Fill with candy/treats.
• The tricky part — closing the flap.  I used duct tape that sort of closed it back.  Once kids started beating on it, though, I heard it came open but not enough to pour out the candy.  TIP: don’t put the flap on the bottom!
• Gather your rope, bandana and stick, find a tree and go to town!  (We heard the kids loved it and many want to do a shark pinata for their next project.  I’m sure that’s way more complicated.  Back to Pinata Boy’s site for advice!)