Originally written: 3 June 2020 (Revised on 18 April 2021)
It was my daughter's birthday the other day, and as a fun activity for her and her friends, I made a piñata out of a balloon. The process is very simple and you could even do it with your kids. It is a craft activity that your kids will love making and whacking! I made mine look like a fish because the theme of her party was cats and they all had to pretend to be cats trying to catch a big fish! This is inspired by one of my favourite Japanese children's books '11 Piki No Neko (11 Cats)" by Noboru Baba.
What You'll Need:
Newspapers
Flour
Liquid (Craft) Glue
Water
Paint or Colourful Paper
Balloon
Craft Knife
Rope/String
Duct Tape
(1) Make the paper mache paste. You need to mix 1/2 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of water, and add in plenty of liquid glue. If you think the paste is too thick, feel free to add more water.
(2) Blow up the balloon. And cover a section of the balloon with the paste. Make sure you work in small sections. I used my hands but you can also use a paint brush.
(3) Shred the newspaper into small pieces and cover the balloon. Once you have covered the entire surface, let it dry completely. And then add another layer. You want at least 2 layers otherwise it will not be strong enough for the next process.
(4) Once the last layer is completely dry (wait 24 hours during warm seasons and 48 hours during cooler weather), cut a hole that is big enough to fit little treats. I usually put in raisins, stickers, confetti's and marshmallows. Attach a rope at the top using a duct tape. Since I wanted to make mine look like a fish, I also attached a fin.
(5) Throw in some treats and cover the hole with a big piece of newspaper and duct tape.
(6) Add another layer of the paper mache paste + newspaper.
(7) Once the final layer is completely dry, paint it and/or decorate with colourful papers. This is what mine ended up looking:
