Patriotic Puffy Stars

This project takes some extra prep work.  I prepared it over a week ago, and circumstances have prevented us from completing it.  Yesterday, we finally finished our stars!  To begin, you need to cut out two newspaper stars per child.  I used tacky glue to glue the stars together, one on top of the other, leaving about a third of it UNGLUED.  We leave the opening so that we can stuff our puffy star with toilet paper.

Pat it down and let it dry.  Tacky glue dries fast.  I have used staples in the past, too.

The next step is to reinforce the newspaper with some tape, and hole punch it as the picture shows.  These holes will accommodate a pipe cleaner handle later on.  I placed tape on the front AND the back.  The kids took some time stuffing their puffy stars with toilet paper to create a pillow look.  I forgot to take photos.

When the stars were stuffed, I stapled the openings closed and helped with the handles.  How many pipe cleaners you need for the handles depends on the size of your stars!  Ours were pretty large, so we used two pipe cleaners.  Just wind them together and place the ends through the prepared holes to secure a handle.  This is helpful during paining, so I like to put the handle on first.

Out came the red, white and blue paints!

 They painted the stars however they chose to.  I did suggest trying not to mix the colors because we wanted our red, white and blue to stand out.

 I love newspaper art.  It has a unique look.

They painted away, always asking me if I like theirs. Of course I do!

I cannot express to you how much I LOVE this project!!  It was worth the wait.

We did not paint the back of the stars, just the front.

The kids are still enjoying picnic lunches outside.

We have started up afternoon storytime again!  I like to do this in the summer.  It helps me pass the time and the kids look forward to it.  They were all chomping away on their popcorn.  

♥♥♥Happy Friday!♥♥♥