This week, with Easter nearly here, Roy has noticed that some of his friends have been wanting to make baskets or boxes to keep their eggs in, or which the Easter Bunny can leave their eggs in. Roy thinks this is a great idea, but he thinks it would be even more fun if there was a way to make a nest. I told him about an activity which his Grandma used to let me do when I was little – making starch and yarn balls or bowls using balloons. He thought this sounded really interesting and fun, and wanted to have a go himself. He was very impressed with the results and wanted to share them with his online friends. So this week Roy Creates An Easter Egg Nest.
You Will Need:
- Flour and water paste (you want about equal parts flour and water because the paste needs to be strong!)
- Wool, yarn, or string
- A water balloon (water bomb). If you wanted to make big nests, you could use a normal sized balloon
- A cup flower pot to sit the balloon in the top of to dry.
Method:
- Blow the water balloon up so that the round end is about the size of a nest and sit the balloon in the cup or flower pot, with the rounded ‘nest’ end on top
- Cut the yarn into manageable lengths. You don’t want a whole ball because you might get glue on it and then it wouldn’t be useful for anything else!
- To make the flour and water paste, mix the flour and water together until the mix is smooth and there are no lumps. You want a thick, glue like consistency, so add more flour or water as necessary. You can use your hands to mix the glue if you like – you’ll be getting glue on them soon anyway!
- Soak a yarn lengths in the glue, then run your fingers along the it to remove the excess glue and wind it around the end of the balloon.
- Keep going until you have a good ‘nest’.
- Put the balloon aside and let the yarn dry COMPLETELY. This might take a whole day and night!
- When the string is dry, carefully cut a slit in the balloon, near where you tied it off and let the balloon deflate. Roy didn't have to do this, his balloon deflated on its own!
- Peel the remains of your balloon out from the inside of your nest
- Now, set your nest aside, somewhere that the Easter Bunny can fill it up or fill it with eggs and give it away as a gift!