• I • WANNA • PINATA •

Smash The Coronavirus. You’ll Feel Better!

This DIY Piñata Is A Fun and Creative Way to Help “Beat” The Coronavirus

The times are in fact, a-changin’. I must admit that the Covid pandemic has proven difficult to navigate. Being a self-employed, single mother naturally comes with it’s own set of challenges. Throw a quarantine into the mix and then suddenly I need to be a teacher and full-time entertainer on top of it all! I have always had a profound respect and admiration for our school teachers and child care providers, however over the past few weeks, that appreciation has grown leaps and bounds. Finding innovative ways to educate Lennon while maintaining her interest (especially while being surrounded by the temptation of her toys…) was quite the conundrum. Upon some reflection, I decided to teach Lennon the best way that I knew how: DIY Crafts!

Learning doesn’t always have to be sit down, do your work, study and memorize. Sometimes learning can be a little more tactile and hands-on. For example: This Coronavirus Piñata that Lennon and I made for her (quarantine) birthday. Let’s call it Chemistry, Science and Art class all mixed into one dynamic lesson! So let’s gather our materials and get ready to get a little messy with this Piñata DIY.

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SUPPLIES

Most of these supplies you will likely already have around your house!!

1. BALLOON

2. PAPER PLATES

3. MASKING TAPE

4. NEWSPAPER

5. WATER

6. BOWL (large enough to hold piñata)

7. TWINE/STRING

8. CANDY

9. GREEN PAINT AND BRUSH

10. GLUE STICK

11. TISSUE PAPER

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1.

Blow up your balloon and tie a knot at the base.

STEP 2.

Cut a paper plate into quarters (pizza shaped pieces).

Step 3.

Roll the paper plate pieces into cones, tape them so they remain in this shape, and cut one-inch strips at the bottom of the cone. 

Step 4.

Flare out the strips and tape them to the balloon.

STEP 5.

Make the paper mache with equal parts water and flour, then mix.

STEP 6.

Tear your newspaper into strips and coat them in the paper mache mixture. Layer them onto your balloon in different directions smoothing out any bubbles.

STEP 7.

Let the paper mache dry overnight. Once dry, cut a small flap in order to put the candy in the pinata. 

STEP 8.

Stuff the pinata with candy!

STEP 9.

Using the twine, tie a knot around the balloon leaving some excess to allow the pinata to hang.

STEP 10.

Paper mache over the twine to keep it in place.

STEP 11.

Paint the pinata using your green paint.

STEP 13.

Roll your tissue paper and stick them into the spikes. Using the end of a paintbrush helps!

STEP 12.

Cut your tissue paper into small squares and glue them onto the pinata.

Step 14.

It’s time to finally get the upper-hand! Here’s Lennon showing the villainous virus what she’s made of! Smash away and retrieve all of the goodies as your reward. Hopefully being a little “batter” will make you feel a little better, about these pandemic vibes.

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That’s it! It’s that simple.

I would love to see if any of you attempt a coronavirus piñata! Share with me in the comment section below your projects and how they turned out.

Thanks for following my blog and I can’t wait to connect with you on my next project!

Stay tuned for more do it yourself projects coming soon as well as a sneak preview of Season 3.

xox

DIY MOM

Finding Inspiration…

Inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime. The internet is a great resource for sparking your creative energies and discovering projects that you may enjoy trying! The case could never be truer than for this project here. Being cooped up in the house all day, I did tend to find myself peering on social media sites more often than usual. But upon stumbling onto this New York Times article and doing a bit more research (as well as taking some creative liberties), I decided that this would be the perfect project to elevate Lennon’s Bday and really make it a SMASH!