This scary papier-mâché Halloween spider is a lot of fun to make, but messy.
You can either put the spider on a table, or hang it from the ceiling with fishing line to make a scary Halloween decoration.
- A round balloon
- Newspaper
- Flour and water
- A pan and a stirrer
- Aluminum foil
- Hot glue
- Black tempera paint
- Paint brush
- Optional – Googly eyes
Instructions
Papier-Mâché Glue: Make a simple, thin glue from flour and water. Mix 1/2 cup of flour into 1/2 cup of water until the mixture is thin and runny. Stir into 2 cups of boiling water (the heating gives the glue a nice consistency, but is not necessary). Simmer for about 3 minutes, then cool.
Tear a lot of newspaper into strips. Strips should be about 1 inch wide; the length doesn’t really matter.
Blow up and tie a round balloon for each student.
Work on scraps of newspaper. Dip a strip of paper in the flour glue, wipe off the excess, and wrap the strip around the balloon. Cover the entire top of the balloon.
Have at least two or three layers surrounding the balloon. Let it dry (at least overnight) after each layer.
Let the balloon dry completely (it may take a few days). Pop the balloon and separates it from the outer papier-mâché skin. Throw the torn balloon away
Make 8 legs from aluminum foil. For each leg, start with a sheet of foil about a foot long. Crumble or roll it into a leg-like shape.
Hot glue the legs onto the spider. Let the glue set.
Paint the spider black (don’t paint the legs). Let the paint dry.
Paint two white or red eyes on the spider (or glue on googly eyes).
You can either put the finished spider on a table, or hang it from the ceiling with fishing line to make a scary Halloween decoration.