Ladybug Eggs "Pinata"

There are days I'm really thankful, that children enjoy repetition, and continuity in their activities.

Like for instance, on their birthdays. Being able to repeat the same games over, and over, like pin the tail on donkey, with only a slight modification in theme, really takes the stress of party planning down a few notches.

As does being able to reuse craft, and activity ideas from other times of year, like our recent fun with paper mache dinosaur eggs...


...now remade into ladybug eggs for C's 5th birthday, this week.

I'll admit, I was a little late, and a little stumped when it came to making C's pinata (I started the pinata tradition when T was 3, and the children don't consider it a party without one). I knew when she asked for a ladybug party, I wouldn't be able to make a ladybug pinata - not that the design would be a problem, but C would not want to hit a ladybug.

I thought briefly about aphids, and ants, and then remembered the ladybug eggs, the children had spotted, and the dinosaur eggs, and everything came together.

Of course, that was not until yesterday, and the party is tomorrow, so time was short. Luckily, with small pinatas (these were formed over water balloons - blown up with air), you can apply the second layer of paper, and even the decoration layer of tissue paper, while the first layer is still wet, pressing them together as you go.

If you're a first time pinata maker, click here, for more complete instructions.



In fact, they were still wet, when I glued them to a piece of cardboard, for easy hanging.




But, by this morning, they were dry enough to remove the balloons...


...fill with candy...


...and close up, by gluing on a final piece of thick, typing paper over the openings...


...and then dabbing the last bit of tissue paper, with glue and water covered fingers.




I used thick paper on the tops, because I want to be able to hang them upside down, as if a giant ladybug had come along, and laid them. If the weather is nice, I might punch a couple of holes in the cardboard base, and tie them onto a tree branch, for the children to discover. Or, if it is rainy, they can be taped on the underside of something (like the birthday girl's chair), until they are found, and ripped opened, releasing the candy inside.


It's great to be a homeschooler.