Kids project for half term – make a Guy Fawkes
Making a Guy Fawkes is much easier than you think.
If you are after a project to keep your children occupied throughout half term and on the run up to Halloween then your children will love making a Guy Fawkes in readiness for Bonfire Night.
Guy Fawkes making is an activity which can keep children creatively and constructively occupied for hours. And if you are having a firework party or a bonfire this will add to the party’s enjoyment. Just make sure you all keep safe.
How to make your own Guy Fawkes
Here are some simple ideas as to how you can construct your own Guy Fawkes. But of course once the kids get going they will have lots of their own ideas too….
You will need some old clothes for the guy. Shirt, trousers, jacket – or a pair of old pyjamas.
Guy Fawkes needs a body and legs. There are lots of things you can you use to make his body, but the thing to remember is, you want it to burn and not give off any chemicals. So avoid plastics and synthetic products.
An old feather pillow makes a great body for your Guy.
To create arms tie the end of the shirt sleeves with string. Stuff the sleeves of the shirt tightly with newspaper. Do the same to create legs. Tie the end of the trousers with string and pack your stuffing in as tightly as you can.
Now make your Guy Fawkes head
You can improvise in all sorts of ways when it comes to making Guy Fawkes Head. One way is to take an old cushion cover or pillow case and stuff that with newspaper into a shape that resembles a head. Tie it tightly with a very long piece of string.
Make sure the string is long enough so that you can attach it to Guy Fawkes body under his jacket.
Don’t attach the head to the body yet. Do that last when you have finished making the head.
If you want to really go to town – get the kids to cover the cushion head, with plaster of paris. Kids love doing this.
This becomes a project all on its own. You can buy plaster-of-paris in tubs
or plaster-of-paris bandage,
alternatively why not make your own.
How to make plaster-of-paris
To make your own you will need:
- flour
- warm water
- newspapers torn into strips
- old clothes for the children to wear
- plastic sheet to cover the work surfact
Plaster-of-paris sets quite quickly so make sure that the head is ready to be “plastered” before mixing up the plaster- of-paris.
You also need to make sure your children are dressed in old clothes and that the work-top is covered with an old plastic sheet. Plaster-of-paris is very messy stuff.
If you are going to make your own plaster-of-paris, all you need is flour and warm water. Three cups of flour to two cups of warm water. Stir the mixture until it is a smooth paste and there are no lumps.
You will also need lots of strips of newspaper which you will use with the gloopy plaster of paris, to stick on and build up the Guy’s head layer by layer. Prepare the newspaper strips before you start to make the plaster-of- paris.
The finishing touches
Once you have finished plastering and are happy with the Guy’s head, leave the plaster-of-paris to dry. Paint his face, and add a nose and any other finishing touches.
Attach the Guy’s head using the long pieces of string, and tie these round the Guy’s body under his clothes. Add a scarf, hat, straw or an old wig for hair and there you have it a Guy Fawkes.
Have fun and a great bonfire night – and be very careful.
And for activity ideas for rainy days take a look at 365 Things to Make and Do (Usborne Activities)
