3rd Grade - Paper Mache Pumpkins

Paper Mache is messy... there is no way around it. But, it is an inexpensive 3-D project that I think every elementary student should experience. In the past, I've made pinatas and Chinese lanterns, but this time, it's pumpkins. First, I'll explain how I taught the project this time, and then I'll tell you what I'll change for NEXT time (we're always learning as we go, aren't we?). This is going to be a long post, and I apologize for the wordiness, but I'm hoping if you're hesitant about trying this, you might give it a shot if I explain how I did it.

Prep Work:

1. Because I only wanted to do one day of the paste (much easier, believe me), I pre-assembled the structure. I blew up balloons, and then attached a toilet paper roll at the end for the stem. To attach it, I cut slits in the end so it would "flower out" and stick to the end with masking tape. Sorry I don't have a picture of this... I also glue the students' name tags inside the tube so that I can tell them apart.

2. I also arrange my room in a different way to make things go easier. I use half of my tables for the pasting, and the other half as a "clean area" for students to go do a drawing assignment when they are finished. On the messy half, I lay out newspaper or some sort of covering for easy clean-up afterward... I can turn the messy tables into clean tables as students finish.

3. For the paste, I swear by Elmers or School Specialty Art Paste. It's a powder that comes in a little box and mixes with a gallon of water. The trick is to use cold water and stir as you pour so it doesn't get clumpy. It's unscented and doesn't mold like homemade mache tends to... plus it's cheap. It has to sit for at least 15 minutes after mixing, then I pour it into low pans.

4. Rip the newspaper. I like to do this in front of the TV the night before. I rip a whole page in half, against the grain, then rip 2-3 inch strips with the grain.

5. Have paper towel ready. Have large pieces ready to go. I take a roll and cut a slit in it, top to bottom, with a utility knife so the pieces just come off.

Mache Day:

1. I start out by quickly demonstrating how to dip both sides of a newspaper strip into the mache, using "scissor fingers" to squeegee the excess off back into the tray, and then smoothing it down onto the balloon and tube. I tell them they have to do at least 2-3 layers of newspaper, and then finish with ONE layer of paper towel. The only purpose of the paper towel is to have a solid color on the outside so you can't see the newspaper letters and pictures when you paint. The paper towel is just put dry onto the wet balloon, and then smoothed out with a little mache on the hand.

2. When students indicate they are finished with the newspaper, we check to make sure that there is no balloon showing, and also that there is no where that the newspaper is so thin that you can see the color of the balloon underneath it. If it's good, then I give them the paper towel.

The pumpkins need to dry about a week, and rotated throughout so all areas can dry. Before painting day, I pop the balloon and dent the bottom so it will stand up.


Then, they paint! I had a few students who don't celebrate Halloween, so they can just paint lines down the pumpkin for a regular fall pumpkin instead of a jack-o-lantern.


It really was pretty successful, though I might make a few changes next time. Someone at an art ed conference told me that instead of newspaper, they use colored bulletin board paper. This saves the step of painting. I'm thinking it might work well if we paper mached orange bulletin board paper on the balloon alone (no roll). They could paper mache a nametag on the bottom so they could be told apart. Then, after drying, the roll can be glued to the top and painted, along with a face. Less prep for the teacher, more doing for the students.

Almost all students agreed this project was a ton of fun (possibly their all-time favorite), even though I feel like a crazy frenzied teacher when we do it. Definitely worth it for all!