Cardboard Easel Costume

Cardboard can be transformed into so many amazing costumes.  Here is one relatively simple idea that we did together.  Have you made a costume?  We’d love for you to share it with us!

Materials

• Cardboard
• Plastic containers
• Paint brushes
• Clothes pins
• Glue gun/glue
• Acrylic paint
• Thick paper
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Cord
• Drill (Please use with safety googles!)
• Craft tray

Optional Items:  

• Beads
• Tape
• Face paints

We always a smock helpful too!

Directions

• Don your smock.  Paint your paper as this will be the masterpiece featured on your easel. (Ours features the work of our toddler!)  Allow to dry overnight.

• Put a few squirts of acrylic paint into your clear, plastic containers and tilt and turn them around to create the look of full paint containers.  Allow to dry overnight.

• Cut your cardboard into two equal pieces that would fit you in both the front and the back without being obtrusive.  (Large enough to fit your tray of paints and your painting!) Cutting cardboard can be tricky so use a good pair of scissors.  You may need an adult to help you with you for this.

• Have an adult score your cardboard at the bottom of the front board to make a small shelf for your paints to rest on.

•  Have an adult help you make holes near the top of the cardboard pieces.  (This will be to loop the ribbon to hold the easel together.)  We also made ones that would go around the sides (hidden under the painting for the front and matching on the back piece of cardboard.)  You may need an adult to hold the cardboard steady while you drill or if they prefer they can do this part.  Be sure to wear safety googles while using a drill.

• Have an adult drill a hole in the back of the plastic containers (once the paint is dry) and through the back of the cardboard where they would sit.  (Depending on your age and abilities, you may be able to do some of this with adult supervision.)  String cord through the holes and knot them.  Since it can be hard for children to tie knots that are big enough not to go through the hole, we attached beads as shown to hold the containers in place which assisted our son in the tying process.

• Glue one side of your clothes pins to the cardboard in a spot that would hold the piece of artwork.

• We then glued the paint brush to the cardboard (but you could use something like velcro dots to adhere to the cardboard so you could remove it easily).

• Loop the ribbon through the holes so you can make ties on the shoulders and on the sides. (Hiding the knots on the inside.)

• We then added a bit of paper tape on the edges of the cardboard for a more finished look and a few paint smears with the face paint!

Purpose

• Celebrating various holidays.
• Re-imagining cardboard and plastic.
• Learning to work collaboratively.

Safety Notes

• We suggest that you wear a smock and use a craft tray to protect your clothing and surfaces.
• Use scissors, a glue gun and a drill with care and adult supervision.
• Cord, yarn etc. can be a strangulation hazard, therefore be sure to use with direct supervision and for its intended purpose.
• Beads can be a choking hazard therefore be sure to keep them out of the reach of children ages 0-3 years of age or those that tend to put things into their mouths.