Fast and Easy Star Pinata

We are big fans of home birthday parties.  And I have made a pinata for almost every birthday party we have hosted in the last two years.  As a result of our experiences, I have learned a few things about homemade pinatas.

1. Paper mache is not necessary to make a pinata.  It will soon be broken, so the pinata doesn't have to be very sturdy.  In fact, it is better if the pinata breaks fairly easily rather than having to be assaulted with deadly force.  Especially when you have preschoolers as guests. 
2. Keep the finished pinatas out of reach of young children.  We learned this the hard way when my son destroyed a lovely pinata my daughter had made by herself.
3. Making a pinata usually takes a long time.  Start it at least several days before the party.

The traditional way of making pinatas takes days. We have avoided paper mache for the last few pinatas because it takes so long for them to dry before they can be decorated.  Interesting in saving time?  Check out my step-by-step tutorial on how to make a star pinata in under two hours over at Associated Content. 

The nice thing about star pinatas is that they work well for both boys and girls. Another pinata I made last year can be found in this post about my daughter's birthday party.  The versatile star pinata can also be used to add fun to a Fourth of July celebration or Christmas party.

 

Simple Tip(s) of the Week: Ways to Use and Reuse Glow Necklaces

Halloween, the Fourth of July, and birthday parties are perfect opportunities to showcase glow necklaces as surprisingly versatile toys. How, you wonder? Take note of these bright and eco-friendly ideas.

1. Frisbee

2. Ring Toss



3. Hopscotch

4. Variation on the game of Twister

5. Jump rope (join two or three together)

6. Play dough or sand structure

7. Tug of war rope

8. Three-legged race (in place of bandanas)

9. Outdoor Decorations: Hosting an evening party? Deck your porch, mailbox, fence or table with glowing lengths of color. Or should the urge for mischief strike, forget toilet papering, and decorate a friends house with glow necklaces instead.

10. Capture the flag or treasure hunt

About 90% of these ideas can be done whether the necklace is still glowing or not, which means you don't have to toss them in the trash after just one night of use! Whether they are glow or no-glow, these tubular necklaces are designed for flexible fun, night or day!


Bonus Tips:

• If you lose a connector, certain sizes of drinking straws or clear tubing can serve as connector substitutes.

• If you pop the glow necklaces in the refrigerator while they are still glowing, they will glow a little longer. Ours lasted for more than 48 hours that way!

These ideas have worked for us, and are also linked to Tuesday's Tip Jar this week.

Patriotic Pinwheel Wreath

With little time and energy remaining, we still wanted to celebrate this 4th of July weekend somehow. So my wheels were turning and I came up with this simple craft to decorate our door. Here are the 6 supplies we used:

- 1 paper plate, center cut out, 1-inch rim remaining
- hole punch
- scissors
- 8 brass fasteners
- white printer paper
- red construction paper

We made 4 squares from one piece of red construction paper. I found a printable pinwheel template at the Family Fun website, and made pinwheels. We punched holes in each pinwheel, pushed brass fasteners through, and then attached them through 8 evenly-spaced holes I had punched around the plate. Voila--a patriotic pinwheel wreath!

This idea was featured at Tip Junkie in May of  2010 and is also linked to: