How To Make a Pinata

Do you have a son, daughter, niece, or nephew celebrating a birthday? Or is there an upcoming family celebration that can be spiced up with some games for the children? Learn how to make you own pinata. It is easy, fun to create, and if it is in honor of someone's birthday...they will feel that much happier knowing that you made it especially for him or her.

You will need:
-newspaper
-4 cups of water (2 boiling/2 cold)
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-a large disposable bowl
-1 regular party balloon
-a piece of string for hanging your pinata
-tools to decorate your pinata (markers, crayons, paint, glitter, streamers, etc)
-thick colored construction paper (optional)
-tape or glue (optional)

Step 1: Prepare a bowl of paper mache paste. Paper mache can be made by boiling 2 cups of water. In a separate container, mix in 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and 2 cups of cold water and then add that to the boiling water. Wait for the entire mixture to boil again. Once it is boiling, take it off of the burner and add 3 tbsp. of sugar. Set it aside and let it cool.

Step 2: Prepare long strips of newspaper by tearing (not cutting with scissors; it works better with rough edges) pieces approximately 1 inch wide and 6-9 inches long.

Step 3: Once the paper mache is cool, pour it into a disposable bowl.

Step 4: Inflate a balloon and tie the end.

Step 5: Dip the newspaper strips into the paper mache paste and then apply each strip to the balloon until it is entirely cover except for a tiny gap at the bottom to allow a small space for adding candy or whatever you want to put in the pinata. Make sure you slightly overlap the strip and that they are smoothed out.

Step 6: Let the balloon dry for 24-hours. In the meantime, wrap up your excess paper mache paste so that it doesn't dry out. If it does, try adding warm water to it.

Step 7: Place another layer of newspaper strips over the dried layer. Repeat step 6. Tip: Try using distinct pieces of the newspaper so that you can clearly see where the dried paper mache is and where you've applied new strips.

Step 8: Add one more layer of newspaper strips and let it dry.

Step 9: Pop and remove the balloon.

Step 10: Decorate! Paint and color your pinata! Use paint, crayons, markers glitter and don't hesitate to let the little ones help you (they can help with any part of pinata making, but this one is perhaps the most fun). Also, you can tape or clue strips of colored crepe paper to the bottom.

Step 11: Punch two small holes near the top of the pinata and slide a piece of string through the two holes.

Step 12: Fill her up! Stuff the pinata with candy and toys and all sorts of treats. Tip: It helps to places some strips of newspaper in there to help disperse the goods, otherwise, they may all clump together.

Step 13: If you want to make the pinata fancier, you can add legs or other elements to it by rolling up thick colored construction paper and filling it with scrunched up newspaper. Add it to your pinata using tape or glue.

Step 14: Tie her up, give a kid a bat, and stand back!