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Sunday afternoon the question was asked, "Are we doing anything?" Rather than letting the moment pass and all the kids scurry off to their own isolating activities I said, "I'm going to make a paper mache helmet. Who wants to join me?" Most scurried off, but I started my preparations anyway knowing that I would likely entice a kiddo or two once they saw what was going on. It worked! I snagged Molly and she made a cute mouse and I made an elephant. We had no idea what we were going to make until we started. Most importantly we had a great time together.

Now if it's been a while since you did paper mâché in grade school don't worry--it's actually ridiculously simple. Here's how:

Simplest paper mâché recipe ever:

Mix together:
- 2 cups white flour
- 2 cups water
- Newspaper: Tear into long strips.
- Balloon: Provides the form. You could use anything in any shape for the form.
- Dip strips into the mixture. Squeegee excess off between your index and middle fingers. Use three or more layers so it's strong enough.

Optional materials:

We used:

Paper plates: We used for the ears.
Egg carton: For cat nose and elephant tusks
Plastic cup: Elephant nose
Paper clips: Bent into brackets to support ears from flopping down. Just cover with paper mâché.

You could also use: