Cindy Crushes Programming: Jack Skellington Balloon

Hello Today I am here with the Lockport Teen Focused Librarian at the White Oak Library District Samantha Burkiewicz. She is going to walk us through her latest craft. 

Supplies:

·         1 balloon

·         20 pieces of white yarn

·         3 pieces of black yarn

·         2 square pieces of black felt

·         12 smaller pieces of black felt

Step 1: Blow up your balloon about half way. You do not want it to be too big. This is going to be Jack’s head.

Step 2: Take a piece of the white yarn and dip it completely in the glue. Once the strand of yarn is covered in glue, you will want to scrap off the excess glue with your fork.

Step 3: Wrap the piece yarn around the balloon. You will repeat steps 2 and 3, crisscrossing the yarn, until you have used all of it.

Step 4: Let your yarn dry. Once completely dry, you can pop your balloon! The yarn will only hold the shape of the head, as long as it is completely dry.

Step 5: After the yarn is completely dry and the balloon is popped you can glue on Jack’s face. Use the 2 square pieces of felt to cut out his eyes. The black yarn and the smaller pieces of felt will make up his mouth and nose.

What was the cost of The craft?

Sam Burkiewicz: Total Cost: $54.09 or $.90 per person ( I was able to make 60 kits!)

How did you come up with the craft?

Sam B: Pinterest! There were a few different similar crafts that required the same steps. One of them was making Jack Skellington, and the other one was making a pumpkin (using orange yarn.) Nightmare Before Christmas tends to be pretty popular with our teens, so I decided to go with that one, instead of the pumpkin craft.

What were challenges you had?

Sam B: One of the bigger challenges that I faced was that they do take some time to fully dry, so patrons are not able to leave with the completed craft. Some patrons decided to leave their Jack Skellington heads at the library to dry overnight, while others took theirs home. In addition, to the heads taking a while to dry, it can also be difficult to glue the eyes and mouth on before the head is completely dry. Some were able to do that, but others opted to put the eyes and mouth on after the head was completely dry. 

How messy is the craft?

Very messy! There was glue everywhere. I made an announcement before the program started, telling patrons that it was going to be a messy one, though, so everyone was ready for it! And thankfully, the glue was easy to clean up.

 What tips do you have for someone trying this type of craft for the first time?

Make sure you have enough glue. My library had ordered me a gallon of basic school glue, and we used up almost half of it. I refilled glue at least three times per patron. I would also suggest making sure you give yourself and your patrons enough time. I gave myself an hour and a half and that was just enough time for everyone to complete wrapping their balloons, any less time, andthey would have been rushed.

Filed under: Cindy Crushes Programming, DIY, Teen Programming