Guest Author - Grace Hodgin

Egg Carton Parachutist

My son is the designer of this week’s craft. He spent a lot of time and effort creating this parachutist when he was in middle school. It really kept him busy for hours and he named his egg friend, Paco. Proud of his design, he showed it to friends and they copied the idea and then had parachute contests day after day. He is 23 years old now and I called him the other day to get the directions so I could write an article about it. He still remembered how to make his creation, Paco, to the last detail and was pleased I was sharing the craft with you and your children.

Supplies

Egg Carton
Thread
Sewing needle
Safety Pin
Trash bag
Glue or Tape
Pipe Cleaners
Pen to make face
Scissors
Markers for face design

Directions

Cut two of the bottom humps from an egg carton.
Cut a square piece from the trash bag. 8 x 8 inches works fine.
Cut four pieces of sewing thread about 10 inches long. My final string length was 8 inches long
Cut pipe cleaners for legs and arms.
Thread a sewing needle, knotting the thread on one end of the thread, and run the thread through the plastic at the corner. (Supervision is needed according to the age of your child) I started underneath and then pulled the thread up and then back through so my thread was back under the plastic (the length of the thread is now hangin under the plastic bag and then pushed the needle through the top of one of the egg carton humps. Leave about 8 inches of thread between the egg carton and the parachute. Do that for each corner of the trash bag square. Place a safety pin under the egg carton hump and wrap the threads around a safety pin and fasten the pin so it is closed. I put a drop of glue over the string and pin so it would not unravel. The safety pin is now inside the first egg carton hump holding the thread that you have sewn through the trash bag parachute and have pulled inside the head section of the egg carton hump. Take the second hump and glue or tape it to the top. Add facial features and add arms and legs if desired from the pipe cleaner. I wrapped the hands of my egg critter around a sting so he could hold on while parachuting. Decorate according to your imagination. Maybe your child will want to make a bug or spider.
When completed the egg person can be tossed into the air and the parachute will float him to the ground. The safety pin weights him and also keeps the thread from coming out.