Celebrate Mardi Gras with your own shoebox floats! These were so fun to make, and we used materials that we had already at home. This activity is great for all ages.
Supplies:
Shoebox with an unattached lid
Wrapping paper, tissue paper, or any other craft paper
Tape, hot glue, staples
Scissors
Doubloons
Beaded necklaces, Mardi Gras garland
Decorative toys, masks, dolls, cars, buttons, candy
Markers, crayons, feathers, paint, flags, pipe cleaners, glitter
Optional: Small axles, wheels, string, or pipe cleaner figures (directions below)
Steps:
1. Pick a shoebox; one with an unattached lid works best.
2. Think of a theme for your float. "A Pirate's Life" "Under the Sea" "Amazing Superheroes" are some examples. We found cake decor plus their toys and followed a pirate theme.
3. Cover the outside of box and all sides of the lid with paper or paint. Turn the shoebox upside down to form the base.
4. Choose how to attach the lid, either to the side or end of the box to form a backdrop or support above the base.
- Attach the lid to the short-side of the box by standing it up straight to create a high back for the float. Use a stapler or hot glue gun (with parental guidance).
- Suspend the box lid above the base by attaching straws, dowels, or other long, thin material (we found bamboo skewers) to the box along the sides. Hot glue or craft glue may be needed. If you choose this option, decorate the lid first!
5. Time to decorate! Write your theme on the lid or box. Use your imagination, glitter, paint, foam stickers, etc. Create paper cutouts and your own Krewe emblems. Build a seat or stage for your doll or action figure and hang ribbons or beads on the sides. Using a straw and paper, you could make a flag. Have fun with it!
6. Optional - attach a string and wheels so you can have your own parade! You may even find a toy car that the shoebox can fit over.
Pipe Cleaner Figure
To make them, you will need:
Pipe cleaners
Colored drinking straws
Plastic pony beads
Wooden beads for the heads
Scissors
Glue
Sharpies – we used a fine tip black for the faces, and larger tipped colored ones to color the heads
Step 1: Twist 3 pipe cleaners together in the middle and bend them. Make sure that you do at least a couple of complete twists, or the pipe cleaners won’t stay together.
Step 2: Slide 3 pony beads over both of the legs together.
Step 3: Cut a drinking straw into 8 1″ segments. Slide two segments onto each arm. Slide two segments onto each leg with a pony bead in the middle of the leg segments. You can also include a bead in the middle of arm segments.
Step 4: Twist the extra pipe cleaner into hands and feet to help keep the straws from sliding off.
Step 5: Draw a face on a wooden bead and slide it over the top two pipe cleaners. Design the extra pipe cleaner into hair design of choice. A popular one for the girls was curling around pencil, remove pencil, and voila - curly pigtails. The boys made their hair zig-zag or spiked for example.
Have Fun!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
(Let the good times roll!)
