Zero waste eco craft activity for kids - paper mache bowls

The week before the arrival of baby number two I asked via social media what kind of topics would be helpful and interesting for me to write about. One topic was eco friendly zero waste craft and play activity ideas for children. So here we are (over a year late) with a series on easy zero waste craft and play activities for the family and caregivers to try. 

The craft activity I'm going to share is how we made paper mache bowls using scrap paper and homemade glue. These were a lot of fun to make. The project prompted my 5yr old to ask about the different types of materials a bowl can be made from and how they are constructed. His question took us to youtube and we watched alot of videos about bowls made of glass, ceramic, coconut, bamboo, woven grasses, wood and metal. I love how play activities can spark fun investigations.

Here are a list of the materials needed:

• A bowl
• Scrap paper or magazines
• Oil or a homemade balm
• Flour
• Water
• Paintbrush

We begun by tearing up scrap paper into small strips, about 8-10cm long by 5cm wide. Once this was completed we rubbed ours bowls with olive oil. This was to stop the paper and glue from sticking to the bowl. If you have a homemade lip balm made of oil and beeswax this would work too. Skipping this step will mean the paper will become stuck on the bowl.

Make the glue using one part flour and mix together one tablespoon of water for every tablespoon of plain (all-purpose) flour and you’re ready to start sticking! Using the paint brush to dip into the homemade glue and brush onto the paper scraps. Stick your paper to the bowl. Now repeat the process until the the bowl is covered. Let it dry overnight.

The next day gently remove the paper bowl off of the ceramic bowl. Now it's ready to decorate. 

I hope you liked this fun plastic free and zero waste craft activity. 

Adding the zero waste glue to the scrap paper 

Letting the paper mache bowl dry

Time to decorate the paper mache bowls

The finished product by the two artists

One last photo taken by a proud 5yr old