How to Make a Creative Paper Plate Sculpture

By: Andrea Bullock

Looking for a great craft to get those creative juices flowing? How about something to keep the kids occupied on a rainy Saturday? There are many great crafts that children of all ages can do and enjoy.

This sculpture requires no major skills to create but some supervision is recommended for little hands. The aluminum foil can cut tiny (and not so tiny) fingers and no one wants a huge mess with glue. Otherwise this is a project that is suitable for a wide range of interests and ages.

Some items may require a hot glue gun in order to properly adhere. Small children should always be supervised when using a hot glue gun though it is possible to limit the project supplies to those that can be used with regular glue alone to reduce risks.

Supplies:

• Paper plates (stiff or Styrofoam plates work best for this particular project)
• Glue
• Popsicle sticks
• Odds and ends (the goal here is to find small things that have shape to provide a 3 dimensional quality to the project: Styrofoam half balls, small sections of wire screen, and coins are excellent choices)
• Aluminum foil
• Pencil
• Grease pencil
• Hole punch
• Yarn

Instructions:

1) Turn paper plate so that the top of the plate is facing the table. The bottom of the paper place will be the surface you are working on.

2) Place various odds and ends items on the back of the plate to create a template or pattern to represent the finished product. The beauty of this project is that it is three-dimensional. Be creative and build things up for varying heights and textures.

3) Use the pencil to trace the outline of items and identify where various items in the sculpture should be glued. (Hint: if items are stacked mark pieces according to location on the plate and position in the stack-grease pencils may be used to write on metal pieces).

4) Use glue to attach items to the paper plate and to other craft items if needed. For many items regular glue will suffice. As the project is heightened, hot glue may be required. Some height is recommended; but avoid building the sculpture too tall as the entire project will ultimately be covered with foil.

5) Allow the glue to dry completely.

6) Cover the paper plate and sculpture with foil. Take extra care to really dig in and show off the nooks and crannies on the surface of the foil. It’s these subtle differences beneath the foil that really make this a neat project.

7) Use the hole punch to punch a hole in the top of the sculpture. String yarn through the hole and tie a knot.

8) Hang the sculpture where it can be appreciated by all. Enjoy!

Andrea Bullock is a freelance writer for Crafts for Kidlets, a fun craft idea blog for moms and dads who need something creative for the kids to do. https://www.craftsforkidlets.com