For our second anniversary (and way before children), my husband and I went on a hot air balloon ride, which has ALWAYS been a dream of mine. It was amazing! There is nothing like floating in the air and seeing the world from a new perspective. Before doing this activity with Big Brother, I pulled up some pictures of “Mommy” and “Daddy” on the hot air balloon to show him.
If you look REALLY closely…you can see us in there. :)
Believe it or not, tearing paper is a great way to increase fine motor control in little fingers. Tissue paper can be tricky to tear, depending on the kind you get, so you may have to help your little one.
And just to warn you–this craft can get kinda messy. Have fun!
1. Here’s what you’ll need: A cardboard or cardstock paper with the shape of a balloon drawn on it, different colors of tissue paper, a glue-water mixture (3 parts glue to 1 part water), and a shallow dish.
2. Let your little one tear the tissue paper. Get a nice stack torn before moving to the next step.
3. Mix the glue/water mixture. 3 parts glue to 1 part water. Let your little one dip the tissue paper in the glue mixture and place it on the balloon. Try to get all areas of the balloon covered. I ended up having to help Big Brother because he apparently has a HUGE AVERSION to glue on his fingers. :)
4. Once the balloon is covered with the tissue paper, pour a little bit of the glue/water mixture on top and let your child spread it around (to seal the tissue paper). Once again, I did this step since Big Brother didn’t want any more glue on his hands. Let it dry. NOTE: IT WILL TAKE AT LEAST A COUPLE HOURS TO DRY, depending on how much glue you spread on top.
5. After it’s dry, cut out the balloon shape (if you’re child is proficient at using scissors, let him cut it if he can still see the lines).
6. Add a basket on the bottom and be taken UP, UP AND AWAY!
