DIY Spiderman Easter Hat

It's that time of the year again. The time where we as parents are sent letters from our kid's schools.
Well, they call it letters, we call it parents homework. Yup, it's Easter Hat Parade time!

As much as we say we don't do it. As much as we say that the only thing we have to do with our kids crafty Easter hat is provide the money for the materials - we are lying. Parent's either hate it or love it.

I. Love. It.

I love it because I actually get to actively help and contribute to something that makes my kids happy. Something that my kids bring to school and proudly show their friends.

Dad's usually the fixer.

James: Mum my toy car has no battery.
Me: *looks at the battery casing* It needs a screwdriver. Wait till dad comes home to fix it. 

Maddy: Mum how do I sign into the Xbox?
Me: I have no idea, wait until dad gets home. 

Unfortunately, things in this household need more battery replacements, repairing and daddy's passwords in a year than mum's creative solutions. But when the Easter Hat parade rolls around I'm all ears.

Me: Okay kids, what easter hat do you guys want to make this year? I'll help you guys and make it happen. 

This year instead of giving the kids options to choose from, I let them get creative and decide on the design they had in mind instead.

James chose spiderman - of course he did. 

How in the world do I make a spider, superhero-themed easter hat? One that I can just supervise with and not be abandoned to do all on my own. James and I sketched, designed and came up with the following DIY.

If you'd like to become the coolest mum ever (James actually said I was so cool!), keep on reading on how to make this easy and crafty Spiderman Easter Hat - one that the kids can actually do and you don't end up staying up until 1am covered in paint with hot glue gun burns on your fingers.

Materials

• Newspaper or scrap paper
• PVA glue (or DIY your own paste by mixing flour and water)
• Red Paint
• White Paint
• Balloon
• Black Permanent Marker
• Fedora Party Hat
• Hot Glue Gun
• Foam Craft Easter Eggs (Optional)
• Blue and Black Paint (Optional - for the easter eggs)

Step One

Prep the paper mache by tearing the newspaper/scrap paper. Mix in the PVA glue/homemade paste into a bowl with the torn paper. 

NOTE: You want the surface of the paper mache to be as flat and smooth as possible, this is easier to achieve if the paper is torn into larger pieces. 

Step Two

Blow up and secure the balloon with a knot. Make sure it is blown up large enough that it can go over the top of the party hat later on. 

Cover the balloon with the paper mache you had prepared in Step One. Try and smooth the paper flat when you paste them on for a flat surface.

Allow to dry and harden before moving onto the next step. 

Step Three

Once dry, paint the paper mache red. My son did three layers to make sure that the print of the newspaper wouldn't show through as much. 

Allow drying between layers. 

Step Four

Once the paint is dry pop the balloon inside and cut the paper mache to size. Make sure it fits over the top of the hat. 

Step Five

Place the paper mache on top of the party hat. This is where it is important that the size of the paper mache is big enough to fit the top of the hat into it.

You can secure it using the hot glue gun.

Step Six

Using the permanent marker, draw Spiderman's mask onto the paper mache. 

This is the part where I had to step in (I don't trust my 4 year old with a permanent marker in his hands). 

I found it easier to start with the eyes and then draw the rest from there on out. 

Step Seven

Using the white paint fill in the eyes - James did about three layers. 

Allow drying between each layer. 

Step Eight

This part is where adult supervision is needed. 

Using the glue gun assemble and glue everything together. 

The foam Easter eggs are optional.

There you have it! A step-by-step guide on how to be the coolest mum ever. If your child does try this out I hope they enjoy it as much as my son does. 

See you all in the next post. 

xo/Vanessa