Project time!
I cannot remember anymore if I was the giddy kind of girl every time we had school projects before.
What I am certain is that I am more excited than my boys when they have projects for submission.
I love art and I love helping my boys with their projects. Before, I would volunteer to do the project myself but thank God for outspoken boys, they pointed out I should only help them should they ask for it.
For my grade four’s HELE project, he and his classmates were required to submit a paper mache savings bank. And since I seldom leave the house because I always have to bring the little boy with me, I asked husband to buy a plastic piggy bank. It is the most common piggy bank I could ever think of which is often visible in any toy shops or even at nearby palengke.
Husband must be that busy he kept on forgetting to buy one and my 10-year old son was getting a little anxious. He respects and values deadlines.
With nothing much at home to use as our mold, husband recommended that we use one of his empty wine bottles instead. Though with some hesitations, big Bunso complied.
To make the paper savings bank , we need the following materials:
And now for the procedure:
1. Cut old newspaper into thin long strips.
2. The book says to wax the whole part of the mold. We use baby oil instead. Purpose: for the paper not to stick to the mold; otherwise, it would be difficult to separate the mold from the paper.
3. Lay the thin strips of paper over the surface of the mold until thickly covered. One should smooth it out using fingers. Purpose: to avoid creases and bumps as one needs a smooth surface for painting and decorating.
4. Once fully covered, let it dry overnight. It is very important to leave it untouched until the next day.
5. Once the paper is completely dry, remove it from the mold by cutting the paper bottle into half.
6. Supposedly, one needs to paste another layer of paper on the joined parts and let it dry again for about three to four hours. Instead, we use masking tape to join the parts together. That way, we need not wait for long hours to dry the paper bottle.
7. Use spray paint to cover the paper bottle. Wait for a few minutes for it to dry.
8. While waiting for the paper to dry, I asked big Bunso to draw in a piece of paper his design. We also searched for inspiration in the internet.
9. My son made an outline on his bottle. Soon, he use the paint to make the drawings visible and vibrant. He also made use of some of our craft materials.
10. After painting, let the paper bottle dry overnight.
We did not attempt to make a hole for the coins. I told Big Bunso he could use the mouth of the bottle as the hole where he would slip the coins and paper bills. After placing his coins or paper bills, he could always cover the mouth again with the wine bottle cork.
Last Tuesday, Big Bunso left the small house very excited as he would want to show to his teacher his paper savings bank. And when he returned from school that same day, he relayed to me that most of his classmates were amazed. He further detailed that most of his classmates used basketball as their mold.
This weekend, Big Bunso is scheduled to make some bookmarks as a requirement for his English subject. And I know that he will not wait for Saturday anymore. He will be home by 4:15pm today and after his quick merienda, I am sure he will start with his bookmark project na.
So until next project time!
I love what you did! It is also nice that you have taught him about savings this early. Perfect idea also to give as gifts to classmates hehehe. 🙂
Ihihi. Thank you. He is actually thinking of doing some more pa as Christmas gifts to his grandparents and godparents.
wow! ang cute! we really should teach our children how to save while they are young..para makalikhan nila ang pag-iimpok 🙂
Thank you. Yes, some habits become who they are so I agree with you Na sanayin Na sila para they will get used to savings and saving money becomes part of their everyday Na.
Crafty son takes after you! You have spray paint at home? Wow! Big bunso did such a great job nga!
Yey! Complete ang small house sa mga Ganyan. Hahaha. Will tell Big Bunso, matutuwa yun.
I love the beautiful arts and crafts you did 🙂 So much effort was put into it!
Thank you. The Little boy enjoyed doing it. 🙂
Yeeyyy! Ang cute! That’s really artistic. Happy are the kids who love arts.
And so are their moms. Ihihi
Nice one! We should start them young talaga. Nagiging savvy din sila dahil sa mga ganyang klase ng artwork. Keep up the good work big bunso! 🙂
Thank you from the Big Bunso. Ihihi.
We love doing arts and crafts too! My son even enjoys watching Art Attack. This is a nice project 🙂
Thank you. No doubt your son is as creative as his mama.
Ay naku if my kids will have projects na feeling ko I will be the one excited to do it. Haha! What a very nice savings bank you’ve done! Kakaiba nga to have used a bottle. 🙂
Thank you. Haha, same tayo, mommy, laging excited. Ihihi. At first, my boy had doubts. After seeing the finished product, he was happy and proud Na of his work.
so creative, ang galing galing 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
This is super creative! I remembered how we used to do this in school,but we used plastic cups for the mold. I didn’t know that you can cut the paper to remove from the mold. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, it’s mabigat if you will not take off the bottle. Also so that you could use again the bottle for another purpose.
Ay ang ganda ng finished product! Very practical and a great bonding activity with the kids!
Indeed a great bonding. Nakakaaliw tignan Ung finished product. Sarap Hulugan ng pera. Ihihi.
i am not much of a crafty mum, but this sure looks like a very interesting project to try. i bet it will encourage the little ones to save more using a coin bank they make themselves! great job, mum!
That’s the catch– save more using a coin bank he made himself. Thank you for appreciating my little boy’s effort. 🙂