Everything You Need to Know about Making a DIY Piñata

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A piñata is usually shaped like a donkey or other animal and is traditionally made from a clay pot, paper mâché, color tissue. A piñata is filled with candy, small toys or fruit.  Piñatas are sometimes shaped like a seven-pointed star, cartoon character or superhero. 

A DIY piñata lets you use your imagination to create a party favor to entertain all your guests. The piñata dispenses treats or gifts when the guest of honor breaks the paper mâché or cardboard decoration. Use a stick or small bat to break the piñata.

Quick Navigation

History of the Piñata 
How to Use a Piñata   
Should You Buy a Piñata or Make One?
How to Make A Donut Piñata
How to Make a Seven-Pointed Balloon Piñata
Other DIY Piñatas 

History of the Piñata 

We know that piñatas are a part of Spanish and Mexican culture, but the Chinese smashed large, stuffed paper ornaments shaped like animals as early as the 13th Century. The Chinese burned the remainder of the paper ornaments and thought the ashes were a sign of good luck. 

Marco Polo saw these paper ornaments on one of his trips to China and brought them back to Italy, where the decorations were adapted for use in pre-Lenten festivities. Explores then brought the hanging paper ornaments to Spain, and then across the Atlantic to Mexico.

How to Use a Piñata   

Piñatas are suspended from the ceiling by a rope, and guests take turns hitting the piñata. Guests are usually blindfolded as they hit the piñata, and someone may spin the piñata or move it to make it harder for the blindfolded person to hit it.   

After a guest (or the person celebrating a birthday) breaks the piñata, everyone scrambles to retrieve the treats or toys. 

Should You Buy a Piñata or Make One?

You can buy a piñata online or from a party store. (Piñatas cost up to $50 if you buy them from a website or chain store.) Save money and create something unique for your friend or family member’s birthday with a DIY piñata. You can make a piñata with items you probably have around the house. 

Experienced crafters will have an easier time making a piñata than novices, but the process isn’t complicated. Piñata-making takes a bit of patience, but you’ll have a unique party favor when you’re finished.     

How to Make A Donut Piñata

Some piñatas aren’t shaped like unicorns, horses or donkeys. A do-it-yourselfer’s imagination is the limit for homemade piñatas. Follow these steps to make a donut-shaped piñata: 

Get several different colors of crepe paper and cut some fringe. You’ll need one color for the donut, a few colors for the sprinkles, and one for the frosting. Gather some cardboard, twine, masking tape, scissors, and white craft glue.  

Use a large circular object to trace for the outside of the donut. Trace the inside by using a bowl. The exterior of the circle should be about 30 inches wide, and the inner circle about eight inches wide.

Cut out two circular donut shapes, along with a few strips six inches or wider for the sides. Tape one of the pieces along the inside of one of the shapes. Bend the cardboard, so it curves, and it’s easier to do this before you apply the tape.

Repeat the cutting and tapping for the outer donut circle. Don’t put tape on one piece of the outer ring so you’ll be able to fill the piñata with treats later. Poke a hole to add string or twine. Tape the second donut shape to the first using the same steps.

Use two or more sheets of crepe paper and crepe paper streamers to cut fringe for the piñata. Wrap the fringe you’ve cut around the piñata. Start at the inside of the piece and wrap around it. The inner circle is smaller than the outer one so that the fringe will overlap several times.

Keep wrapping until you get to the last bit of fringe. Bend the fringe to get to the cardboard and glue the final piece.

Now add the donut frosting. Cut pink crepe paper into an uneven circle shape and cut a hole in the middle. Use white glue, a glue stick or double tape to glue the pink crepe paper to the piñata. Add dots of various color crepe pepper as sprinkles. Glue or double tape them to the frosting. 

Add treats or small toys to the open flap of the outer circle; then close it and hang the piñata from the ceiling of your party area.   

How to Make a Seven-Pointed Balloon Piñata

pinata for party

Image via pixabay.com

The traditional seven-pointed piñata is used at Cinco de Mayo celebrations and other Mexican festivities. Here’s how to make your own version of the classic party favor from South of the Border.

Gather the following items:

  • Water

  • Flour

  • Container

  • Seven or eight cardstock sheets

  • Punching balloon

  • Masking tape

  • Utility knife

  • Tacky glue

  • Twine

  • Scissors

  • Thick rope

You’ll also need newspaper cut into one-and-a-half-inch strips, and fine crepe paper cut into two-inch and one-and-a-half inch strips

Use paper mâché to create the piñata core. Blow up the balloon and tie it with a knot. Remove the rubber band off the other side and put tape over the overhanging part. Make the paper mâché by combining one part water to one part flour. Three cups of water and three cups of flour should be enough for this project.

The paper mâché paste should be thick because it needs to bind the newspaper strips. Soak the newspaper in the glue and take off the extra paste before you put the pieces on the balloon.

Tie the twine to the end of the balloon, and add most of the newspaper strips while the balloon is hanging from the ceiling. Overlap the pieces as you add them. Let the first layer dry before adding a second and thirds layer of newspaper. Let the strips dry entirely overnight before going on to the next step.

Create cones (the points on the star) to connect to the piñata while the centerpiece is drying. You can order them pre-made or use cone-shaped cardboard to make an open-ended cone. Form a cone shape and tape the edges if you decide to make your own “star points.”

Now poke a hole in the balloon. Place a cone over the hole in the deflated balloon and a trace a circle around it. Cut a hole inside the traced circle with scissors, but leave one side intact.  Reach inside and take out the balloon, and shake out the excess, dried paste. 

Use a utility knife to poke a hole opposite the opening. Take the end of a rope and tie it into a double knot and tread it through the hole. Now fill the piñata with candy or other treats. Close and tape the hole.  

Cut a few quarter-inch tabs into the cone bottom. Fold the cone in and glue it to the piñata. Tape the cone to make sure it stays attached, if necessary. Hang the piñata and add the rest of the cones using the same method.  

Cut the two inch and inch and a half strips of crepe paper three-quarters of the way into one-quarter inch wide fringe. Cut the pieces while they’re folded. Put a thin line of glue on the paper fringe.

Wrap fringe around the piñata base. The fringe should face downward. Make sure fringe overlaps as you wrap new layers. Cut fringe, so it doesn’t fall on the cones. Use small strips of fringe to cover cones once the piñata base is covered. Trim and cover any unkempt areas. Now you’re ready to hang the piñata for fun and games.      

Other DIY Piñatas 

multicolored donkey pinata

Image via unsplash.com

You can make your piñatas in just about any shape you desire. There are online tutorials for piñatas shaped like hearts, hair spray containers, blow dryers, pineapples, cake slices, diamond rings, and the ever-popular unicorn or horse-shaped piñatas. 

Regardless of the shape or size of your DIY piñata, you’ll need some essential items to build your creation. You’ll need crepe paper, twine, scissors, glue, tape, and cardboard (or card stock) for most projects. For a slice of birthday cake piñata, you’ll need straws to serve as candles.  

You can turn a donkey piñata into a unicorn piñata with a few materials and a bit of ingenuity. Start with a homemade or store-bought donkey piñata and remove external decorations. Trim the donkey ears, so they’re smaller, and then spray paint the figure white. Now you have a blank slate to turn into a unicorn. 

Use cardstock, several colors of cellophane and crepe paper, and make a colorful cone to use as the unicorn’s horn. Fashion the mane out of cardstock and add bright color fringe to complement the otherwise white body.  

Several do-it-yourself piñatas require you to outline the donkey or other animal or object on a piece of cardboard, cut out the separate parts and attach them with tape or glue before adding fringe and filling the inside with treats.

Let your imagination be your guide as you make piñatas suitable for themed-parties and your friends’ (or family members’) interests and personalities. 

How to Make Your Own Slip and Slide Kickball Field

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Slip and slide games are a great Summer water activity, as is kickball. Both are great ways to have fun in the sun. But they can get boring. So why not combine them? Slip and slide kickball provides competition and teamwork while also cooling the players down in the summer heat.

How to Make Your Own Slip and Slide Kickball Field

Slip and slides are a great summer water activity. People of all ages enjoy the feeling of sliding fast across their lawn.

Not only that, but many throw their own small slip and slide races with their friends.

Kickball is a favorite outdoor game that kids and adults both enjoy playing. It teaches teamwork, agility, speed, and coordination. More importantly, you can have fun playing it while still being competitive.

Kickball is such a favorite game that there are teams that compete against each other.

Kickball is a fun game and slip and slides bring joy. But why not make them both a little more interesting?

Add some pools, tarps, water, and soap. Kickball is now slightly more difficult, but even more exciting.

Slip and slide kickball is just kickball with a twist. All you do is play a typical game of kickball but use slip and slide as baselines and kiddie pools as bases.

With this game, you can enjoy two great summer activities in one! A game like slip and slide kickball is the perfect pass time to play with your friends during the warmer seasons of the year.

The History of Kickball

Kickball, also known as kick baseball, is about a century old and invented by Nicholas C. Seuss in 1917. He developed it to teach his kids how to play baseball. Seuss did not have any baseball equipment. So he opted for a ball to kick with feet instead. He referred to it as kick baseball.

Children mostly play it, but during World War II, soldiers would play it to keep themselves entertained.

The game lost popularity until the late 90s. Since then, adults are playing kickball more than children. The World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA Kickball) formed in 2011 in Washington D.C.  Now, there are 2,000 teams and more than 40,000 players that take part every year in the competition.

Teenage girl is enjoying the slip and slide kickball while at her back are some people having a picnic

Image via: Flickr

How to Play

Men are enjoying the kickball slide field

Image via: Flickr

Slip and slide kickball is an easy game to understand. If you know the rules to kickball, then you are set. If not, here’s what you need to know to play.

Start by creating two teams. Next, choose one member from each side to be the pitcher. Then divide the rest of the members into other roles. Here are some different roles for the game:

  • Catcher
  • First base
  • Second base
  • Third base
  • Shortstop
  • Outfield

The teams will then decide who will kick first.

The team that is kicking first will send a player up to Homeplate. The pitcher will roll the ball without the ball bouncing, and the kicker will try to kick it. If it goes past the pitcher’s mound without getting caught, they will run to the first base kiddie pool.

The goal is to get to the first kiddie pool (base) before getting tagged.

If concerned about falling and injuring yourself, you can run alongside the slip and slide then hop on and slip at the end.

Others often run on the wet sheets from the start which is more difficult when you are trying to reach the base because you will slip too much, but it is more fun this way.

Score more runs

The main point of the game is simple; one team needs to have more runs than the other.

To achieve this, players will kick the ball and run to all the bases to score points. When not kicking, the opposing team will try to stop players from scoring by catching the ball or striking the kicker out.

To build a slip-n-slide kickball field, you will need supplies to get it set up. It is a cheap project; you will not need to spend much. In fact, there is a good chance some of the supplies required can be around your house. Here is what you will need:

  • Four 3’x50’ plastic drop cloths or four slip and slides
  • Four kiddie pools (round or square)
  • About 18-20 tarp stakes
  • 4-8 bottles of dish soap
  • A kickball
  • Spray paint
  • Garden Hoses
  • A hammer

Building The Field

To begin building your slip and slide kickball field, you must first lay out the plastic drop cloths in the shape of a baseball diamond. These will serve as your baselines and will work best if laid on the flat ground.

If you are using real slip and slide mats, be sure to hammer them I with the stakes that came with them.

At home base, create a fair-sized gap between the tarps. With this space, players can kick the ball without slipping on the soap and water.

Once the tarps are laid out, you must place a kiddie pool at each corner of the diamond. These will be your bases. If worried about sliding on the rough ground, you can make the game safer by placing cardboard under the tarps for a smoother slide without any injuries.

Man with a green life saver is sliding at the slip and slide kickball

Image via: Flickr

Nail down the slip and slide

All you have to do is nail down the plastic drop cloths with the tarp stakes. To be sure that the tarps are secure, be sure to nail them down deep into the ground.

Check the stakes every once in a while to make sure they do not come above the surface. If this happens, it could cause injuries if any players happen to fall on one by accident.

The final step in building a field is to add soap and water. Fill each kiddie pool; a lot of water will splash out during the game. Then add the dish soap to the baselines and rub it in to make them slippery.

If you wish to make the field more realistic, then you can spray paint the home plate and the pitchers’ mound.

Have Fun

Creating a slip and slide kickball field is simple, comfortable, and cheap.

Now all you need to do is lay down some plastic drop cloths in the shape of a diamond, nail them to that ground, and place kiddie pools at each corner of the diamond.

Fill the small pools with water and lather the plastic drop cloths with some soap and water and then play an average game of kickball.

Now that you know how to build the field, have some fun!

Gather your friends on a hot summer’s day and enjoy a fun round of this tricky game.

Boys and girls of all ages will love the fun and competitive feeling that the slippery kickball field provides. If everyone playing is having a blast, it is unlikely that you will care about keeping score.

Check the field

Make sure to check on the field after every few rounds and make fixes where needed.

Some stakes may rise out of the ground and will need to hammer it back in. We don’t want a tarp stake to poke someone’s foot. It is also a good idea to refill the pools and add more soap to the tarps to keep the fun going.

Before you start playing slip and slide kickball, it’s not a bad idea to stretch out to help you prevent some major strains, sprains, or aches.

As with any water activity, don’t forget to put on a generous coat of sunscreen to avoid a painful sunburn at the end of the day. If you’re playing with a variety of age groups, make sure to set some rules on how “rowdy” you can get to avoid preventable injuries.

Snorkeling 101: Everything You Need To Know

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​If you’ve been on any beach vacation, you might’ve seen those funky snorkeling masks with tubes and wondered how they work. What exactly are they for, and how are they used? You might be doing some research into snorkeling while you plan your next vacation. Either way, we’re here to give you all the basic information you need to start snorkeling today. 

Quick Navigation

What is Snorkeling?
Snorkeling skills
Preparation
Swimming
Conserving Energy
Snorkeling Equipment
Final Thoughts

What is Snorkeling?

person swimming in body of water during daytime

Photo by Jeremy Bishop via Unsplash

Let’s start with the basics. Snorkeling is an activity where you swim over the surface of the water while wearing a special diving mask. This diving mask has a breathing apparatus called a snorkel; that’s how it got its name.

Snorkeling is as a way to explore sights under the water’s surface without too much effort. Usually, someone that’s snorkeling will also wear swim fins to make swimming easier. 

Using fins is important because snorkeling is most popular in warm waters where there is often a lot of tropical water life to discover, so the swim fins allow someone that’s snorkeling to spend less of their energy swimming through the waves and allows them to enjoy more time observing things under the water.

Snorkeling is a very popular recreational activity because it can be done by people of all ages. The relative lack of necessary equipment makes it much more accessible than scuba, which often requires a lot more complicated equipment, like air tanks and ballasts, and time spent training to acquire a scuba diving license. Because you generally stay in shallower waters and on the water’s surface, it’s also less dangerous than scuba diving. 

Despite these differences, scuba diving actually grew out of snorkeling, or rather it’s predecessor, known as freediving. Even though the snorkel only works at the surface of the water, you can combine it with breath holding techniques and dives under the water’s surface in what’s known as freediving, to get a better look at things below.

While this article will focus on the recreational activity, technically snorkeling is done any time someone uses a snorkel and is done by scuba divers when they are on the water’s surface and in some water-based sports.

Snorkeling is a great activity for those that want to:

  • ​Enjoy time outdoors

  • ​See a variety of undersea life

  • ​Do something active outdoors without being too strenuous

  • ​Do something special that everyone in the family can do

Snorkeling skills

​Even though it’s very accessible, there are still a variety of basic skills that can be developed to make the activity more fun and enjoyable, no matter your swimming level or comfort with water sports.

Preparation

finger of a person with sunscreen

​Image via Pixabay

Just because you’re not scuba diving doesn’t mean you won’t run into everyday dangers associated with the beach and water sports. Even though you’re in the water, your skin is susceptible to sunburn, so you’ll want to be sure to wear waterproof sunscreen of at least 30 SPF. 

It’s important to remember you’ll be face-down with your back to the sun, so you’ll have to be sure to cover areas of your skin you may not be used to like the backs of your knees, legs, and ears. It can also be helpful to wear a waterproof shirt to help keep the sun off of you.

You should always enjoy water activities in groups for safety. You want to make sure everyone in your group has the same plans and knows what to do in case of an emergency. If you’re snorkeling with children, you’ll want to go over water safety with them, and maybe practice going out into the water without the snorkeling equipment so they can get comfortable in the environment. 

It’s also helpful to have new snorkelers practice using the snorkel in shallow waters or even a pool so they can get comfortable with the different breathing rhythms it can cause and they can get used to the angle they need to swim at to prevent water from splashing into the snorkel, which can be very uncomfortable.

Swimming

two person swims on opposite direction

Photo by Jonny Clow via Unsplash

When you snorkel, it involves quite a bit of swimming, so everyone can benefit from improving their swimming skills. While a small child could be reasonably held and led along through calm waters, it’s still best to have them comfortable in the water. A good way to do this might be by having some lessons at a local pool before going out.

No matter your swimming level, you’ll want to work on your freestyle swimming technique, as the kick used for freestyle swimming is the same one that needs to be used to swim successfully and economically while wearing the swim fins most people wear while snorkeling.

Improving your swimming skills will also give you more freedom in the water. While most wear floatation vests while snorkeling to make observation easier and more relaxing, they aren’t necessary, and can sometimes even make swimming harder to swim in a wave or subtle current. If you’re comfortable enough to swim without a vest and have built the endurance to do so easily, you can even access snorkeling areas you wouldn’t have been able to otherwise, and can easily transition into freediving if you want to.

An important thing to remember is that you’ll likely be wearing swim fins while snorkeling, so you’ll want to practice swimming in those as well. Even if you’re a strong swimmer, if you aren’t used to wearing swim fins your muscles can get sore or may even cramp because the extra lengths of the swim fins put more strain in different parts of your leg. It can be helpful to practice using them in a pool or shallower waters before going on a snorkel excursion.

Conserving Energy

woman snorkeling

Photo by Maja Novak via Unsplash

In the previous section, we used the word excursion for a reason. Sometimes you have to travel out to special snorkel spots to be able to see the impressive sea life and reefs. That means snorkel trips can take all day. Think about how tired travel can make you, especially if you have to take a boat in the sun, and then consider snorkeling on top of that! That’s why learning how to conserve your energy while swimming and using a snorkel is important.

Going for a swim while wearing swim fins and a floatation vest might not sound like hard work, but if you do it for long periods in the sun, you can get tired. The most important thing to remember when snorkeling is to let the equipment do the work for you. 

Often, new snorkelers will fall back into freestyle swimming, but using your arms burns more energy than kicking alone, and usually isn’t necessary for a leisurely snorkel. 

Your technique plays a big role in the amount of energy you expend as well. New snorkelers often try to suck air through the snorkel, which can lead to stifled breathing. Remember to take long, slow, breaths through the snorkel and trust that it’ll work for you. 

Another factor in conserving energy is the thing that will be using the most of it, kicking. Because you’ll be wearing swim fins, you don’t need to kick very hard, and kicking too hard can cause splashing that disturbs the beautiful sea life you’re trying to see.

Snorkeling Equipment

We’ve mentioned some of the basic snorkel gear you’ll need to get started, but there are a few things to consider when looking to either purchase or rent snorkeling gear.

Masks

diving mask in the sea

Image via Pixabay

The mask is vital to being able to enjoy your snorkeling experience. You want to make sure your mask is appropriate for outdoor snorkeling. That means it’ll be made of tough material that doesn’t deteriorate in seawater and has a relatively low amount of volume in the mask portion. This design will prevent too much pressure from building around your eyes, and be easier to clear if water gets in. 

You also want to check to see if the straps on the mask are comfortable and if it can fit your head size, as you’ll be wearing it for long periods.

An important note: although full-faced snorkel masks have risen in popularity because of their full range of view, there have been a number of troubling reports about their risks, and we don’t recommend them.

Fins

snorkeling fins placed in a wooden char

Image via Pixabay

A key factor when choosing fins is knowing what the temperature will be for the water you’re swimming in. If you’re going to be in warm water, you’ll want the extra comfort and security provided by a full heel swim fin. If you’re going to be in cooler waters, you’ll want a half heel swim fin that can fit over a wetsuit.

If you’re going to be snorkeling in calmer waters, or casually, a shorter swim fin is more comfortable for most people to use, requires less exertion, and is easier to pack if you buy your own.

Snorkel

Like the swim fins, choosing the right snorkel will depend on the kind of snorkeling you want to do. Most people will be best suited to using a medium length snorkel. While it might be tempting to get an extra long snorkel to prevent splashing, proper snorkels will be equipped with a filter to prevent water from splashing in easily, plus, long snorkels make it harder for you to draw breath.

Final Thoughts

group of women snorkeling

via Giphy

​Now that you know the basics of snorkeling and snorkeling gear you have all the information you need to get started snorkeling for yourself and enjoy all the wonderful experiences snorkeling can offer. See you in the water!

​Featured Image: Photo by Carolina Garcia via Unsplash