Paper Mache Piñata Fish

Many piñatas start with a balloon for the base shape. This is great but not the only option. Here is a piñata fish. We started with a milk carton and worked around the shape of it. The top of the milk carton is by the tail so you can fill it full of small treats through there and then just put the lid back on or cover it with tissue paper. The kids had fun decorating the fish. There are no rules for Paper Mache except that you shouldn’t get the glue in your hair.

You can cut the drying time by using construction paper instead of newspaper that needs to be painted. If you use the coloured paper you only need that one drying before decorating your piñata.

What you need:
A carton (milk or juice) washed and dry
Newspaper
Glue
Water
Tissue for decorating
Coloured paper

What to do:
*Cover your workspace with newspaper. Glue tends to go everywhere as does the paint when it comes out.

1. Cut sections out of the carton. You want it to break easily when hit. If you don’t it could take a LONG time to break the piñata.
2. Make a 3/4 glue and ½ water mixture.
3. Tear strips of paper and begin gluing them on the carton.
4. For the fish, we pinched the base together so that the face was thinner. Then we used the cut sections (And some cardboards from a cereal box) to staple on for the fin and tail.
5. To round up the shape you can put small wadded up newspaper. Leave enough space inside for treats.
6. You can get a layer or two on before you need to let it dry. You should have your shape after this first layer is complete. Pick a nice sunny day and the drying time will be shorter.
7. Add another layer of paper strips onto your piñata.
8. If using coloured paper, you can let it dry and begin to decorate.
9. If using newspaper, dry the second layer, then add a layer of paint. The paint may not cover the newspaper well but don’t worry. Once the decoration goes on you won’t see it.
10. We cut tissue paper into small pieces and glued them on as scales. You can now decorate as you wish. Crayons, glitter, tissue paper, stickers and just about anything you like.