DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Paper Maché Lion Book Holder

This is a very cute little gift for siblings to make for each other or for a favorite grandparent.

shoebox
scrap cardboard (the corrugated kind is best) If you only have thin cardboard, then you can just layer it together.
newspaper
ONE OF: white glue, mod podge OR paper mache paste (1 part flour to 4 parts water... boil about 3 minutes stirring constantly, add 2 ice cubes and let cool)
scissors
poster or tempra paint -- yellow and orange or brown (or both)
paintbrush
black marker or paint
OPTIONAL: exacto knife
OPTIONAL: masking tape
OPTIONAL: spray varnish

Prepare your paper mache paste right away so it has time to cool (if using the boil method). I like boiled paste as it's smoother and takes a lot less flour (the REDUCE part of the three R's!).
Print out the template -- the templates are B&W (or you can choose to do this free hand)
Cut out the template pieces and lay them on a piece of corrugated cardboard.
Trace the pieces onto the cardboard
Cut them out with scissors or an exacto knife. I recommend an adult help with this as the cardboard is difficult to cut. Especially the mane (TIP: have the adult cut out a smooth circle for the mane first and then let the child snip in little triangles to make the jagged edge. This is a lot easier than trying to cut the jagged edge from the cardboard as you go.)

I included legs on the template,
but we didn't use them. Be aware
of your child's attention span when
deciding how much to do.
You could also skip the tail.

Tear strips of newspaper about 1 " wide and as long as you want
Dip in the paper mache paste, but then remove excess paste (I run it through my fingers to do this)
Cover the shoebox, inside and out, in no more than 4 layers of paper mache (I always tell the kids no more than 2 as they always put on too much *grin*). If you put on more than 4 it will likely mold before it dries
Cover each of the cut out pieces with paper mache (all the way around). Again, no more than 4 layers.

While it's still wet, arrange the head pieces together on the short side of the shoebox.
- The mane goes on the bottom, then the circle head, then the circle nose.
- The ears go right above the head on the mane.
- The paper mache should stick the pieces together so you won't need any tape or glue.
Put the tail on the back, folding it around the side (it will fold easily at this point as it's a bit soggy, but you may want to use masking tape or just add a few more pieces of mache/newspaper to hold it in place.
Let dry COMPLETELY. It goes faster in a warm breezy place. If it's a nice day, just stick it outside (just don't forget it if it starts to rain). It takes a day or so to dry.
OPTIONAL: apply a second layer of mache. The more layers you add, the sturdier it will be. We applied a second layer, but we only did one layer, not 4 this time. That just made sure all the parts stayed firmly in place.

OPTIONAL: we always use scrap white computer paper or toilet paper (don't laugh) for the final layer of all of our paper mache projects.
- t takes less paint to cover.
- I find newspaper needs two coats of paint, whereas the white paper only needs one.
- Toilet paper gives a rough texture which is nice for some animals.
- We used computer paper for our lion.
Paint the whole thing yellow (we didn't paint the bottom)
Use a small paintbrush or old toothbrush to stroke some brown and/or orange paint onto the mane, inner ears and tip of the tail.
Use a black marker or black paint to add facial features.
Let dry.
OPTIONAL: cover in a coat of clear varnish. This will make it last longer (especially since poster paints aren't water proof),

Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).