Nicholas, age 9, decided to use his natural creativity this past Father’s Day to make a dog appear almost out of thin air.  I had been saving old newspapers for some time just for such an occasion. We made a messy goo of flour and water paste, tore up the papers into strips, and began to create something that he decided would become a dog. Nicholas had the vision long before I did, because the first day we worked on it, it was a soggy, gooey lump that I had waning faith would be anything recognizable, ever.

On the second day, Nicholas calmly and confidently worked on his dog. We scaled down on the gooey factor and let the strips dry a bit more. We had begun the creation by wadding up some paper into balls for the foundation.  But now a nose was shaping, a sitting posture was becoming visible, and ears and a tail appeared.  It still looked all out of proportion, but Nicholas assured me that, “It IS the thought that counts, isn’t it?”  He was not concerned with painting it or putting eyes on it – no, this was pure art and it needed no adornment.

As you can see by the photos, the little dog had so much personality that I hated to give him up. Watching a 9 year old boy create a little pup out of thin air was nothing short of a miracle. While I was teaching Nick how to make something out of papier mache, he was teaching me about keeping things in perspective and having a little faith.  In the end, I think I got the better of the deal. His father was quite lucky to have such a special, heart-felt gift that exemplifies unconditional love and adoration. Both dogs and little boys know how to give that.

To make your own creation

Make glue of 2 parts water to 1 part flour. Adjust as needed, depending on humidity.

Use paper strips to cover and shape your creation. Begin by using wads of paper for a starting point. Dip the strips in the glue mixture – - you should be able to shape the model at this point somewhat. Let it dry overnight before proceeding.

Continue to add strips to get the desired shape. Add accessories such as ears, tails, by using more glue and paper to hold it together. Allow time for it to dry completely – at least one or two days. Once it is dry, it should have some stability and strength.

Decorate it by painting, adding adornments with glue, or leave it naked as we did with this pup. This is an inexpensive way to have hours of fun with your kids, and help them learn the joy of creativity in a very real sense. Have fun! If you have any photo-worthy creations, be sure to send them in and I will do a later post on them!