Gooney bird

Gooney bird

Materials

1. Make some papier-mache pulp (see papier-mache pulp, page 89).
   You will use the pulp in step 3.

2. To make the gooney bird’s body, blow up a balloon and tie the neck
   tightly. Cover the balloon with seven or eight layers of
   papier-mache strips (see strip papier-mache, page 88). Let the
   papier-mache dry (see dry, page 89).

3. Use two plastic drinking straws for the bird’s legs. Cover each
   straw with two or three layers of papier-mache strips. Wrap the
   strips around the straws and let dry.

Use a pencil to poke two small holes into one end of the bird’s body.
Push a straw into each hole. Now press some papier-mache pulp around
each hole to hold the straws in place. Dab a little white glue around
the edges of the pulp to make sure the legs stay in place. Let the pulp
dry completely.

1. For the bird’s beak, make a cone from a sheet of newspaper (see
   cone, page 38). Cover the cone with two layers of papier-mache
   strips. Paste short strips around the outside edge of the cone. Then
   paste the loose ends of the strips to the body, as shown. Paste on
   more papier-mache strips to hold the beak in place.

2. balloon (small)

3. cardboard (heavy)

4. drinking straws (two, plastic)

5. glue (white)

6. paintbrushes

7. paper (gift-wrapping and construction)

8. papier-mache (pulp and strip)

9. pebbles

10. tempera paint

11. transparent tape

1. Draw two large feet on a piece of heavy cardboard. Cut out the feet.
   Place a few pebbles on each foot. The added weight will help the
   bird stand up. Now cover each foot with a layer of papier-mache
   pulp. Be sure that the pebbles are covered. Let the pulp dry for
   about three or four hours.

1. While the pulp is drying, you can make the bird’s top feathers.
   Fringe and curl a strip of construction paper (see fringe and
   curl, page 37). Roll the curled strip into a tube and tape it
   closed.

Now paste short papier-mache strips around the uncurled edge of the
tube, as you did for the cone in step 4. Paste the loose ends of these
strips to the top of the bird’s body.

1. When the pulp is almost dry, push the straws into the center of each
   papier-mache foot. Press a little pulp and dab some glue around the
   straws to hold them in place. Lean the bird against a wall, or prop
   his beak on a box. Let the pulp dry.

2. To make the bird’s leg feathers, fringe and curl two long strips of
   gift-wrapping paper. Cover one leg with a thin layer of paste.
   Starting at the bottom with the fringed edge pointing down, wind and
   press the strip around the leg. Then paste and feather the other
   leg.

When the bird is dry, you can decorate it with tempera paint.