Rainy day? Bored kids? No problem! Get out some cardboard and your kids will have loads of fun while you spend no money at all! Whats better than a craft project that costs nothing? If you have cardboard that is at least as tall as your child youre in business! The cardboard can be used to make fun silhouettes that kids can use to decorate their room or other places in the house.
The key to making great silhouettes is, of course the lighting. Silhouettes are black images on white paper or white images on black paper. Instead of making silhouettes on paper, though, your kids will make them on cardboard. When theyre finished youll love the cute images that can be used to create a new theme in their rooms.
Tape a large piece of cardboard to a wall in the home. Have the child stand, sit, lean or otherwise pose against the cardboard. Bright light should be in front of the child and you should easily be able to see the childs shadow against the cardboard. While one child poses an adult or another child will trace around his or her image. Its important that the child stay still while another person traces around the shadow. Use a marker, chalk or even a pen to trace the image. Afterward, an adult or an older child can cut around the drawing. Having a parent use a craft knife will result in much smoother edges than if scissors are used. Spray paint the cardboard black and the silhouette is finished. Kids will have fun coming up with different poses and outfits to create the silhouettes. They can put on a cowboy hat and spurs then turn sideways to create the silhouette. Or, little girls can get dressed up in their tutus and have someone draw around them as they pose ballerina-style. There are no limits to the different creations you can make. Although cardboard works perfectly for this craft its possible to create the silhouettes with white paper. The paper should be one continuous piece. Tape the paper to the wall, create the silhouette, color it with black crayons or markers, then cut out around the image. Even though the cardboard silhouettes have more depth the paper ones are much easier for children to cut. If youve made a paper silhouette its easy to tape it to the wall. Roll small pieces of Scotch tape and place them on the back of the paper. Position the silhouette on the wall. If youve made a cardboard silhouette use double-sided tape to stick it to the wall. Use more than one silhouette to create a childrens theme in a bedroom. One silhouette can peek from behind a desk while another resides on the closet door. Theres lots of different ways to use the silhouettes for decorating. Its fun to use some real objects to embellish the silhouette. Give the black and white image a jolt of color by gluing on a real hat band, a fake jewel for a ring or bracelet, a real buckle at the waistline, and similar enhancements. People who see the silhouettes will do a double-take! Out of the corner of your eye the silhouettes look like real kids! The kids can add other images to the original silhouette by simply holding something. A child can hold a beach ball, umbrella, puppy, doll, fake dumbbells, or other prop. Draw around the object, while drawing around the child, to make an interesting single silhouette. The silhouettes dont necessarily have to be made indoors. Trace around your image outside, leaning against a post, or even pulling a wagon. Just use a bright light, at night, to help you make the design you really want. These outdoor images can be placed on a front porch or even in a garage. You and your children will have loads of fun creating crazy silhouettes. The silhouettes can be kids, parents, animals, and objects of any kind. Once youve made one youll want to make more! Its a blast watching kids get creative with different poses and its so much fun to see the looks on the faces of others when they see them!
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