Messy Masterpieces: Learning Through Paper Mache

Miss Bea brought creativity to life in one of the most hands-on and memorable projects the kids have experienced so far. From the start, you could tell how much time and care she put into planning every detail. This wasn’t just a craft—it was an experience the kids got to jump right into! 

Things kicked off with one of the best parts: making the paper mache “goop.” The kids loved getting to mix it themselves, turning simple ingredients into something they could actually use. 12-year-old Amiri shared, “I loved making the goop and adding the cut-up paper to create the mask, it was my favorite part!” Once the balloons came out and the paper strips were ready, it was game on. Dipping, layering, and sticking quickly turned into a full-on, hands-on adventure. Some of the kids had done paper mache before, but for others, it was brand new—and that just made it even more exciting. 

It definitely got messy, but that was half the fun. Hands were covered, tables were splattered, and there was lots of laughter along the way. Some kids loved the feel of the mixture and fully embraced the sensory side of it, while others weren’t quite sure about the texture, but still stuck with it and gave it a try. In the middle of all the fun, they were learning too, figuring out how to build layers, how to make their structure strong, and how to be patient as their creations came together. 

The best moment came at the end, when it was finally time to pop the balloons. One by one, the kids watched their hard work hold its shape, then carefully cut their creations in half to turn them into masks. What started as a messy pile of paper and paste turned into something they made all on their own. 

“The kids had a blast with this project!” stated Lisa Schloss, New Song’s Associate Director. What made this project stand out wasn’t just the fun (although there was plenty of that), but how naturally it wove learning into every step. It encouraged creativity, problem-solving, sensory exploration, and perseverance, all through a messy, hands-on activity the kids genuinely enjoyed.