Paper Umbrella

What’s a better activity to do on a rainy day than create a paper umbrella. This is great for school-age children and adolescents. It requires fine motor focus and a little bit of patience. This activity will keep your hands busy if you are stuck inside and allows for some creative freedom. The best part is, you probably already have all of the supplies you need in your house! Are you ready to get started?

Supplies:

Colored Paper (have at least 1 blue)

Scissors

Glue

String

1 Pipe Cleaner

1 Toothpick (for applying glue)

Activity Steps:

Before you begin, make sure you have a clear space so you can see all of your materials, and you don’t lose any small part throughout the activity. Also, ask a parent’s permission to use the scissors or ask for help!

Step 1 - First, we are going to start by making the canopy of the umbrella. Take your colored paper, whichever colors you like, and cut 9 or 10 circles. Make sure each circle is the same size. I found a template online and used that to cut out my circles.

Tip: stack your papers on top of each other so you can make sure they are the same size.

Once, all of them are cut, fold each one in half. And then half again. So now, it should look like a little slice of pizza, where one side is curved and the other two are straight.

Step 2 - Then, take one “pizza” and unfold it one time. It should be a half circle. Apply glue to the crease line on the paper. You can use the toothpick to help. Fold the paper back to the “pizza” form and press it down with your fingers until the glue dries. Repeat this step with the other circles

Step 3 - Next, take one of your pieces and apply glue to the straight edge and glue another piece on top. Tip: Glue the edge that was the one you pressed down in the previous step and make sure each piece is going the same direction. Keep gluing and placing each piece on top of each other. You’ll have a tiny stack of folded paper at the end. Press your fingers down until the glue is set and dry.

Step 4 - Then, put glue on the edge of the last piece and open the umbrella so the two ends connect. Press the ends together with your finger and hold it until the glue dries. Once it’s dry, use your finger to widen the spaces of each piece. This is like when you open the umbrella and you see the full canopy.

Step 5 - Next, we’re going to add the handle of the umbrella. So, take your pipe cleaner and carefully put it in the hole in the center of your umbrella. It doesn’t not have to go all the way through, but it should feel secure. When you have it in, make a hook by bending the pipe cleaner. Cut the extra off.

Step 6 - Now we’re going to add some raindrops. So, take your blue paper and cut out 9 or 10 raindrop shapes. These can be about the size of an m&m. Then, cut 9 or 10 pieces of string about 2 inches long. Apply glue to the tip of a raindrop and attach one end of the string. Repeat for each raindrop.

Step 7 - After that, we’re going to add them to the umbrella. Place a little dot of glue on each piece and add the string. Hold it there until it dries. Do this for each raindrop, and once it dries, you’re done! I hope that this was a fun activity to occupy your rainy day.

Share your creation with a parent or friend!

~Made by Angelina