We’ve been having a lot of fun learning about clouds for this week’s Unplug your kids’ challenge with the theme of sky. There’s lots of great information at Weather Wiz Kids and a fun pdf printable cloud key at Scholastic. Then we decided to make something fun that would fly in the sky. We were inspired by these hot air balloons by Sweet Eye Candy Creations (You’ll have to scroll down to the bottom of her post).

Here’s our version:
flying

Finished

And here’s how you can make your own.  Younger kids might need help twisting the chenille sticks as the ends can be sharp!
Materials:
materials
6 chenille sticks (pipe cleaners) to make the basic frame
5-6 chenille sticks to wrap around the frame (I liked using the fuzzy ones to give some texture)
the bottom part of a plastic bottle (save the top and make a foam-er-ator and make cloud bubbles)
some ribbon or yarn
fun things to decorate with (colored safety pins, beads, silk flowers, feathers, brads, pompoms)…

Step one:
Step 01
Twist the sticks together to form a star pattern.

Step two:
Step 02
Twist all the bottoms together to make a basic balloon shape. It will be fairly thin at this point.

Step three:
Step 03
Use the rest of the chenille sticks to wrap around the basic shape. This will give your balloon more strength and plump it up a bit.

Step four:
Step 04
This is the fun part, decorate it! We wrapped colored brads around the joints to make them prettier. We found that using safety pins to attach beads and other danglies was the fastest. Silk flowers and feathers add a fun, fluffy look to it all.

Remember, your balloon will mostly be seen from below, so make sure your decorations look the best when seen from that view.

Step five:
Step 05
Carefully cut off the bottom of the bottle and punch three holes in the sides (forming a triangle). Tie your ribbon or yarn through the holes.

Step 06

String them through the bottom of the balloon and tie them together, making sure that the basket hangs evenly.

Step 07

And there you go. Put some pretty stones or beads in the basket before you hang it up or give a little doll a ride.

Final

We would love it if you left a link to your creations!