You and your child can have lots of fun making paper beads in this craft activity.
- Paperconstruction paper, wallpaper or magazine pages
- Round toothpicks or nails
- String or yarn
- Shellac, paint, or felt tip markers
- Begin by cutting the paper into straight and triangular strips. The width, length, and shape of the strip determine the size and shape of the bead.
- Experiment and see what shapes you like.
- Cover one side of the paper strip with glue, then place the toothpick or nail at one end.
- Use a toothpick if you want to put the bead on string, use a nail if you want to string the bead on yarn.
- Roll tightly into a compact bead.
- Remove the toothpick or nail before the bead dries.
- Let the bead dry thoroughly before adding coloring and shellac (shellac darkens the color of the bead).
- String the beads in a design you like.