The paper plate is perfect for masks as they have a naturally concave shape, perfect for a human face. Kids can use paper plates to make a variety of masks from monsters to angels to animals, even rats. If your kid thinks rats are cute or wants to portray one of the rats from E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Nutcracker," he'll most likely appreciate this rat mask.
Things You'll Need
Gray poster paint
Pink poster paint
3 pipe cleaners
Cut a large paper plate into an oval. When finished your paper plate should look like an upside down egg.
Paint your oval paper plate gray. Allow it to dry.
Cut three half-circles out of the remaining paper plate material. Set them aside.
Paint one of the half-circles pink. This will be the nose of the rat. Paint the other two half-circles pink as well, but add an outline of gray paint to the rounded edges. These will be the ears. Allow them to dry.
Gather three pipe cleaners in a bunch and hold them in the middle. Tape their mid-sections to the back of the nose with a piece of clear plastic tape, so that the pipe cleaners stick out equally from either side of the nose.
Glue the nose to the bottom front of the mask: this should be the narrow end of the upside-down egg shape.
Glue the ears to the right and left sides of the top of the mask.
Hold the mask up to your face and make a small pencil mark about where your eyes are. With scissors, cut large eye holes around each pencil mark.
Punch a hole through the right and left side of the mask, in line with where the eye holes are. Tie a piece of skinny elastic through each hole. Put the mask on and adjust the elastic as necessary.