Guilford County Schools ACES Program
Weekly Theme: Fiesta Fun – Other Activities
Mini Sombreros
What you'll need:
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Styrofoam or paper cup
Mini paper plate
1" wide strip of brown felt
1/4" wide strip of red felt
1/4" wide strip of orange felt
Acrylic paint in red and sunflower (tan/yellow)
Medium pom-poms in red, green, yellow, orange, white and brown
Paint brush
Hot glue gun
How to make it:
1. Paint paper plate and Styrofoam cup with sunflower paint. Let dry and repeat. Paint the
outer edge of the plate rim red. Let dry completely.
2. Hot glue the Styrofoam cup to the center of the paper plate to form your hat.
3. Glue the brown felt around the bottom of the Styrofoam cup (the edge that is touching
the plate) to make the hat band. Glue the red and orange felt over the brown to create
stripes.
4. Glue the pom-poms to the red edge of the paper plate, alternating colors as you go
(green, white, red, yellow, brown, orange, green, white, etc.).
Tips:
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If doing this craft in a group or classroom setting, break into two parts: painting one day,
doing the remainder of the craft the next.
If you don't have a color paint similar to tan or "sunflower" on hand, make your own by
mixing a little brown into some yellow paint until it is the color you desire.
Use any color of pom-pom you like. If you don't have all the colors listed here, simply
use what you have on hand.
Maracas
What you'll need:
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2 Styrofoam or paper cups
Tan, red and white acrylic paint
Decorative accents such as pom-poms and buttons
Hot glue gun
Dried beans
How to make it:
1. Paint cups with tan paint and let dry.
2. Decorate cups by painting on swirling or curvy lines. We used red paint for ours. You
can also paint zig-zags. We used white for ours. Paint the bottom of each cup red.
3. Place a handful of dried beans into one of the cups.
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
4. Put a layer of hot glue onto the rim of the cup with the beans in it before quickly placing
the other cup on top of it, lining up the rims of both cups. Allow to dry completely.
5. Finish any decorating you would like, such as adding pom-poms around the center (to
hide the glue line). We also used mini pom-poms to dot the peaks of the zig-zags.
6. Once your glue is completely dry, shake your maraca!
Tips:
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Smaller children may enjoy using stickers instead of trying to manipulate pom-poms and
buttons. Older kids may like to get even more intricate by painting on more detailed and
thinner lines.
If you don't have any dried beans, use a few pennies instead.
Our color suggestions are just that, suggestions. Use whatever colors you like to make
this project your own!
Red Chili Peppers
What you'll need:
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Red chenille stem
Green chenille stem
Red pony beads
How to make it:
Cut about 3” off of the red chenille stem, set the cut piece aside for another craft project.
Thread one red pony bead onto the longer piece of red chenille.
Position the bead in the middle of the chenille and twist once or twice to keep it in place.
Thread 7 red beads on each side of the chenille stem.
Cut green chenille into 3 equal pieces.
Use one of the green chenille pieces for the stem. Fold it in half and with open ends
pointing up, line up with the red chenille. Twist all together at the top of the beads. Trim
the excess red and wrap some of the green around what’s left to hide the red.
7. Bend the remaining green chenille into two stems.
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Tips:
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To make this craft even simpler, use green chenille only and don’t trim any off. This will
eliminate having to combine the two colors at the end.
Make a bunch of these chili peppers and attach to a string for a chili pepper garland.
Colors of Mexico Flag
What you'll need:
 Sheet of white construction paper, cut in half lengthways
 12" dowel or a pencil
 Tissue paper or crepe paper in green, white and red
 White craft glue
 Pencil and ruler
 Red and green crayons (optional)
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
How to make it:
1. Fold construction paper in half as if you were making a card, short side to short side.
The open end should be facing to the right and the folded side should be facing the left.
Use the pencil and ruler to divide the front part of the card into thirds. Then use the
pencil and ruler to divide the back part of the card into thirds.
2. This step is optional, but can be quite helpful for the younger child. Place the paper
lengthwise in front of your child, and color the first section on each side green and the
third section red. This will help younger children to glue the tissue paper in the correct
sections.
3. Tear or cut tissue paper into 1 ½ - 2" squares.
4. Apply glue to the first section of the flag. Crumple up pieces of green tissue paper and
stick to the glue on the first section. Continue until entire first section is filled with green
paper.
5. Repeat Step 4 for the center section with white paper and the last section with red
paper. If you want your flag to have color on both the front and the back, flip it over and
repeat.
6. Lay your flag on the table. Open the card and apply glue to the inside of the card, along
the spine. Place dowel or pencil inside the left edge (under the green section) and press
to seal. Allow to dry completely.
Paper Bag Poncho
What You Need:
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Large Paper Grocery Bags
Bright markers
Paints
Crayons
Paint brushes and water
What You Do:
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Cut a hole in a paper bag so that your or your child's head can fit through.
Cut slits up both sides of the bag.
Decorate the paper bag poncho with brightly colored markers or paints or crayons.
Try a water paint wash technique, whereby you draw on the paper with crayons and
paint a light wash of paint overtop.
5. You can also glue bits of fabric scraps onto the paper bag as well.
6. Have a look at some real ponchos for inspiration.
Jumping Bean Paintings
Materials needed:
 Assorted dried beans
 Heavy white paper or cardstock
 One or more boxes with lid (slightly larger than paper)
 Assorted bright colors of paint
Give each child a sheet of paper. Let children take turns putting their sheets of paper in the
bottom of a paint box. Have them dip a handful of beans into various colors of paint, then drop
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
the beans into the box. Cover the box and shake for at least 30 seconds. Remove finished
painting and allow to dry.
Paper Bag Piñata
Supplies needed:
 A large paper bag
 String
 Tissue paper
 Glue
 Scissors
 Crepe paper streamers
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Fill a paper bag about half way with goodies (like candies and small toys).
Roll the top of the bag down, staple the folded top shut, and punch two holes along the top.
Cut strips of tissue paper and cut fringes in them.
Glue the fringes of tissue paper to the bag (glue along the top of the fringes). Cover the bag
with tissue paper.
5. Tie a long string through the holes. You will eventually hang the piñata up using this string.
6. Glue long crepe paper streamers from the bottom of the piñata.
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials
Guilford County Schools ACES Program
July 2008
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Activity ideas obtained from ACES staff and public domain materials