Make a Balloon Animal

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Bug Safari #1
Stilts



Our Vacation Bible School theme for 2002 is "Bug Safari - where kids catch the buzz about God's love." (Group Publications) Stilts, the stick bug, is the first of five characters who illustrate God's involvement in our lives. This is my rendition in balloons.

This sculpture uses three different sizes of balloons. You will need one 160, one 360, and three 260 size balloons in the same color. I used emerald green, but you may prefer yellow or another color. You will also need a 4-inch scrap of a white 260 for the eyes.
Inflate the white 260 to about 4 inches and tie it off. Twist it into two equal bubbles and then tie the opposite ends together.
Now twist the two bubbles in opposite directions, effectively making both of them a pinch twist.
Inflate the 360 all the way, and then release some of the air to soften the balloon. Do the same with the 160. Find the center of the 160 and twist, making two equal length long bubbles. Twist these to the knot of the 360 to form the antennae.
This next step may be a bit tricky, but once you get the hang of it, you'll like the results. Push the knot of the 360 into the balloon as though you were making an apple link twist except that you grab the knot through the side of the balloon. Twist the knot around so that you have a little bump on the side of the balloon.
Hold the knot so that it doesn't come untwisted, and attach the eyes by twisting them around the knot. This technique is similar to a " raisin twist."
You can adjust the position of the antennae by squeezing air into the part of the balloon between the antennae and the eyes.
Inflate all three of the 260's and soften them by releasing some of the air. Make a pinch twist in the middle of each balloon. Make a twist in the 360 about 4 inches below the eyes and attach one of the 260's at that point. The pinch twist in the 260 will help in aligning the 360 the way you want. Make another pinch twist in the middle of each leg to make a joint.
Determine where you want the other sets of legs and attach them in the same manner.

If you want Stilts to stand on his own, you can weight his feet and tail by attaching a penny in a small pinch twist at the end. Alternatively, you can insert the pennies in the balloons before inflating them.


 


 

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