Recycled Bag Parachute

Write your own theme or brief message on the chute with permanent marker.**

We are Stewards of the earth - and this is a great way to re-purpose those thin plastic bags. It's a great kids recycling craft.

Have flight contests!

Couple of alternatives for the object at the end of the string.

Instruction highlights on the pattern and printable instructions pages.

Very lightweight cloth is an option if you don't have plastic bags, but it must be very thin, and closely woven - of course if you have any parachute silk laying around, that would be perfect, but I think the general supply on that is pretty low!

Since this is a great recycling craft, use colorful bags if you can find them. Most bags are printed on one side and blank on the other. Have the kids find the unprinted part. Be sure there are no holes in the part they are using.

Teacher: Get thin grocery bags - our Fruit market has wonderful bright green bags and Target has great multi-bullseye bags, but white or beige will do.

Review the ADDED INFORMATION below.

Complete instructions on the parachute pattern with an exception below in ADDED INFORMATION

You must follow the sequence of instructions. Particularly to get the spacing of the strings.

You can discard or re-use the parachute pattern once you cut it out.

Materials needed - Circle pattern with instructions on it - Plastic grocery bag or lightweight cloth at least 8 inches square - Newspaper for table cover - 6 pieces of medium weight string each 14-15 inches long - Tape - Sharp Pencil, safety pin or fat, dull needle - Weight object (nut shell, paper cup, or other object – Oval provided - Glue & scissors - Markers (perm on plastic) - (for string ends -Dull needle or wire needles -or make tape ends)	YOU NEED TO FOLLOW THE ORDER SHOWN HERE
1 Cut Circle	2 Tape pattern to plastic at each T
3. Pencil Poke each X – turn over and see hole – re-mark if needed	4. CUT Plastic around circle. SEPARATE pieces
5 get needle. Thread needle with one string. put through one of the poked holes about 2 inches (Without needles, you can scotch tape string end to be like a needle, but that increases craft time quite a bit)	6 Using the string from the front and the back, knot the string enclosing the edge of the parachute. Tie as close to the end of string as you can. NOT the middle of the string. Go on to next hole. 6 in all.
Tying done.	7 Pinch the top of the parachute in the center. Let the strings hang down. Bunch the lines together. 8 Loop tie them together as one fat string at least 5 inches below the parachute.
9 Trace and cut 2 ovals from index card. Decorate one side of each oval.	10 . Glue back of each oval. Cover strings below knot with oval “sandwich”.
Pinch top and raise as high as you can. Let go.

ADDED INFORMATION

Step 7: What you do for the hanging thing from the parachute is pretty much up to you. An oval pattern is provided so you can either color you own face or symbol on the oval, or glue a photo on the oval. Cut a second oval. You need 2 ovals to make a glue SANDWICH with all the loose ends below the loop(knot) in-between. Trim any strings that hang out.

WEIGHT: If you are using the chute in any wind, you may wish to tie a metal hex nut below the knot before the oval. OR you may try a adding a large paperclip below the knot above the ovals for added weight