If you’re looking for a toddler friendly activity to provide hours of entertainment, here’s a great one!

Piñatas are huge here in Nicaragua. Every major holiday event seems to involve a swarm of kids swatting a hard stick at each other’s heads as they dive in the dirt for candy. Luna is still intimidated by the crazy scene and I’m not thrilled about the bags of disgusting candy we end up with afterwards. But piñatas are too fun to give up for those reasons alone.

One morning our super nanny Tatiana decided we should make one ourselves. She inflated a balloon then helped Luna practice her scissor skills by cutting up small squares of paper. The paper was glued onto the balloon then wrapped in wet toilet paper, then painted with water colors.

The hardest part of the project was the excercise in patience while the piñata dried in the sun.

After naptime we strung the balloon up as a piñata and Luna practiced using the rope to lift and drop it. Soleo was also very interested!

When that game had run its course the piñata became a doll. Luna declared it was her sister “Leche” whose favorite food is “Gallo pinto” and favorite color “Amarillo”.

By the next morning the balloon had lost air so we turned the piñata into a scary mask. It was truly the craft project that kept on giving!