Surprise balls are balls made of crepe paper streamers wound into a ball with small toys and prizes hidden inside. As your child unwinds the streamer prizes fall out! These balls are so much fun to unwrap and see how excited your child is to discover the prize!
In today’s project we will take easy to find items and create surprise balls in honor of Lunar New Year. We’ve styled our balls to look like tangerines in the spirit of Lunar New Year.
How citrus fruit is significant for Lunar New Year
Oranges, kumquats, tangerines and mandarins are common items at a Lunar New Year feast. They symbolize good luck, prosperity and happiness. The Chinese word for “orange” and “tangerine” closely resembles the word for “luck”. Serve these fruits as a symbol of abundance.
What goes inside a surprise ball
You can incorporate any small toys into your surprise ball as well as written messages on paper and flat items- like a latex balloon. Here are a few ideas for a Lunar New Year surprise ball.
Supplies- what you’ll need to make it
- orange crepe paper streamers
- green paper
- kids scissors
- orange tape (you can also use glue or glue dots to tie off the end)
- small prizes, toys and messages
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How to cut the leaves
- Fold the green paper in half.
- Cut leaf shapes along the folded edge.
- Unfold the leaves and attach with a glue dot or small dot of school glue.
How to Make a Surprise Ball
You can make around 3-4 surprise balls for each regular sized roll of crepe paper streamer. Each ball takes around 5 minutes to complete.
Begin by rolling one small item into the end of your crepe paper streamer. Wrap as tight as possible, without wrapping as you go. I found that anytime the paper bunches and does not wrap clean and tight, it is a good time to give the streamer a twist before continuing to wrap. Add more prizes as you go.
Layers of crepe paper will hide the prizes and smooth over any bumps. At the end you will need either a glue dot or a piece of tape to secure your streamer. You can also tuck it in to other layers to hide it. Add some green hand cut leaves at the end. Display your citrus fruits in bowl as you would real fruit. Enjoy!