Easy Bonfire Night Crafts

Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes Night, Fireworks Night... whatever your family calls it, the fifth of November is an excuse to get cosy, sip on a hot chocolate, and marvel at all things sparkly. If you can't get out to your usual fireworks display this year, then you can still celebrate the magical night from home with these quick and easy craft ideas. Best created alongside some toasted marshmallows for a Bonfire Night you'll be sure to remember, remember.

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With a few poster paints, some black paper or card and a set of old clothes, you can make like Jackson Pollock and create your own splatter painting with a firework twist. Follow our instructions here to get the most out of the project… and prepare to get messy.

First make a topless cone by cutting out a rainbow shape from card. Paint this brown, then fold and glue into the cone shape. Now for the fun part. Cut out strips of yellow, orange and red tissue paper and glue them into the inside rim, to suggest lava. The hole in the middle can then be plugged with scrunched up tissue paper. 

Here’s a simple, but effective one. Pour paint of fiery colour (red, yellow, orange) into wide bowls. Get the kids to press their hands into the paint, and then onto black paper with fingers outstretched. Build up a fire shape with layers of different colour. You can then add glitter around the edges to suggest sparks.

Wind two different-coloured pipe cleaners around one another to make a stick-shape. Then use smaller pipe cleaners (or snip up longer ones) to make the sparks on the end. The effect works best with sparkly pipe cleaners. 

Make a tethered balloon that shoots along a string like a rocket. First, tie one end of some cotton or thin string to a fixed point. Now, inflate a balloon, but don’t tie it off. Get someone else to cut a drinking straw in half, and tape it to the inflated balloon. Thread the string or cotton through the drinking straw, and pull it tight. Now, release the balloon and watch it shoot along the string. You can reinflate and repeat until the kids get bored (i.e. never!). While you’re playing with balloons, have a look at these further experiments and activities.

A simple (if messy) one for smaller kids. Get some black card and smear it with craft glue, preferably in the shape of exploding fireworks. Now simply shake glitter and star shapes onto the paper to form your nighttime scene. Cotton wool can be added to suggest clouds. 

Fold your way to fun with an origami banger. All you need is an A4 sheet of paper.

1. First make a cross on the sheet by folding in half one way, unfolding, then folding in half the other way (and unfold again).
2. Now fold all four corners into the long centreline. You’ll have an irregular hexagon.
3. Fold this in half along the long centreline. The corner flaps should be hidden inside. You now have a boat shape.
4. Fold both ends of the boat down through 90 degrees to form a square.
5. Fold this in half again to make a triangle.
    

And that’s your banger. To make it bang, hold at the corner so that you’re only gripping the two outer layers and not the inner folds. Bring it down with a quick swing and the inner flaps should make a bang! 

For more inspiration, see Kidadl’s ultimate guide to craft projects. And see our ultimate guide to enjoying firework night at home.