Guy Fawkes And Bonfire Night Fun

On November 5th, 1605, Guy Fawkes and a group of conspirers attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament with King James I in the building, in the notorious Gunpowder Plot. The plot intended to kill not just the King, but also his family and most of the Protestant aristocracy in a single attack.

The conspirers were caught before they could carry out the plot, and soon after Guy Fawkes was executed and many of his followers hanged, drawn, and quartered.

Today, the failure of their plot and the preservation of the King’s life is celebrated with firework displays and the burning of Guy Fawkes on bonfires.

A great way to involve children in Bonfire night is by giving them the task to make their very own Guy Fawkes. All that is then left to do is sit back and watch the different colour fireworks light up the night sky.

Making a Guy Fawkes:

What you will need:

Old clothes (trousers, shirt, shoes, hat, etc)
Dry straw
Newspaper
A round balloon
Paper mache paste
A Guy Fawkes mask or face paints
Wooden stick (approx 40cm long)
Glue
Old scrap material

Method:
1. Lay the old clothes out on the floor in the shape of a person. Use your imagination with the items of clothing you pick and try to make the Guy Fawkes look as authentic as possible. Researching the story of the gun powder plot will be both fun and educational.
2. Take the straw and some of the newspaper, and stuff the clothes with as much as possible. Secure all the body parts using string, ensuring that the straw doesn't escape from the arms and legs.
3. Next, create the paper mache head. Blow up the balloon to the size of the head that you require and securely tie the end. Find a bowl that the balloon will fit inside whilst you work on it, as this is the messy bit!
4. Take the remaining newspaper and tear into strips, 1 inch thick. Prepare the paper mache paste according to the instructions on the paste. Dip the strips of newspaper into the paste and begin covering the balloon with the wet newspaper strips. You should not quite cover the entire balloon – leave a small hole, big enough for you to put the stick into, as this stick will attach Guy Fawkes’ head to his body.
5. When the balloon is covered, sit it in the bowl and allow it to completely dry. Once dry, add another layer, and allow it to dry once more. Once the paper mache is totally dry, use a pin, and poke it through the small hole to pop the balloon. Once the balloon has popped, your paper mache head should still keep its shape.
6. Your head is now ready to be decorated with either the mask or whatever craft materials you wish. Perhaps use painted string for hair?
7. To attach the head on to the body, get a thick wooden stick approximately the length of your Guy Fawkes' body and push it firmly into the straw where the neck of the Guy Fawkes would appear. Position so there is at least 20cm of the wooden stick still showing. Cover the exposed end of the stick by wrapping it with old scrap material and cover the end with glue. Place the head on top of the wrapped stick and gently press down to make sure the head is stuck firmly on to the body.
8. Your Guy Fawkes is now ready to be a part of any bonfire or fireworks display party.

Firework paintings

This is an opportunity for your children to create their own very safe fireworks display!

What you will need:
A large sheet of black cardboard
Scraps of coloured paper and card
Cardboard tubes (kitchen roll etc)
Small sheets of coloured cardboard
Glue and scissors
Clear or black thread
A selection of sparkly things! (e.g. metallic pens, scraps of tinsel, glitter, bright pipe cleaners, sparkly paints)

Method:
1. Take all the sparkly materials you have gathered, and decorate the large piece of black cardboard with them. Create swirls and explosions as this will form the night sky background of the display.
2. Next, create some rockets. Decorate the cardboard tubes with the sparkly materials. Create cone tips for the rockets using the small coloured pieces of card and attach them with glue. Attach two lengths of thread to the rocket, with the front being slightly shorter than the back so that the rocket is pointing upwards.
3. Next, create some Catherine wheels using the bright pipe cleaners. Bend into shape and attach a piece of thread to hang them with later.
4. Now create some starburst explosions using the scraps of tinsel. Attach thread to the centre of them.
5. Attach your night sky background to a wall where you can hang the firework objects you have created from the ceiling, slightly in front of the background, for a 3D effect.