The kindergarten class I was teaching was scheduled to perform a dramatic recitation. We needed several flower and bumblebee costumes. Since I have found that kids love making their own costumes, I wanted the class to be able to participate as much as possible in the process. Therefore, I came up with an easy costume idea and had the grade 7 class come in and assist, one student per kindergarten child. In about 1 hour all of the costumes were complete and the kindergarten class looked adorable. It was a great experience for everyone.

How did we make the costumes? Easy!

The bumblebees were made with ...

• Yellow Garbage Bags (one per child)
• Black Electrical Tape
• Hair Bands
• Pipe Cleaners
• Small Foam Balls (available at craft and dollar stores)

The yellow garbage bags were laid flat on a desk and while the kindergarten children held them down, the grade 7 children put four stripes of electrical tape across, front and back. Each stripe had 3 widths of the tape. Finally, arm and neck holes were cut out of the garbage bags. Note: If you make a mistake, clear packing tape or scotch tape works wonders.

The antennae were made by twisting 2 pipe cleaners to each hair band and then, pushing a foam ball onto the other end of each pipe cleaner (the wire inside the pipe cleaners makes this easy). Note: Before adding the pipe cleaners, we wrapped them around a pencil to give them that curly look and add strength.

The flowers were even easier to make than the bees. The garbage bags only needed arm and neck holes cut out.

The flowers were made with ...

• Green Garbage Bags (one per child)
• Coloured Paper
• Scotch Tape

To make the head of the flower, we first cut a 2-inch wide strip of paper for each child and wrapped it around each one's head from the top of their head to their chin, being sure to create a comfortable fit. We then taped it and removed it. Next we cut out several colours of petals about 5-6 inches high by 3-4 inches wide and let each child pick the colour they wanted for their flower. We did the cutting by eye, so the measurements are approximate. Next, we attached the chosen petals all along the inside edge of the bands we had just made and finally, folded the petals outward. Note: The number of petals varied with the preferences of each child.

For most of the children the flower head piece stayed on perfectly. For the ones who had trouble with it slipping off, we added a second strip of 2-inch wide paper to the first one from approximately ear to ear, around the back of the head on the day of the performance.

The final result was amazing. The kids were absolutely thrilled with their accomplishments and the performance was a great success.

Important: Please remember that plastic bags are not a toy and should be used with caution, under adult supervision.