Purim
Face Masks – Plaster of Paris
Goal :
Purim Creativity. Purim is the festival of masks
and costumes. In this activity, the participants will make and decorate masks.
Age: Six to 120
Materials Required: Strips/rolls
of plaster of Paris, disposable plates with a little water, tubes of paints,
paintbrushes, colored paper, scissors, glue, paper, pencils, disposable tablecloths
or plastic bags, overalls, plastic molds for masks, Nivea or Vaseline.
Duration: Approx. 60-90 minutes
Activity Schedule:
Mask Making
Designing the decoration
Decoration
Procedure
Part 1: Mask Making
Please note: Working with plaster of Paris
makes a mess of the working environment. With the second option of mask making,
participants' face, hair and clothing will be full of little white lumps!! Cover
tables with old tablecloths/plastic roll; participants need to wear overalls.
Caution for asthma sufferers: the second option may not be suitable.
Prepare in advance for each participant:
- Enough plaster of Paris strips in order
to cover the plastic face mold twice over
- Disposable plates or bowls of water
- Paintbrushes
- Colors
- Colored paper
- Scissors
- Glue
- Nivea, Vaseline (second possibility)
- Plastic molds for masks
Option 1
Suitable for any age group. Masks are made
using a plastic mold.
Procedure
- Wet the plaster of Paris strips carefully.
- Cover the plastic mold covered with them
twice. Don't forget to leave holes for eyes, nose and mouth.
- It takes a few minutes for the plaster
to dry.
Option
2
This activity is suitable for older participants
(12 years and up). Everyone needs an overall.
The masks are created on the faces of the
participants, working in pairs, who should be good friends, as great care needs
to be taken and attention must be paid to keeping the area around the eyes and
under the nostrils clear of plaster. Asthmatics may prefer to keep the mouth
clear of plaster, too.
Procedure
- Smooth Vaseline or Nivea over the other
person's face. Cover lips, eyebrows, eyelashes and the hairline very carefully.
- Wet the plaster of Paris strips carefully.
- The face should be covered with at least
two layers of plaster of Paris. Be careful not to leave a good space under
the nose the participants!
- The plaster takes a few minutes to dry
- Lift the mask carefully off the face.
Part 2: Designing the Decoration
While the plaster mask dries, plan the decoration.
Each participant takes a piece of paper and makes a draft. Use colors, paper,
etc. to decorate the mask.
Part 3: Decoration
After the mask has dried, "paint"
it with a layer of glue, to hold the colors better. Each participant decorates
his or her own mask.
Sofia, Moran and Dorit created
these beautiful masks.