I can't find the chunks of styrofoam for "rocks." Does anyone know where to find it or have an idea for making them. I would like several big ones for the Worship Rally stage. Thanks!
you can get cardboard boxes, of any size, or styrofoam coolers (doctors offices, walmart, etc) and cover them with news paper by paper macha (spell?) and paint them the color of rocks. styrofoam blocks are very expensive.
Originally posted by vbsdeb123: I can't find the chunks of styrofoam for "rocks." Does anyone know where to find it or have an idea for making them. I would like several big ones for the Worship Rally stage. Thanks!
Ok I just made paper mache rocks this weekend. I stuffed a plastic kitchen garbage bag with wads of newpaper. Then I used newspaper strips and made a paste with flour and water. Then I used strips to cover the bag. 1 heavy coat or 2 coats in strong enough just for this purpose. When dry it won't stick to plastic, so pull the bag out and paint with tempera. I also made some smaller rocks with a plastic grocery bag.
I just completed several boulders using styrofoam and other lightweight material for the insides then wrapped with newspaper and masking tape and then wrapped the whole thing in brown craft paper and painted them like rocks. they look great and no glue mess.
I found big square blocks of styrofoam at TSC (Tractor Supply Company)to use to VBS arctic theme a couple of years ago. They are used between trailers when they are shipped from the factory. They gave me lots of them for free and were easy to cut into ice shapes and spray paint (blue for ice) but would work this year for rocks (painted brown/black).
Posts: 2 | Location: Hopkinsville, KY | Registered: February 21, 2008
I have done this cheap and easy by using brown paper bags (grocery). Wad them up, unwad, wad them, unwad them and do it over and over until you get a leathery look. Stuff them with wadded up newspaper tape the opening with masking tape and spray paint them black, gray, and white. Free form shape them as you wish to look like bolders. The kids really had fun helping with this one...LOL
Keep your eyes out for packing. Our office has been getting long strips of brown paper in our supplies boxes. I was working on the waterfall idea but was having trouble getting my papersacks to look right. This long brown paper worked great. I just cut off the right length, wadded it up a little extra for more curves, and wrapped a small box. Instead of pulling the paper tight like a gift, I left lots of airpockets and made more rounded corners.
Tractor Supply Stores have big square blocks of styrofoam that come between trailers when they are shipped to them. Our local store gave me lots of them when we did the Arctic theme and I used them for chunks of ice (cut and painted them). They are free and work great! I am going to try to paint them this year to look like rocks!
I have used brown lunch and paper grocery bags. If grocery bags have writing on them you spray paint them anyway to look more like rocks. Also, several years ago we had to build a well and we used milk jugs with the top of the jug on the side you couldn't see and them spray painted them to look like rocks.
Please see my post "Worship Rally ideas – waterfall, volcano, skit, surf shack, confetti cannons" listed under "VBS 2008 Themes"! Specific instructions and other O.I. ideas! I can put you in touch with the guy who built/made our rocks--they rock! (sorry. bad pun)
Posts: 24 | Location: Atlanta, GA | Registered: June 28, 2008
I just finished all my rocks! I used big paper lawn bags! They have two layers so you can get two roks out of each bag. Wet it with a spray bottle then separate the layers - turn them inside out and crinkle them. Spraying them makes it easier to remove the layers and turn them inside out and crinkle. Turning them inside out also takes care of any writing! Fill with newspaper and close on one end - paint with various colors and POOF! Rocks! You can use the same process with other size bags to get different sizes!
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