To make a DIY school cone you need:
- Photo cardboard in two colours
- Pencil
- Crepe paper
- Ruler and tape measure
- yarn
- Ribbons for decorating and connecting
- Scissors
- Paper glue
- double-sided adhesive tape
- Paint brush
- Some water
- Decoration as desired
The first step is to determine the size of the school cone. A classic large school cone is about 70 cm long and a sibling cone is about 35 cm. If you have a specific size in mind, you can of course make it to your own measurements. Here we are making a 35 cm long cone.
To do this, use a ruler or tape measure to measure the chosen length on the sides of the photo paper. Mark this with a pencil. Take a long piece of yarn and tie it to the top end of the pencil. Place the pencil on the mark and use your thumb to stretch the other end of the yarn to the bottom corner of the photo cardboard. This will act as a compass and you can easily draw a quarter circle to the other end of the cardboard. This quarter circle is still too big for a school cone, so the circumference must now be determined. For our 35cm long school cone, a circumference of around 39cm is suitable. For a small 15cm candy cone, the circumference is around 22cm and for a large 70cm long school cone, the circumference opening should be around 52cm. Now mark this length with a tape measure or ruler on the compass line and draw a line to the corner of the photo cardboard. Finally, we need an adhesive edge. To do this, draw a line about 1cm wide next to the previous line. Now cut out the entire quarter circle.
Now stick the double-sided adhesive tape onto the pre-marked adhesive strip. Tip: To avoid having to cut the adhesive tape to size, simply stick it onto the pre-marked adhesive edge and the "excess" paper. Then the adhesive tape and the paper can be cut to the right size.
Now it's time to turn the blank! Since the paper is quite thick and firm, it takes a bit of sensitivity and practice to get the blank into the right shape. Tip: Use a brush to wet the bottom corner of the paper with water so that the paper is easier to shape. Now remove the protective film from the adhesive tape, hold the tip of the blank with one hand and pull the paper to the edge with the adhesive tape with the other hand. This step is a bit tricky - helping hands from a schoolchild or friends, for example, are of course never a bad idea! If there is still a hole visible at the tip, that is not a problem in this step. To do this, we simply make a mini blank from a different colored photo cardboard: Mark 8cm on one edge and 9cm on the other and connect the points as before with a pencil and tape and cut out the shape. Now it is important that the tip of the mini blank sits well. Small tip: Use the large blank as a guide and put the small cone on the top of the large school cone. Glue the top firmly and attach it to the large blank with a cute ribbon.
The closure of the school cone is made using pretty crepe paper. To do this, cut the crepe paper to the length of the circumference of your school cone opening. Apply paper glue to the outer edge (or the inside if you prefer) and then stick your crepe paper over it. If the paper is too long for you, cut it even shorter and your school cone is ready!
Now you can let your creativity run wild! Decorate your school cone with colorful ribbons, stickers, stamps or whatever your heart desires and your craft supplies have to offer!
Fill the school cone with little surprises – such as our cute name magnets and funny postcards – and the start of school can begin!
Looking for a little something for the school cone? There are many other sweet gifts to discover in our online shop!
