For the DIY-School Cone you will need:
- Crafting paper in two colours
- Pencil
- Crepe paper
- Ruler and measuring tape
- Yarn
- Ribbons for decoration
- Scissors
- Paper glue
- Double-sided tape
- paintbrush
- Some water
- Decorations as you like
At first, we need to figure out the size of our school cone. A classical big school cone is about 70cm long while its little sibling is about 35cm long. If you have a specific size in mind, you can of course feel free to craft the school cone of your desires. Here, we will be crafting a 35cm long school cone.
Take a ruler or a measuring tape to measure your chosen length at the edge of your paper. Mark these with a pencil. Take a long piece of yarn and tie it at the top of your pencil. Put the pencil on your marking, stretch the other end of the yarn to the corner of your crafting paper and pin it down with your thumb. You are now a compass and can easily draw a quarter circle from one end of the paper to the other. However, this circle is too big for a school cone, and we need to measure the right circumference. For our 35cm long cone, we need a circumference of 39cm. A small cone with 15cm length needs an opening of about 22cm and a big cone of 70cm should have about 52cm. Mark your length with a pencil, drawing a line from the edge of the paper to the circle. Finally, we need a border for the double-sided tape. Simply draw another line about 1cm apart from the last line you have drawn. Now cut out the whole quarter circle.
Now we will need the double-sided tape. Tip: If you don’t want to cut the tape into the right shape, simply glue it on the prepared line and on the rest of the paper that you won’t be needing anymore. Then simply cut the paper and double-sided tape in the right size.
It’s time to roll up the school cone! Since the paper is rather thick and sturdy, you might need some sensitivity and practice for the perfect shape. Tip: Wet the lower part of the paper with some water and a brush. It will be easier to shape the paper that way. Remove the protective film of the double-sided tape, hold the tip of your cone with one hand and use your other hand to pull the paper to the other side of the paper where the tape is to glue it together. This step is quite difficult – a helpful hand from the soon-to-be-pupil or a friend are of course welcome! In case there is still a hole at the tip of your cone, don’t worry – we will fix this with the next step. For that, we will craft another tiny cone in a different colour: Measure 8cm at one edge of the paper and 9cm at the other and connect these dots with the help of your pencil and yarn – just the way we did before. Now it’s important that the cone fits well. Tip: Use your bigger cone as an aid to shape the smaller one and glue it together. You can now use a little ribbon or some washi tape to turn the two cones into one.
Finally, we need some crepe paper to close the upper end of the cone. Cut the crape paper into the same length as the circumference of your school cone. Put some paper glue at the outside edge of your cone (or if you prefer, you can also glue it on the inside) and stick the crepe paper on it. If you feel like the paper is too long, simply adjust by cutting it shorter. Your school cone is done!
For the final touches, you can now let your creativity run free! Decorate your school cone with colourful ribbons, stickers, stamps or whatever you desire and can be found in your crafting box!
Fill your school cone with cute little surprises – such as our cute name magnets or fun postcards – and your kid is ready for the first day at school!
On the lookout for more little surprises? In our online shop you can find many cute gifts that fit perfectly into any school cone!
