Newspaper Costume Contest

Divide the group into several teams. Place stacks (one per team) of old newspaper, with one or two rolls of masking tape per stack, and a sealed envelope containing the costume theme in the center of the room. At the word “GO”, each team sends one kid to the center of the room to select a stack and take it back to his team. Each team then opens the envelope and constructs and wears costumes made entirely of newspaper and tape. Give them 15-20 minutes to complete the task and then hold a fashion show!
Costume themes I’ve used successfully are: Peter Pan and characters, The Wizard of Oz characters, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Star Wars characters, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, The Flintstones, Gone With the Wind, Wild West Town, Remember the Alamo, a Southern Tent Revival!
Themes I’ve tried which bombed: Dallas Cowboys, Scenes from Baywatch, and Sesame Street!
You’ll be amazed at the creativity of the kids! It’s lots of fun and kinda messy!