How to Make an Apple Pinata

Its a party and you want to smash a piñata and shower yourself with lots of candies. Anyone can buy a piñata in a store, but the homemade ones are much more fun - both to make and to break! Try these steps to make one at home:

1. Tear several stacks of newspaper into 1 to 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Newspaper tears most easily from top to bottom (with the grain). Set aside.
   
   
2. Mix about a half cup of flour and a cup of water in a small bowl until lumps dissolve.
   
   
3. Place a large mixing bowl upside-down on your work surface.
   
   
4. Dampen the newspaper strips in the flour mixture, one at a time, and place in a criss-cross pattern over entire outside of large mixing bowl.
   
   
5. Allow to dry overnight.
   
   
6. When dry, remove and set aside.
   
   
7. Repeat steps 1-6. If additional shaping of your piñata is required, do so while the second half is still a bit damp.
   
   
8. You should now have two hemispheres of equal size. Choose which will be the top, and cut a 4-inch "C" in the top center. This will be the hole for filling your piñata, and the end from which you hang it.
   
   
9. Fasten the two empty halves of your piñata with additional strips of newspaper dipped in a fresh flour mixture.
   
   
10. While your piñata is drying, cut or tear 3" pieces of your red streamer material. You will need enough to cover the entire piñata.
    
    
11. Turn your empty piñata upside-down, and work with the masking tape and red streamer pieces to cover the entire bottom.
    
    
12. Once bottom is covered, set piñata right-side-up on your work surface. Work your way around the piñata in rows, starting at the bottom and finishing with the top, by taping the 3" pieces of streamer material to the piñata with your masking tape.
    
    
13. Once your piñata is completely covered, use a large needle or a hole punch to create two holes in the top and run a piece of twine through it for hanging.
    
    
14. Fill with candy.
    
    
15. Take a whack at it.
    
    

• You can save a day by having TWO large mixing bowls of exactly the same dimensions.

• When it is time to break the piñata, stand clear of the person holding the stick.

• newspaper.
• Flour and water.
• Two mixing bowls: one for the flour mixture and one to use as a form.
• Red crepe paper (check the party section of the store and buy a roll of the red paper streamers).
• Masking tape.
• Large needle or hole punch.
• Twine.