Recycle plastic shopping bags or colored paper into cheerleading pom poms for your child's youth squad, Halloween costume or playtime. Pom poms can be made from almost any material that can be cut into strips, making them a perfect recycling craft. Use paint and other craft materials to create pom poms in any team's color. Make cheerleading pom poms as a team craft, birthday party activity or school project to show team spirit.
Easy Plastic Bag Pom Poms
Step 1
Lay out the plastic bags on a flat work surface. Stack smaller grocery bags (about 24 inches long) five or six high. Fold larger trash bags in half before stacking.
Step 2
Staple bags along the closed ends. Keep staples parallel to the edge of the bags. Trim the handles off the open ends, cutting back about one inch to even the ends.
Step 3
Cut fringe from the open ends toward the stapled ends, cutting the bags into 3/4-inch strips. Stop at least one inch from the staples.
Step 4
Roll the bag sideways, concentrating on keeping the stapled end together for a handle. Place the wooden dowel into the rolled handle. Tape the handle tightly to the wooden dowel. Use colored tape to cover the entire dowel for decoration and to secure the pom pom.
Step 5
Hold the wooden handle, and shake pom pom to fluff the fringe. Repeat steps to make a second pom pom.
Intermediate Pom Poms
Step 1
Use a compass to draw two circles, 12 inches wide, on cardboard. For larger or smaller poms, draw a circle with a radius to match the length you want.
Draw a smaller circle, of about one inch, in the center of each larger circle. Cut out the large circle and the center circle so you have two cardboard doughnut shapes.
Step 2
Cut long strips of colored paper, newspapers, plastic, ribbons or cloth. Keep the strips as long as the material allows.
Step 3
Place the cardboard doughnuts together. Feed the end of one strip through the center holes, hold the end to the outside edge of the doughnut. Wrap the rest of the strip tightly around the back of the doughnut, through the front hole and back around. Repeat until the strip runs out. Take a new strip and begin again. Try to keep all the strip ends on the outside edge of the doughnuts, not the center. Continue winding strips of plastic, cloth or tissue paper around the doughnut shape until the cardboard is no longer visible. For fuller pom poms, wind another layer on top of the first layer of materials.
Step 4
Slide the tip of the scissors between the two cardboard circles and cut the materials around the outside edge. Work slowly until you have a bundle of materials sticking through the cardboard circles, not wound around the edges.
Step 5
Wrap clear twine between the two pieces of cardboard around the bundle of strips. Tie the bundle securely in the center with a double knot. Remove the cardboard circles by sliding them off the bundle or cutting if necessary. Trim any pom pom fringe pieces that look too long.
Tips and Warnings
- Use plastic for the most weather-resistant, kid-friendly pom poms. Save plastic grocery bags in your team's colors. Mix colored bags for multi-colored pom pom fringes. Paint newspaper broadsheets, let them dry and use them instead of plastic bags.
Things You'll Need
- Plastic bags
- 5-inch wooden dowel
- Colored craft tape
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Strips of colored plastic, cloth or craft paper
- Cardboard
- Compass
- Clear twine
Member Comments