You probably played with those little green parachute army men as children. Children find watching aerodynamics in action exciting, and parachute guys really fit the bill. Yesterday, my son and I made our own parachute guys using Lego mini figures and old plastic bags as the parachutes. This is a super fun activity that will keep your children entertained for hours as they find new and exciting heights to release their parachute guys from. The best part? These parachute guys are simple to make using recycled materials, and they'll have your children playing in just a few short minutes, read on to learn how.
What you will need to make 4 parachute guys
– 2 plastic bags
– 4 Lego mini figures
– eco-friendly packing tape
– hole punch
– twine or string
– scissors
– tape measure
– 4 buttons
Step 1
Ask your child to find the most colorful pieces of plastic bags from the recycling bin. Have them measure a 10″ x 10″ square on each piece. You can use the front and back of two plastic bags to make four parachutes.
Step 2
When you’re done, you should have four squares that are all 10″ x 10″.
Step 3
Use eco-friendly packing tape to add a layer of tape to each of the four corners of each parachute. This will allow you to easily punch through the plastic with a hole punch and will ensure that the parachute doesn’t rip apart after your child launches it.
Step 4
Punch a hole in each of the four corners on all of the parachutes.
Step 5
Have your child measure and cut (if they are old enough) four 24″ pieces of twine for each of the parachutes.
Step 6
Secure each end of the twine with a double-knot to each of the four corners of the parachute.
Step 7
Thread each of the four pieces of twine through the hole on a button. There should be one piece of twine to each button hole.
Step 8
Measure approximately 6″ down the twine, tie a knot, right below the button.
Step 9
Right below the button, secure your Lego mini figure. We separated the twine into two equal pieces and tied the twine in a double knot around the mini figure’s waist.
Step 10
Cut off the excess twine, and carefully roll the parachute closed, leaving the Lego mini figure on the outside.
Step 11
Find a safe high spot to launch your parachute Lego mini figures. We jumped over to my son’s grandparents house (they live in a condo) and launched them from the fourth and fifth floors.
Step 12
Watch your child cheer for their parachute Lego mini figure during the launch.
Step 13
Watch our for that tree! Make sure to launch your parachute Lego mini figures away from trees. Luckily, we were able to rescue this guy!
