Make a Toy Parachute

You just never know when you’re going to need to toss an egg or a toy soldier into the air; and have it land safely. For those times, you will need a little toy parachute. Here’s how to make one.

Steps

  1. Make the canopy. Cut out an 16 inch (40 cm) hexagon (or circle) out of a heavy-duty trash bag or paper grocery bag.
  2. Make holes for the lines. With a paper punch, scissors, or hobby knife, cut small holes near the point of each of the 6 corners of the hexagon. Don’t get too near the point when you make your holes, or your ‘chute could fail, sending GI Joe plummeting.
    • Number your holes 1-6.
  3. Attach the lines. Cut 6 16 to 20-inch pieces of string, slide the end of each string through the holes, and tie them to the parachute securely.
    • Number the strings. Starting at the top, and going around clockwise, number each string from 1 to 6. You can use a sharpie to write the number on the parachute.
  4. Build the holder. For your parachute to work, you need to have a weight at the bottom. You can tie the strings to a washer, or you can attach a small paper or plastic cup and put whatever you like inside. We’ll use a large washer to illustrate this example.
  5. Mark the washer. Using your sharpie, write the numbers 1 to 6 clockwise around the washer, so that they match the numbers on the chute.
    • If you’re using a cup, do the same around the outside top edge of the cup, and make a small hole next to each number.
  6. Tie the lines. Take a line from the chute and tie it to the matching number on the washer.
  7. Repeat for all 6 lines.
  8. Make sure that there are no twists or tangles in the strings. If there are, untie one string and take out the tangle.
  9. Try it out. After your toy parachute is finished, you could go upstairs to the veranda or balcony, and drop it to see your creation at work! You can put a small doll, toy army man, ball, egg, or anything you want into the cup as a “passenger,” as long as it isn't too big or too heavy. You don’t want it crashing to the ground and breaking things. After dropping it, you could rush downstairs or to the yard to see where and how the parachute has landed. Enjoy!

Tips

  • If the egg you put into the plastic cup breaks or your chute falls too fast, cut another bigger square and lengthen the strings to make a better parachute.
  • Add foam padding on the inside of the cup to protect precious cargo.
  • This is a great group activity for family and friends to see who's parachute has the best decoration, which one holds the most, or which one takes the longest to hit the ground.
  • Make sure that the parachute doesn't have any rips or tears in it.
  • Feel free to deploy a small action figure or toy out of your window, then run downstairs to see if they survived the ride.
  • Color or camouflage the chute and the cup (if they’re paper) to match your cargo. If you’re making a parachute for your army men, camouflage works well. If you’re parachuting Easter eggs, color using pastels like green, yellow, and pink.
  • If you are going to drop the parachute down a staircase, make sure that the staircase is wide enough. The parachute could hit and damage walls.
  • If you place an egg in the parachute and it breaks you'll have to clean it up. If it breaks inside the cup, make an omelette!
  • Make sure that you cut carefully without hurting yourself.
  • Make sure the load is not too heavy or the chute is not damaged before flying it.
  • For cups like Chinet, tape the string/ribbon on to the cup.

Warnings

  • Always be sure that there isn't anyone standing in the landing zone underneath the parachute, so they don’t accidentally get bonked by falling cargo.
  • Be sure strings are tied tightly. If they are too loose, the parachute might fail in flight, sending your cargo flying to the ground.
  • Make sure children understand that this is for toys, not them.

Things You'll Need

  • Heavy-duty trash bag or paper grocery bag for the parachute
  • String, yarn, thread, or twine for the lines
  • Anything heavy and sturdy enough (ranged from a paper clip to a plastic cup) to hold the cargo.
  • Scissors or a hobby knife
  • Paper punch (optional)
  • Things to put in the cup or attach to the washer as cargo
  • A timer if you wish to time how long the chute stays in the air
  • A video camera to capture the moment

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