Do your kids love LEGO? Mine do, and this fab LEGO minifigure parachute is simple to make and so much fun to play with both inside and outside.
Over the summer I want to encourage you to have fun with your children. What does that mean for you? Well, I will be encouraging you and your children to see the world with a sprinkle of imagination. I will be producing great projects that help turn everyday objects into something that your children can use for imaginative play. I am looking to inspire you with simple tutorials and get the whole family playing and having fun.
My first project for you is this fab LEGO Minifigure parachute. We had all the materials for this project in our home and we had so much fun both making and playing with them.
The weather was so great so we all had Fab ice lollies and took turns timing the drops.
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How to make a LEGO Minifigure parachute
Materials
- Parachute material – we used carrier bags, envelopes and ziplock bags
- Tapestry needle (large eyed needle)
- Embroidery thread
- Loom bands
- Loom band S clips
- Scissors (please ensure parental supervision before using)
- Sharpie permanent markers
We decided to try different materials and sizes of parachutes to see if that made a difference in the way they worked. You can also try different length thread too.
First, you need to cut your chosen parachute material into a circle. We used a paper plate as a template but also used a compass to draw larger circles.
Cut out your circles and mark four points for the cord to be threaded through.
Decorate your parachute. If you are colouring carrier bags then make sure you use sharpies, so they do not smudge. if you are recycling a large envelope, then standard felt tips, pencils, crayons or paints are fine.
Thread your embroidery thread in to a large headed needed and push through the parachute. Tie a knot in the end and cut your thread to your desired length.
Tie all four threads into a knot.
Take a loom band (I am sure you must have some left lying around after the loom band craze) and place it over the arm of your minifigure around the back and over the other arm.
Then take a loom band S clip and attach to the loom band and the other side clip over the thread from the parachute.
The science behind the parachute
Depending on the age of your children you can discuss gravity and how a parachute works with air resistance. A great way to demonstrate this is to drop a minifigure without a parachute at the same time.
Try timing each of your parachutes. Does the length of the strings make a difference? Does the size of the canopy make a difference or even the shape or weight of the parachute?
Your Comments love this web site
What a brilliant idea – you are so creative Jen. We have made kites from carrier bags but never thought about anything like this. Good use of S clips too. Thank you this will keep us busy over the Summer 🙂 I need a Fab lolly now too xxx
aww this is so cute Jen, I can’t wait for Wilf to get into lego. I have two boxes of the stuff from my parents handed down from my own childhood! x
This is really cute! I can remember my friend’s brother parachuting his Action Men out of the bedroom window when we were kids 🙂
Looks like lots of fun. We have so many minifigures that this would keep H occupied most of the day.
hehehe love this idea so much fun x
Such a good idea and so simple, endless hours of amusement 🙂
Helen x
What a lovely idea, it reminds me a little of my childhood and hurling things out the window with makeshift parachutes.
This is such a fab idea, I might even try it myself x
I haven’t lived in UK for soooooo long now that I’d forgotten about fab lollies but your post has reminded me how much I used to love them, I’ve been transported back to my childhood.
oh how cute is this looks a great idea for my kids as they love their lego
This looks so much fun – we used to throw ours out of windows when we were little
This is so sweet – all of my three are into lego and would absolutely love this. Great summer time activity!
My boys would love this, they are lego mad! Great activity!
Oh this is brilliant Jen. POD would just love this, we must make it over the summer. So many good ideas always, you really should put them all in a fabulous craft book! I’m craving a Fab lolly now too, used to love those x
oh jen these look fantastic! .. is it wrong i still love playing lego?
Absolutely super idea! I will give it a go with J, bet he loves it.
This is SO fab. I LOVE the little lego men! Ickle Pickle x
I like it I’m going to try it right now