This is our first year in San Antonio and our first year experiencing Fiesta, which began yesterday. I am excited to experience this celebration over the next week, and even more excited to witness how the schools get the kids involved, too.
On the agenda at the elementary schools around the city today was what’s called the “Fiesta Shoebox Parade.” The kids get to dress up in Fiesta-ish attire and bring in a decorated shoebox representing a small “float” to pull on a string through the halls of school. Fun!
Never having experienced this before, and not knowing what the “norm” is for these floats, my seven-year-old son decided to go with what he knows – Power Rangers.
We used Gorilla Tape to keep his Power Rangers stuck to the box without gluing. We used Super Glue to attach three Matchbox cars to the bottom of his box so that it rolled down the hall, and we used a shoestring to pull it through the halls.
I always have construction paper, crayons and crinkle scissors on hand for craft time. I also was lucky enough to have my craft box that made this a lot easier to complete, too. Add to that a little Elmer’s School Glue, and we’re in business, baby!
To make the fringe on the bottom, you cut slits using scissors. This helps hide the wheels at the bottom (the way real floats do).
You can get creative on how to mask the tape you use to affix your action figures, Barbies or dolls to the top. I just happened to have this paper “grass” substance from a package I was sent.
I saw many children use tissue paper twisted into flowers and stapled as ruffles to symbolize the “flowers” on the float. I saw pipe-cleaners used, stickers, balls taped to boxes with stickers. There really is no wrong way to do it. one little girl had a tiny toy shopping cart she pushed that was decorated. Another little girl had her barbies on her brother’s skateboard. Some floats had balloons, some used dyed coffee filters to make flowers instead of tissue paper – the choice is completely yours. Have fun with it!
Don’t live in San Antonio to participate? Why not make a little shoebox parade at home with your kids? My little ones made one together, so they could participate, too. (And Baby Dude borrowed his older brothers, too.)
I am looking forward to experiencing our first Fiesta here. I love moving and traveling to different cities with my military family and experiencing things like this. Have you ever experienced something like this before?
Post edited – Here are our 2013 floats! We took toys from around the house, and birthday party decorations and ran with it!
2014 float pictures coming soon! 🙂
