How to make a circus at home, competitions for children, crafts

Probably every boy or girl (except for Princess Nesmeyana, who cannot be pleased with anything!) likes the circus. Clever acrobats, hilarious clowns and mysterious magicians will not leave anyone indifferent!

The word "circus" is of Latin origin and literally translates as "circle". But a circus in ancient Rome was a structure similar to a hippodrome. Horse races and chariot races were held there. The largest circus was the Circus Maximus in Rome. During the time of Julius Caesar, it could accommodate up to five hundred thousand spectators, and twelve chariots could compete on it at the same time. The modern circus appeared in France only at the end of the eighteenth century. A father and son named Astley built a round building near Paris, which they called a circus.

Child's world

There they gave performances that consisted of acrobatic acts and exercises with horses. And at the end of the nineteenth century, the first performances with trained animals appeared. By this time, permanent circuses appeared in most major cities in Europe and Russia. Do you know how many meters the diameter of the circus arena is? The diameter of any circus arena in any circus - no matter whether it is for a thousand spectators or a hundred - is the same and is thirteen meters (or forty-two feet).

Entertainment

If the holiday is on a grand scale, invite a traveling circus - a performance of trained dogs, cats or... chickens! A fun show designed for children aged 3-12, entirely in the style of this themed party. The show lasts about 30 minutes, after which spectators will be able to pet the tailed artists, take pictures with them, and ask the trainer questions.

Simple tricks will fit perfectly into the script. Here you can do without a pro if you prepare the props in advance (examples on the net, with an explanation of the trick technique - there are a lot of simple ones). Prepare gifts for children who figure out the essence of the trick.

It would be great if the party had a creative area with coloring books, puzzles, etc. Cover the coffee table with a long diamond striped tablecloth. Instead of chairs, place poufs of the same color or decorated inverted buckets (imitation cabinets).

And the most interesting part of the scenario is active competitions. At a circus-style party, everything that the performers do in the arena is appropriate: jump, run, climb. The noisier the merrier! It is better to exclude the competitive moment so that no one leaves upset.

Leading

after the greeting: Do you know what the word “Circus” means? If the children are silent: I’ll give you a hint: “Another word came from the word circus - compass. What is it for? Children - to draw circles.

Leading

- Right! This is how circus is translated - circle, because previously all the arenas in which performances were shown were round. This is convenient, because spectators could sit on all sides - more people could clearly see the arena. Let's check how much you know about the theme of our party.

Puzzles

I will take any object in my hands, I was just there, and suddenly it’s gone!
(magician) * Nosed ginger is the funniest of all The children are laughing with new fun!
(clown) * A huge juggler performs on stage. He catches balls with his trunk - success is constant! * He waves his wand, and the predators dance. Who is this, the traffic controller? Of course not, he (the trainer) * The guys are circling fearlessly under the dome, After all, the safety rope protects (the acrobat) .

Leading

(hereinafter V.): Well done! Surely you all could become worthy members of a circus troupe! What is a troupe, do you know? This is a friendly team of artists who perform in the arena. Do you know how to act coherently, as a team?

Catch it

Guests stand in a circle and each is given a small ball or a bag of sand. To the accompaniment of cheerful music, everyone throws a ball to anyone and tries to catch those that fly into their hands. The game ends when more than half of the balls are on the floor (approximately). The goal is to survive in crazy mode for as long as possible.

: How well you managed to throw and catch in a crowd! You must be natural born jugglers! Shall we check?

Let's juggle

Make “steering wheels” out of thick cardboard and color them brightly. Enough for 3 each so everyone can play together. Rings are more convenient - the balls will roll away, and they are more difficult to catch than cardboard.

: For such efforts there is a reward - I invite you to ride the carousel! But first, tell me, where did the word “carousel” come from? Do not know? Okay, I’ll give you a hint – this used to be the name for competitions between riders who rode in circles on horses. And the first carousels were made with horses!

Carousel

The good old chair shortage, but circus style and no losers. Place paper rounds with drawn horses in a circle. The presenter with a bag (forfeits there) stands in the center. The children run in circles to the music until V. claps his hands. He clapped and they took their seats. Whoever didn't get it draws a random card with a phantom. After completing the task, the game continues, no one is eliminated as with chairs.

stand on the bridge
Jumping on one leg, bring candy to the presenter
eat anything from the table without helping yourself with your hands
looking in the mirror, roar “I am a lion!” and not smile
touch your nose with your toes, etc.

: Oh, well, you made me laugh with your antics! Real clowns! Oh, but our clown is somehow not like that... Guys, maybe he’s missing something?

Help the clown

While the children were playing carousel, the assistant brings out a shield and a painted clown, but he has an ordinary human nose. Children, of course, quickly answer why the clown is “wrong.” Then it’s clear - blindfolded, put your nose in place. No matter how many times such competitions are added to holiday scenarios for children, it’s always funny for the kids - take a photo!

: Well, that’s it, our clown looks like himself again, cheerful and happy with everything. Thanks guys! And now I want to ask you the most difficult question. Each circus performer has special qualities: funny clowns, jugglers and knife throwers have excellent eyes, flexible acrobats, brave trainers, strong athletes. What quality do they all have in common?

After some thought, the guys remember about dexterity, and then any competitions at your discretion. Examples:

run along the strip of fabric, stepping into the holes
. The parents hold the fabric at a distance from the floor and slightly sway (according to the child’s age);

throw the ball into the hole where the lion's mouth should be
(picture on the large box);

going around the chairs like a snake, reach the finish line without dropping the balloon, which lies on a disposable (safer) plate. The elders hold the plate with one hand, the kids with two.

The completion of the scenario for a circus-style children's party can be fireworks, a huge piñata with candies, or a ceremonial taking out of the cake. And, of course, memorable gifts - socks or T-shirts with themed designs, toys, coloring books, sets of sweets in stylized packaging.

Read more competitions and another scenario.

The word "circus" is of Latin origin and literally translates as "circle". But a circus in ancient Rome was a structure similar to a hippodrome. Horse races and races were held there. The largest circus was the Circus Maximus in Rome. During the time of Julius Caesar, it could accommodate up to five hundred thousand spectators, and twelve chariots could compete on it at the same time. The modern circus appeared in France only at the end of the eighteenth century. A father and son named Astley built a round building near Paris, which they called a circus. There they gave performances that included exercises with horses. And at the end of the nineteenth century, the first performances with trained people appeared. By this time, permanent circuses appeared in most large cities in Europe and Russia. Do you know how many meters the diameter of the circus arena is? The diameter of any circus arena in any circus - no matter whether it is for a thousand spectators or a hundred - is the same and is thirteen meters (or forty-two feet).

Home circus

Do you want to show a real circus at home? You don’t have to become an acrobat or train animals, just learn a few interesting tricks and surprise your parents, friends, and classmates with them. We will now tell you about one of these tricks. Endless thread - a circus performance You “accidentally” notice a white thread clinging to your jacket. Of course, you immediately try to take it off - but that’s not the case! The thread goes on and on. Finally, when you have already pulled out a few meters, the thread runs out. What is the secret of this circus trick? And the secret of the trick is very simple. To carry it out you will need a spool of white thread, a needle and a pencil. First, rewind the thread from the spool to the pencil. This is necessary so that no one becomes suspicious later. Then, using a needle (just be careful not to prick yourself!), thread the end of the thread through the fabric of the jacket, and hide the pencil in the side pocket. Now, when you pull the thread, it will begin to unwind from the pencil. And if someone demands that you show that there is no spool hidden anywhere, then you will innocently show the audience an ordinary pencil. This is the kind of circus you can organize at home. Besides this, there are many other tricks that we will show you and you will study them.

International creative competition of hand-made crafts

Participation in the competition is FREE

Applications are being accepted CONTINUALLY

Results within 1-3 days from the date of application!

Payment for award materials after summing up the results of the competition!

Goals and objectives

1. Stimulating the creative activity of children;

2. Activating children’s cognitive interest in the world around them;

3. Provide participants with the opportunity to demonstrate their creative abilities in a competitive manner;

4. Identify and encourage the authors of the best creative works.

Rules of participation

1. Participants are divided into age categories:

Preschoolers;
Pupils;
Educators (Teachers, Educators).

2. One creative work will be accepted from each participant. Group work is not allowed.

3. The competition is held in absentia on the basis of submitted original creative works (in electronic form).

4. Methods of performing competition works: beads, paper, fabric, etc.

What types of layouts are there?

At the moment there is no strict classification of layouts. The types of layouts and execution options are very diverse. Therefore, we will allow ourselves to create, as it seems to us, the most correct classification for a given period of time. Let us dwell on the main types (categories) of making mock-ups. Layouts can be divided into the following categories:

1. Architectural - these are models of a single architectural object or a complex of buildings.

2. Urban planning - models of urban development, for example, city blocks, districts, entire cities, transport infrastructure of cities.

3. Interior - interior layouts of any premises, for example: apartment, house, shopping centers, shops and so on.

4. Landscape - models of improvement and landscaping of any objects, for example: hotel and tourist recreation areas, forests and mountains.

5. Technical models - models of industrial facilities (factories, workshops, production premises), as well as models of technical equipment.

6. Artistic models - models of objects of architectural and artistic heritage.

7. Models for theater and cinema - models of theater and cinema scenery, as well as models that are used as interior objects for a theater or cinema pavilion.

In addition, layouts can be divided into two types of execution:

Realistic mock-ups are made with maximum repetition of the appearance of the modeled object, including textures and colors of building facades and landscaping elements. Layouts in this version are made for sales offices, exhibitions, as gifts, and so on.

Realistic model of a village house.

Conceptual mock-ups are made from materials different from the realistic appearance of the building, but at the same time such mock-ups provide a complete understanding of the planning or architectural solution of the modeled project. Conceptual layouts often look futuristic, made from interesting combinations of modern materials, such as plexiglass (transparent and colored), transparent and mirror plastics, and the like. At the same time, conceptual layouts are also made from natural materials: wood, cardboard, paper. Such layouts look very warm and impressive.

Conceptual layout of an industrial zone.

Family Circus

The subject of the competition works is free.

Criteria for evaluating creative works

1. Creative fiction (originality, content, degree of structure of the material, accessibility of presentation, compliance with the stated topic)

2. Design (originality of design, style unity, compliance of design with content)

3. Artistic and aesthetic level of execution.

Application and award rules

1. Fill out the application on the page (Participation is FREE): https://myartlab.ru/zayavka

2. Within 1-3 days, your data will be entered into the results form. RESULTS

3. After you have found your results in the form, fill out an application for award materials (Paid service).

4. Send your application to our email: [email protected] Attaching the completed application and payment receipt to the letter.

Cost of reward materials:

Diploma for the author (electronic) - 100 rubles
Diploma for supervising the author (electronically) - 100 rubles

Payment methods available: https://myartlab.ru/oplata

5. Within 1-2 business days, personalized award materials will be sent to your email!

INVITATION TO A CHILDREN'S PARTY

We considered two options for invitation cards: in the form of a ticket to a circus performance, and in the form of a circus tent.

I personally liked the second option better. Firstly, because such a postcard looked very original and mysterious (I just wanted to take a look, but what’s inside?). And secondly, because it’s very easy to make such an invitation with your own hands. For one postcard you need: 2 sheets of white cardboard (10 by 10 cm), red and yellow artistic gouache, a little nail polish (with glitter), scissors, PVA glue.

Step 1. Print the invitation text on a piece of cardboard using a color printer:

“Dear ______ (guest’s name)! We invite you to become a participant in a big circus performance! Hurry! While you still have the opportunity to choose your own role! Who will you be? An acrobat? Tamer? A clown? The circus tent is located at: ____ (your address), the selection of participants for the performance will begin ___ (date, time). Don't miss your chance! Circus director ______ (name of the birthday boy) _____ he will turn (_ age __) on the day of the performance. A lot depends on his choice!”

The text should be placed in the center, with 4 cm indentations at the top, left and right.

Step 2. On another sheet, make a drawing of the tent so that the “entrance” (the T-cut line) is located exactly in the middle. For the drawing we use red and yellow paint.

Layout assembly

At the next stage, you need to draw all the “wings” that you see in the diagram. They will act as mounting brackets when assembling the layout, supporting the roof and connecting the walls. Next comes the most important part of the work, which requires accuracy and attention. Go along all the lines of the drawing with a ballpoint pen along the ruler and with pressure. This is done so that you can bend the paper in the right place.

A paper house layout requires precise fold lines. After all the boundaries have been drawn, you can cut out windows and doors, as well as “wings” with scissors. The next important point: it is necessary to correctly bend the entire structure and glue it in the right places. For this we recommend PVA glue. When the model is dry, you can start painting.

DECORATION OF A PLAYGROUND, DECORATION FOR A CIRCUS PARTY

As you know, the road to the circus begins at the ticket office. We had one like that too!

We made it from a large cardboard box from under the refrigerator. We cut out a window and painted the inscription “Cashier”. Here our little guests exchanged the invitation for a ticket to the circus. If only you could see the important faces with which the guys approached the box office to buy a ticket! And also, at the gates of the circus they were met by a huge “air clown” - as a symbol of the future holiday.

The second point is the circus tent

If the weather permits (your holiday falls in the warm season), you can build the main circus arena in the yard. To do this, you will need to set up a garden tent (cone-shaped) and decorate it with bright ribbons, balloons, and garlands of flags.

Circus dome

A very interesting decorative moment (can be used both to decorate a tent in the yard and a playroom in the house) is the design of a circus dome.

To make such beauty you only need a few meters of multi-colored chiffon and a bunch of balloons. In addition, aerial gymnasts' trapezes can be attached to the dome. To do this you will need: a paper towel holder and several meters of clothesline. And place soft toys on the “trapeze” (surely, in every home there are a dozen of these “fluffy gifts”).

During intermission, play shop with your guests.

Set up several outlets (lemonade, popcorn, cotton candy, chips). Let some children “sell” and others “buy”. For this purpose, it is worth stocking up on printed paper “money”.

Posters (pictures) depicting the main participants in the performance will also help to maintain the fabulous atmosphere of the circus in your home (yard) If you decorate the walls of a tent (or room) with them, you can create an excellent “presence effect” at a circus performance.

You can also place posters on stands throughout the house (yard) with scenes from a circus performance , while cutting out the faces of the main characters (so that your little guests can stick their faces in there and take pictures).

Decor

The theme will fit into any budget, but many of the decorations will have to be made by hand. Therefore, it is worth starting your preparation with a good supply of time. Since the party is for children, the circus-style decoration should be bright and colorful, even if it is a pompous du Soleil. The thematic basis is red in combination with white or yellow (stripe pattern, rhombus, zigzags, triangles), other colors as an addition. Design ideas:

Our circus-style party scenario will take the kids straight to the arena under the big top
! To imitate a tent, secure strips of paper of two colors with a “sun”, diverging from the center of the room to the walls. Single-color paper wallpaper is suitable, it’s even more economical;

The strips should sag a little so that the ceiling looks more like a tent dome. It is advisable to cover the chandelier with translucent decor.

draw a large sign/banner “Circus” on whatman paper to decorate the entrance, signs “Wardrobe, Buffet, Arena”
. Cut it out and glue it onto a thick base;

“place” circus animals around the room: a lion is jumping through a hoop, a seal is holding a ball on its nose, a poodle is on a bicycle, an elephant is standing on one paw. Let the fancy animals perform tricks - it's dynamic! Same as signs, drawing or print + base (cardboard works fine). Dress up soft toys in caps, clown collars, vests with bright buttons, tutu skirts;

If it's a Cirque du Soleil themed children's party, the animals will have to be "sacked." Animals do not perform in du Soleil; this is the principled position of the managers. And the performances are more like theatrical performances - not the best direction for children within the theme.

“call” the artists - giants on ceiling-high stilts, clowns, dexterous gymnasts, jugglers,
etc. Place cardboard figures near the walls, hang silhouettes of aerial acrobats from the ceiling;

Place props here and there so that children can play with real circus attributes
! Gymnastic hoops, inflatable weights, bright balls of different sizes (huge inflatable ones will delight kids!). Skittles will pretend to be juggling clubs, and hidden pillows from a joke store (those with an obscene effect) will be a surprise from a hooligan clown;

if you are celebrating a birthday, make a congratulatory inscription, a stand with a photo of the birthday person, an age number in a circus style. The letters can be held by trained animals or let a lion juggle them. The number is easy to assemble from clown noses and mini-caps (make holes in the cardboard, stretch elastic bands and tie knots on the back side so that the decor does not fall out);

print out drawn/cartoon posters and thematic pictures and hang them on the walls
. In your invitation, you can ask the guys to bring a circus-style drawing and arrange a mini-exhibition;

Hang garlands of colorful triangles on the ceiling/walls, and glue pictures into some
. Rain, serpentine, “beads” of paper rounds, garlands of attributes (silhouettes) will fit in. Release helium balloons to the ceiling, buy several foil ones (through the Internet, there are elephants, lions, circus horses, with props or in costumes);

make invitations - tickets to the circus with a control strip
. The birthday boy will tear it off, greeting guests at a tall box with a window, painted to look like a cash register. This little ritual will immediately immerse children in the thematic atmosphere! On one side of the invitation there is a personalized ticket, on the reverse there is the text itself.

COSTUMES AND PROPS FOR CIRCUS PARTY

It will be very good if in the invitation to a circus party you indicate the dress code: “come dressed as your favorite animal, clown, etc.” But if such an approach to the holiday is impossible for some reason (the parents of your little guests are too busy to take care of the costume, etc.), prepare the basic details of the circus costumes .

Clown noses and bright ties

Red foam rubber spouts can be bought on sale, or made at home (it took me exactly 15 minutes to make a spout, a piece of red foam rubber 7 by 7 cm, a couple of drops of rubber glue and a piece of fishing gum). And ties can be cut from inexpensive bright fabric (secured in the same way, using a fishing elastic band) or a piece of wrapping paper for gifts.

Strongman barbell

The barbell can be made entirely from wood (by painting the pancakes black), or you can put two black balloons on a wooden stick (it will also turn out very realistic).

Wigs and masks

You can rent clown wigs for party participants, and make animal masks (tiger, zebra, lion, monkey) for children yourself.

Costumes for adults

It is advisable if both mom and dad (and all other volunteer helpers) are dressed in “circus fashion.” Also purchase other themed props for competitions (photo 4).

Crafts on the theme “Circus”

Even if you and your child live in a metropolis where there is a circus, going to shows every day is almost impossible, but getting a home toy arena with funny performers is easy! Colored paper, scissors, felt-tip pens, tape or glue - that's all you need to make circus-themed crafts with your own hands.

Before you make a paper circus with your own hands, ask your child who he would like to see in the mini-arena. Most likely, it will be a cheerful clown. To make a paper clown you will only need one template, which can be drawn using a computer. The only condition is to comply with the proportions, and the colors can be any. It is best to entrust coloring of the template to your child.

After your child has finished working with the template, cut it along the lines shown in the picture. The outer rounded strip will serve as legs, and the inner one as handles. These parts need to be twisted in a spiral. If the paper is thick, then just run the blade of the scissors along the back side, gently but firmly pressing them. Thin paper can be rolled onto a pencil for a few minutes.

And from ordinary paper you can build an arena in which acrobats, animal trainers, and jugglers will perform. Draw their figures, cut them out along the outline and place them on paper cross-shaped stands.

No time, but really want to play in the circus? The easiest way to cheer yourself and your baby up is to wear colorful hats. They are easy to make: roll thick cardboard into a cone and attach a fringe or bubo to the top. If active games are planned, strings will not hurt.

Give your inquisitive baby a bright mood! And don’t forget to involve him in creating a home mini-circus, where he will be the main artist.

Menu, serving

There are no requirements for the main menu - a regular festive table. But emphasis on desserts, since this is a children's party. It is advisable to decorate the treats in a circus style:

Use self-adhesive film to turn large flower pots into circus stands
(turn them upside down). Place dishes on them that will be closer to the wall. In small pots decorated in the same way, place “bouquets” of candies, caramel apples, pour heaps of candy;

cookies, biscuits, waffles in the shape of triangles, diamonds, stars
. Cover them with glaze in the shades chosen for decoration. Make animal faces from mastic and stick on top;

use self-adhesive film to “color” oranges, tangerines, bananas in a diamond/stripe pattern
;

Glue silhouettes of horses, etc. along the edge of the plates on a three-tier stand
to make a carousel;

Cool the jelly in ribbed muffin tins and invert onto a saucer
. Stick a flag on top - the miniature tents are ready!

Glue a clown smile, nose and eyes on characteristic white makeup to watermelons, melons, and pot-bellied jars with bulk delicacies.

Order themed tableware, cupcake skirts, cocktail straws online, and make toppers with fun pictures. Don't forget the drink/water bottle labels and a chic stylized cake.

Children's party in the circus style: juggling ideas!

Well, what child doesn’t love games and competitions, especially if they are part of the holiday?! Make sure that the kids don’t get bored at your celebration by diversifying it with fun competitions from our website!

Cartoon hero

The main thing in this competition is the quick reaction of each participant. Whoever raises his hand first is the one who answers. The presenter names the cartoon character, and one of the participants must name the cartoon in which this hero is. One correct answer - one point. At the end of the competition, whoever collects the most points will receive a prize.

Wooden house model

A do-it-yourself house model from wood can only be made with the participation of adults, since the work involves woodworking machines for home use. They are quite dangerous if there are no working skills. Hand tools for woodworking also require caution when working with them. The blades of knives, planes, files and gravers have sharply sharpened cutting edges.

Circus (children's party scenario)

Heroes can be both modern cartoons and old ones, for example, Leopold the Cat, Asterix, Simka, Vupsen and Pupsen, Artemon and so on.

Letter cartoons

The guys are divided into 2-3 teams. For each team it is necessary to prepare the same number of letters from which you can add up the names of the cartoons, so that it is not too difficult, you can take three cartoons, for example: “Luntik”, “Fixies”, “Masha and the Bear”, which means each team should receive one set of letters: luntikfixikimashaandbear. Letters can be cut out or drawn on separate pieces of paper. The team with the smartest and fastest guys will be the winner.

Find the right color

Children stand in a circle. The presenter thinks of a color and then says its name out loud. Children should immediately find an object of the named color near them. If someone fails to do this, he is eliminated from the game. And the presenter makes a wish for a new color. The last player standing wins a prize.

Kittens and piglets

Children are divided into two teams: the first team is “pigs”, the second is “kittens”. All players are blindfolded and then shuffled among themselves. With the help of grunting and meowing, children must again figure out the commands.

Dancing

The presenter turns on the music to which the children will dance, but this music will constantly change, which means the dances should also change. You can play both children's songs and just music without words. The child who doesn't get confused and dances cheerfully wins a prize.

Catch the tail

All children line up in a snake formation, each player takes hold of the belt of the person in front. The first player's task is to catch the last one, and the last player's task is to dodge. From the outside, the spectacle is quite interesting. And the players themselves are very interesting and fun.

Cars

Players are given long strings with machines attached to the ends. The task of each player is that he must quickly wind up his ball. Players will wind up balls to the accompaniment of cheerful music. Whose car came first won.

It's the other way around

All children are divided into two teams. A driver is chosen from among them. The driver should show various exercises, and the children should do them the other way around. If the driver raised his hand, then the children lower their hands, if the driver leaned to the right, then the children should lean to the left, and so on. The one who goes astray will take the place of the driver.

Circle of laughter

All participants line up in a circle. One of them stands in the center of the circle. He picks up the handkerchief and then throws it up. While the handkerchief is flying, everyone should laugh out loud. But when the scarf is on the floor, everyone should calm down at once. If someone cannot restrain himself and laughs, he will draw a forfeit and fulfill the task of the presenter.