How to Make Farm Animal Centerpieces

Turn basic ingredients and materials into a farm animal centerpiece to decorate the table at a barnyard-themed party. Making the animals to populate the centerpiece turns into a party activity if you provide guests with the basics and teach them how to put them together. Let each child take their own marshmallow animal home as a party favor after the party.

Instructions

1

Mix 1/8 cup water with green food coloring to make a grass green color. Pour a bag of shredded coconut into a large bowl, followed by the colored water. Using two wooden spoons, toss the coconut and water until all the coconut is dyed green. Spread the dyed coconut on cookie sheets, and allow it to dry completely.

2

Cut a piece of craft paper to about 2 inches longer and wider than a shoe box top. Set the box top upside down on top of the paper. Fold the corners of the paper so they meet the corners of the box and crease. Fold the edges of the paper up and over the sides of the box, and tape them in place inside the box top.

3

Paint craft sticks white, and glue them together into a fence. Place the fence pieces around three sides of the box top, gluing them to the cardboard. Fill the box top with the colored coconut, so it looks like grass.

4

Mix 1 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar with 1 beaten egg white. This is the glue you'll use to make marshmallow barn animals. Keep it in a bowl, covered with a damp cloth.

5

Fill a small bowl with pink sugar crystals. Use a paintbrush to coat a large marshmallow in the sugar glue. Roll the marshmallow in the pink sugar. Repeat with a small marshmallow. Use two straight pins with black beaded ends, to attach the small marshmallow to the top end of the large marshmallow. This is the pig's nose. Cut two red jelly beans in half and use pins to attach them to one side of the large marshmallow as legs. Another half jelly bean becomes the pig's tail. Cut a small marshmallow in half, coat it with glue and roll it in sugar, then attach it to the large marshmallow as ears.

6

Pour yellow sugar in a small bowl. Coat a large marshmallow in sugar glue, then roll in the colored sugar. Cut orange jelly beans in half and use them as a chick's wings and beak by using pins to attach them to the yellow marshmallow. Use a toothpick dipped in blue food coloring to make the chick's eyes.

7

Use the sugar glue to attach several small marshmallows all around a large one to make a sheep's body. Cut a 1-inch piece of black licorice, and glue it to one end of the large marshmallow, between small marshmallows, as the sheep's nose. Cut smaller pieces of black licorice, and glue them in place as the sheep's eyes.

8

Set the marshmallow animals in the coconut grass, to resemble a barnyard or pasture.