Recently, we were invited to a princess party – apparently a real live princess is going to be there. It seems like an appropriate occasion for my daughter to wear the princess dress that she got for Christmas. It’s all things princess around here, although lucky for us, the discussion of beauty hasn’t played into princess talk just yet. I think that it’s all about the big dresses for now.
Robert Munsch’s The Paper Bag Princess is a classic tale of a fancy princess who has to use her wits after a dragon burns down her castle. She finds an old paper bag and goes off the rescue the prince. The princess tricks the dragon into tiring himself out, encouraging him to breathe fire and fly around the world. Once the dragon is asleep, she creeps into the castle and rescues the prince.
Throughout the story, the princess wears a paper bag instead of her usual princess dress. After Christmas, you’re bound to have a lot of paper bags around. Some of them might be large, just the size for a preschooler. Some of them might be small, just the right size for a preschooler’s dolls.
Turn the bag over and cut a hole in the bottom large enough for a preschooler’s waist. The handles of the bag can go over your child’s shoulders. If you would like to make a bag skirt, turn the bag over and cut a hole in it, then have your child step into the upside-down bag. You will need to make the hole fairly tight to your child’s waist size so that it doesn’t slip down, since small children don’t have wide hips. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you can cut out the bottom rectangle of the bag and you will be left with a long rectangle of bag to use as a wrap skirt. Use duct tape to finish the edges and use duct tape to cinch it closed at the top.
Remember to use a beaten-up-looking paper bag, not a new one. After all, that’s what The Paper Bag Princess had to use! If you’d like a plain bag to decorate, turn a large holiday bag inside out. If your child likes the fancy look, decorate a bag as is. Use ribbons, fancy tape, felt pens, sequins, and glitter to make your own paper bag princess skirt or top.