Take one old cardboard box and an old magazine and create this colorful magazine collage umbrella. We have a free umbrella printable for you so you can make your umbrella without even needing to be able to draw an umbrella. Also included is a free color and count printable worksheet. This craft is made out of recycled materials which means that it is one low-cost kid’s craft!

Umbrellas have a long history. The first use of simple made sun-protecting umbrellas comes from 3-4 thousand-year-old Egypt. The exact time when parasols (sun-protecting umbrellas) from natural materials such as leaves were made is not known, although it is thought they were used since the dawn of human civilization. The first lightweight folding umbrella in Europe was brought to market by a Parisian merchant named Jean Marius in 1710 and the first compact umbrellas appeared in the 1920s.

Magazine Collage Umbrella

It is fitting that we are sitting in our warm home making beautiful magazine collage umbrellas while it is raining outside. The bright colors really help to cheer up the mood on such a drizzly day.

We have numbered each umbrella segment for younger children who are working on their counting and number recognition. You will need three different colors for each umbrella segment so this activity will really get young children thinking about their numbers 1, 2, and 3. One of the fantastic things about crafts with kids is all the extra “hidden” learning they get. Numbers, colors, fine motor skills with cutting and sticking the pieces in place as well as the opportunity to talk about the weather. If you are interested in the weather then you may also like our, My Weather Chart where you can document the weather for the week.

You Will Need

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• Cardboard box
• Magazine
• Scissors
• Glue stick
• Craft knife
• *Umbrella printable (or draw your own)
• Pen

*We used the large umbrella printable below. Included is a smaller printable option which could be a good choice if you are wanting to paint rather than collage your umbrella or use it for other crafts and activities.

Let’s Get Creating

Prep

Start by gathering all of your supplies. Cut out the umbrella from the copy of the large cardboard, the handle and umbrella top will be spread over two sheets of paper. Place the cutout umbrella pieces together onto a flat side of the cardboard box and trace around with a pen. Using a craft knife cut around the umbrella shape (kids get an adult to do this). If needed carefully trim the umbrella with the scissors until you are happy with its shape.

Have a think about what three colors you would like to make the umbrella. It could pay to have a quick flick through the magazine to make sure there is plenty of those colors available. Blue and green are usually easy colors to find thanks to grass, trees, sky, and water. Go through the magazine and cut out small sections in the three colors that you have decided on. Keep the colors in individual piles. You will also need a color for the handle and top of your umbrella.

Design & Glue

Start with the handle. Trace around the handle and pole as well as the top umbrella tip in the color or pattern of your choice and cut out. Apply glue to these sections and glue the cutout magazine piece in place.

Decide what color is going where. Apply glue to the cutout magazine pieces and glue in place starting and finishing with one color before moving on to the next section.

Carefully trim around the outer edge of the umbrella so all of the overhanging magazine collage pieces are cut off.

Bonus Coloring & Counting Page

Print off this coloring page for extra umbrella fun. This is a great way to keep kids busy while you prepare the recycled cardboard box umbrella base.

You May Also Enjoy

• My Weather Chart
• 10 Wild Weather Crafts & Activities
• Recycled Collage Sun Craft
• Magazine Collage Rainbow Craft

Thank you for stopping by. We hope you enjoyed this magazine collage umbrella craft!