Disney's Brave - Birthday Bow & Arrows

For one of the Highland Games for Jacey's Brave-themed birthday party, we opted to do an archery contest.  Of course, we needed bows and arrows for the kids.  I scoured the internet for ideas.  I found videos on You Tube and I found other blog posts as well.

This tutorial was my favorite and if I had to do it again, I would have added the cross sections for at least a few of the bows.  Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, so what little cutting and assembling I had to do, the better.

Here is a basic bow that doesn't take too much time and effort to do.  It cost about $20 to make six bows (four at 3.5 feet and two at 3 feet)

Materials List

1/2" PVC pipe - it comes in 10 foot poles at Home Depot (which makes up to three bows - two 3.5 ft bows and one 3 ft bow)

1/2" PVC plastic caps - two for each bow you intend to make

electrical tape

1/2" PVC pipe foam insulation

Nylon string
Drill

Lighter

Saw

1. Determine your measurements.  For our children ages 6 to 10, we used 3.5 ft bows.  For our daughter, age 3, we used a 3 ft bow.  This allowed us to get three bows from one ten foot pole.

2. Using a saw, cut the PVC pipe according to your measurements determined in step 1.

3. Measure in 1 inch from each end and mark the PVC pipe.

 

4. Using a drill, drill a hole in both markings.  You may chose to drill through the other side for easier stringing if you don't mind your string exposed on the outside.  We opted to just do one side.  I've seen other blog posts where they use a saw to cut a slit down to the drilled hole so the nylon rope can be knotted first and then slipped into place via the slit.

5. Put your nylon string through one end and double or triple knot the rope.  Use a lighter to melt the frayed ends.

 

6. String the other end of your nylon string through the hole and go grab your hubby (or anyone other strong person close by).  Have said husband (or friend) slightly bend the PVC pipe, while you pull the nylon string through the hole and tie a double knot.  The more bend you put in it before tying the string, the more tension you'll have. 

7. Trim the excess nylon string and use a lighter to melt frayed ends.

8. (Optional) - cover the whole pipe in electrical tape or duct tape.  Alternatively, you can paint a design on the pipe and use modge podge to seal it.  Or prior to assembly, spray paint it your desired color.

9. Cut the foam insulation to be at least double the width of your child's hand.  Wrap the foam around the middle of the bow and use electrical tape to secure in place.  To create grooves, wrap a few areas fairly tight with electrical tape, while wrapping the rest of it much lighter.

10. Put caps on the ends (don't glue them down, just in case the string breaks and you have to restring the bow later)

And there you have it! A bow worthy of some arrows.

Speaking of arrows, you can cheat (we ended up cheating) and buy some inexpensive arrows for about $2.50 at Walmart.  The kids each picked out their own.

We originally bought dowels and put notches in them, but we ran into two issues.  The dowels were too thin (1/4") and the notches weren't wide enough to nock the arrow properly.  As a result the kids had issues with using them.  Fortunately, we purchased some real arrows and let the kids use them during the archery contest. 

I plan to purchase some thicker dowels and use stoppers on one end to make them safer for the kids to use (see the link I shared at the beginning of this post - it shows a thicker dowel with rubber stoppers and felt).

Overall, the bows and arrows were a huge hit!