Paper Tacos

Paper Tacos

Gear up for Taco Tuesday by creating paper tacos at home! These paper tacos look good enough to eat and are simply fun to make. Pair the activity by reading the popular children’s book “Dragons Love Tacos” written by Adam Rubin & illustrated by Daniel Salmieri.

Materials:

  • Construction Paper – Yellow, Green, Black, Pink, & Purple
  • Tissue Paper – Yellow, Orange, & Green
  • Cardstock
  • Small Brown Paper Bags  
  • White Colored Pencil
  • Markers or Crayons
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Step 1: To make the taco shells, begin with a piece of yellow construction paper. Crumble it in your hands. Open up the crumbled paper and smooth it flat. Fold the paper in half and cut along the fold. Take a half piece of paper and fold that in half. Cut a semi-circle shape to create one taco shell. 

Step 2: Use the different construction paper colors to make the cucumbers, onions, and tomatoes. Cut each color into round shapes. Then use markers and colored pencils to draw the texture of each vegetable.

Step 3: To make the lettuce and the cheese cut small pieces of green, yellow, and orange tissue paper. 

Step 4: To make taco meat, choose one brown paper lunch bag. Scribble onto the bag with dark and light brown markers. Cut the bag into strips. Crumble each strip. 

Step 5: Arrange the ingredients on a tabletop to create a make-your-own paper taco bar. 

Step 6: Assemble the tacos. 

Ideas to take your tacos to the next level:

  • This paper taco craft is a great way to introduce kids to various kinds of paper. They can touch each piece of paper and feel how they are different. Talk to them about why certain types are suited to represent certain ingredients and how it affects their project’s final look. 
  • Add tacos to a play kitchen and have a taco party!

Learning and Discussion Questions:

1. Tacos were likely invited in the 18th century by Mexican silver miners. Read this article in Smithsonian magazine to learn more. 

2. Are you hungry? Cook tacos at home. Visit this Food Network website to see 50 different variations of tacos. 

3. National Taco Day is on October 4! Click here to learn more and to see a brief history of tacos. 

Thank you to our sponsor, PNC Arts Alive!, for helping to make this video possible!

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