Amazing Balloon Sculptures

Have you ever used ballooning in your ministry? There is something facinating about taking a skinny balloon and shaping it into something fun for your audience.

The balloon sculptures pictured here are astounding and I wanted to share them with you, but for the record, I did not make any of the creations in the pictures below. The artistic ability on display in these pictures are just a tiny bit beyond my ability to make a balloon doggie.

Many people who minister to children count balloon characters as one of the stock items in their grab-bag of skills. Remember when you first learned how to sculpt those long tubes into super shapes? The hardest part was learning how to blow up the balloons without passing out! And remember the instructions? Most of them start out with a sword or a swan, or that most basic animal shape: the dog. Once you've learned how to make that cute little doggie, you can make a horse or a giraffe or a reindeer. Why, the possibilities are almost limitless, or so the instructions say. After becoming the master of your own precious pumped-up puppy, you could quickly move on to pieces that were more complex: a rabbit, a lion, an elephant or a parrot.

I've watched as a balloon artist satisfied a child with a few quick twists to make a colorful hat. The same artist, with a few more balloons and a moment or two more, can make a porche or a spaceship or some other equally complex form. Until recently, I thought I had "seen it all" when it comes to the art of balloon twisting. If you've never tried balloon twisting, please keep in mind that the sculptures in these pictures are much more complex than the usual project that is handed over to a child after a few twists.

Just how tall IS this guy? Can you imagine something like this at the entryway to your Children's Church or Sunday School Class? The kids would love it!

Here's a guy who is protected from head to toe. He's even got a sword and a shield! Could you use something like this to teach about David trying on King Saul's armor before fighting Goliath, or maybe next time you are teaching on the armor of God? Just twist a few balloons and make your own armor parts. (Just don't let anyone near you with a thumbtack or a safety pin...)

Teaching a lesson that involves fish or fishing? How about this great visual to help with the lesson? Whether you're teaching about a fish getting caught in the fisherman's net, Jonah and the Whale, or Peter finding the coin in the mouth of a fish, this little guy would be a teriffic attention getter. I'd probably try telling the story from his point of view, adding as much humor as possible in order to keep the kids involved.

Balloon twisting is a great tool that can be applied in a ministry setting. If you haven't tried it before, rest assured that it's easy to do, and a real crowd-pleaser! Moving from the basics to something a little more advanced is not hard, and there are many resources available to help apply ballooning in a Christian setting. Randy Christiansen has several helps for the ministry-minded balloon artist. If you've been ballooning for a while, you might consider Eric Gagnon's book, "Shape-Shifting Gospel Balloon Creations." Instead of just making a balloon shape for your object lesson, this book takes the balloon twisting one step farther and "morphs" the balloon from the first shape into a second shape. The great thing is, both balloon shapes relate to the lesson, giving a great impact to your teaching points. You can find Eric's book at Children's Ministry Today's website. (I've provided a link to both Randy's website and to Children's Ministry Today's website in the sidebar.)

A quick internet search for ballooning instruction sites can bring up a listing of websites that offer free instructions on balloon twisting basics, as well as a library of different animals, characters, hats, and other shapes to try.

Ballooning is easy, portable, colorful, and a fun addition to any children's ministry. I've really enjoyed these pictures and hope that you have, as well!