Mid Week Make – Apple Shrunken Heads!

These weren’t my idea, I came across them on the internet and just had to have a go.

Initially I made them as talk prompts as part of an activity for my next book about display. The whole concept of a severed head is wonderfully gorey, but also the process of the initial making and then the ensuing decay is fascinating. Not to mention the end results. I love them!

They are dead easy to make (excuse the pun)!

You need

• Apples (any sort will do)

• Apple peeler

• Play dough utenstils

• Blunt wooden skewers or sticks

• Lemon juice (optional)

• Water (optional)

My boys loved making them. I obviously don’t condone the drinking of wine whilst working with children (unless they are your own and you are in your own home)!

What to do

• Peel your apples

• Use your dough utensils to dig out eyes, nose and mouth hole.

• The great thing is, that because they shrink down quite considerably, you don’t need to be particularly artistic or accurate. The more random the better.

• If you want your head to have teeth, then stick them in now. You can experiment with the sorts of things that you use. I used black and white rice and dried star anise.

• If you don’t want to risk your apples  going  mouldy then dip them in a solution of lemon juice and water. I didn’t ‘dip’ as I thought a bit of mould might add to the interest. As it was, mine didn’t go mouldy, but I got some lovely brown ‘ooze’

• Once you have finished sculpting and dipping then stick your shrunken head on a skewer or stick and leave to shrink.

Depending on the temperature, airflow and the size of your apples it can take up to two weeks before they are ready.

TIP: Don’t let your shrunken heads touch while they are shrinking , this encourages more of a mushy head than a shrunken one!

Once they are done, let your imagination run wild!

Have fun shrinking…

Alistair