Plastic Bag Toy Parachutes | Welcome To Nana's

Childhood Plastic Bag Toy Parachutes

DIY Fun Plastic Bag Toy Parachutes were something my younger brother and I made when we were kids. His small plastic soldiers, old bread bags and some string was all that was needed for an afternoon of fun play. We sent them floating down out of the treehouse that our older brother’s had built for us. Those were the days.

I wanted to see if the grands and I could re-create that fun experience. I’m here to tell you that the Plastic Bag Toy Parachutes were a hit!

Trash bag plastic-

We used a tall kitchen trash bag for these beauties. If I had been thinking I would have looked for something a bit brighter in color. But during Covid, beggars can’t be choosey, we used what was on hand. We could have decorated them with colored permanent markers, but I didn't think of that at the time.

The tall kitchen bags measured about 2 feet by 2 feet in size which worked out perfectly. I love happy accidents. Other lightweight plastic would work as well, like a large disposable shopping bag, but the trash bags are strong plastic and may last longer.

Cut a round parachute shape-

Lay the trash bag out on a flat surface. Cut off the side seams and the draw string part off the top. Round the corners to make the parachute as round as possible. This doesn’t have to be perfect, by any means, but the rounder the better. The bag will then separate and you can make two parachutes.

String for parachute cords-

For each parachute, measure 8 pieces of string that are about 2 feet long each. Regular white string works well.

Mark off 8 points on the outside of the parachute. Think of the parachute as the face of a clock. You will make the first four marks at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o’clock. Mark an “x” about ¾-1 inch from the edge. Then mark the next four “x”s half way between the first four, also at about ¾-1 inch from the edge.

Make small holes at each of these markings.

Tie the end of one string on the parachute through each of these holes.

Gather up the other end of each of the 8 strings and tie the strings together as a group at the other end.

What will jump with your parachute?

Now, send the little “parachuters” off to find a small, unbreakable item to attach to their parachute. A mini beanie baby worked well and I’m sure a small action figure would work well too. My brother and I used a bolt from our dad’s shop! You may have to experiment a bit with a heavier or lighter item after a few “flights”.

Tie this item to the grouped string, possibly with another piece of string.

Veteran's Day plastic bag toy parachutes!

You are ready to try your DIY Fun Plastic Bag Toy Parachutes out, just in time for Veteran’s Day!

Plastic Bag Toy Parachute launch ideas

We experimented with several launch strategies, but found the favorite to be dropping it off the side of the deck. My brother and I used to roll them up loosely and toss them up into the air. I remember them opening and floating down. But we couldn’t get that technique to work very well. Email us the successful launch ideas you discover.

Tip: Avoid a high wind day like we tried the first day. The plastic bag toy parachute got stuck in a tree. It was a Charlie Brown moment! Ha!