It’s that time of year again, with Comic Relief taking place this Friday. Comic Relief started in the 1980s and it runs as a biennial telethon event, alternating with Sport Relief since 2002. Each time that Comic Relief comes around, the buzz seems to get bigger and bigger, as do the amounts of money raised for charities in the UK and abroad.
The theme this year is an easy one for you to do with the kids. Comic Relief’s chosen theme for 2015 is ‘Make your Face Funny for Money’. This gives you loads of options from the simplest of face paints through to all kinds of other ways to decorate your kids’ faces for the day.
Of course, there’ll be a lot of red noses about. It’s the red nose that is the icon and mascot for Comic Relief. Red Nose Day is now Comic Relief’s flagship event but it may surprise you to know that the Red Nose did not feature on the first few Comic Relief telethons. The first red noses were used in 1988. But by 2013, 20 different red nose types had been sold and helped to raise money for 14 Comic Relief shows.
Image by St Boniface’s Catholic College, Plymouth
This year, there’s something new. Instead of being able to pick the nose you buy, each comes in a ‘mystery bag’. So, you don’t know which one you’ve got until you’ve opened the packet. Will you get Snorbit (alien), Nosebot (robot), Stripey (resembling a burglar) or one of the others? It’s pot luck!
But there’s a problem for many people with the red noses. They actually don’t stay on very well and, even when they do, they’re quite difficult to wear for long periods of time. We can’t all wear a red nose as well as Lenny Henry – check out Lenny’s photo on WhichBingo’s article about Red Nose Day. For children’s noses, the red noses you can buy are also often far too big.
So, take a look at some of the ideas here on alternative ways to make your face funny for money this Friday.
Facepaint is a great starting point. Obviously, the more artistic you are, the better this will turn out. But you can go for something really simple like just painting on a red nose through to a complete face-covering piece of art.
For some kids, face paint isn’t always ideal, especially if you have a child who rubs their eyes a lot or who has sensitive skin. Instead, why not help the kids create their
own funny face mask using a paper plate and lolly stick? They can hold it up to their face for photos, but not feel like they have to spend the day with something on their face that itches or bothers them. They’re also fun to make together. All you need is some paper plates, felt tips, scissors and glue. For inspiration and ideas on what kind of faces to draw on your masks, take a look at these classic red nose looks.
Another way to get out of wearing a red nose for the day is to crochet a beard, which can be attached to your face easily with a hook over your ears. This is a great one for the kids, as they can take it on and off during the day as often as they want. Check out these different crochet beards for inspiration. You’ll have to be quick to get a family set of beards ready for Friday though!
Making your own funny nose is another idea. An egg carton and some elastic or ribbon will give you the basic shape and a way to keep it on your face. Then you can paint it any colour and decorate it with extra features such as whiskers.
Of course, however your funny faces turn out doesn’t really matter all that much. The main thing is to have fun getting them ready and feel good about being a part of this amazing charity event.
Sam
Thanks for great tips!