Creative Kids Make Costumes From Duct Tape and Trash

What do you get when you mix hundreds of creative kids with as much duct tape as they can get their hands on? You get an amazing array of costumes created especially for the Out-Of-The-Box Costume Ball at the Destination Imagination Global Tournament.

Destination Imagination is a non-profit organization that provides an educationally-based outlet for students to learn and experience creativity, teamwork and problem solving and Each year at the Global Tournament, this unique and utterly fun event sponsors an "Out Of The Box Ball" as a way for the kids to cut loose and show-off their handiness with scissors, tape, cardboard, recyclables and little else except maybe a few good costume accessories! It's amazing what types of costume ideas that these smart kids come up with - most have more creativity in their little pinkies that we adult have in our whole bodies! From over-the-top "The Joker" costume from Batman made entirely of different colored duct tapes to ball gowns made of yesterday's newspaper, these costume ideas would make the contestants on "Project Runway" green with envy.

Watch the kids in action or ask for tips, these highly creative costumers often are asked to create costumes from paper, mailing labels and other leftover stuff in mere minutes during one of the signature events at the competition, the Instant Challenge.
Not afraid to go out on a limb, these teams can fan fold, hole punch, tape, twist and tear their way into a costume that will make you say "wow"! One interesting technique an elementary school kid shared was making flimsy materials like foil, newspaper, or fabric stiffer and more durable by lining the back with slightly overlapping strips of duct tape.

Next, you can cut your creation into any shape desired, connect with more duct tape - no sewing required! For Central Challenges, which can often take several months to solve, kids can get more elaborate with their outfits and costume ideas, adding silly costume accessories such as feather boas, oversized sunglasses, face paints, costume shoes, crazy hats and more!