Making Your own lion heads and drums

I have tried to make a lion head before, and even though it kind of looks like a lion head, I consider that one a failure that I will eventually have to trash. I tried to get Jonah to paint it. He did. But even for this use it is useless. It's not just ugly, it's just too big and unwieldy. Later I tried to make a model, but in ended up being the size of a child's lion head, and it just sat up in the attic, half finished, with some paper mache on the eye. Today I took it down. It had not been read to really paper mache in the first place. But the dry paper mache was hard. Really hard. This was encouraging. Before, I was just messing around playing. But recently I decided I was going to get some heads and drums. Even if I had to front the money. But then I thought more about it. A lion dance team in JP where everything is about locally made, hippie get in touch with your creative side type of  thinking, that's just not the way to go about it. I have to decided I am going to make this child's lion head for real. I have no illusions that it will look pretty at they end. But I want it to look like something, be colorful, and be strong. Kids like to punch the lion heads? I will build it with that in mind. Before I only wanted to use trash to build the thing, as a sort of exercise. But since I became willing to drop some cash to buy a head.... dropping cash to buy a bunch of duct tape no longer seems like a silly investment. I'm doing this for real now. Also I have a bucket and that's going to be my drum, and I'll make drum sticks that won't destroy the bucket. (That's what happen to my bucket drums that I had left unattended at KKCS. One of the TA's had the kids play these plastic buckets hard with wooden sticks not rounded at the ends) But no matter. Moving Forward! I saw how at various JP events there are tons of home made percussion instruments. I'm making those. And I'm decorate them more. Make them more artistic looking. That won't increase the volume but it will increase the presentation. And if I make these things really pretty like, then other people can too. That's what my class and my system of "Kung Fu Playgroup" is going to be about. Self Expression. And so making your heads and drums will be a fundamental part of my School.. a School that meets in the park. Well let me make this equipment first but planning ahead? I plan to work with at risk youth as well as children and parents... and mentors. I guess all that put together includes all age groups, but the focus is on creativity, play, expression. Maybe when I get these thoughts into reality, then I will call Hyde Square Task force and see if I can work with them. For now though it's just going to be the little group at Pinebank.