How to make a Play Whip

How to Make an Indiana Jones Type Play Whip

We had an Indiana Jones themed Arrow of Light, and we wanted to give the boys whips to complete their costumes.  I came up with this easy and inexpensive method to make a play whip.

You'll need: outdoor/lawn garbage bag, black tape, 1/2 inch PVC Pipe

Start with your basic lawn bag.

Cut off any draw strings or cinch tops.

Cut off the side seams.

Cut bag into three equal parts  from top to bottom. This will make three long strips.

Tape strips to the back of a chair or something.

Because the strips are so long it makes it a little easier to tie them off half way down with twist ties to make the braiding easier.

Start the braiding fairly loose, bunching up the trash bag strips as you go.

The start of the braid.

As you braid gradually make the braid tighter and tighter.  Here you can see the start of my braid (on the right) and the tighter smaller end of the braid (on the left).

Tape off the end with black electrical tape.

Make your own popper with some yarn. (this doesn't really pop or snap or anything, it's all for looks)

Tape the yarn popper onto the end of the whip.

Cut some 1/2 inch PVC pipe to make a handle. I made mine about 6 inches long. You could probably use a stiff cardboard tube or thick dowel.

Tape off the ends of the handle.

Tape the whip to the handle.  Make sure to include a good three inches or so of the plastic so that it won't unattach during play.

Wrap the electrical tape around the entire handle.

And there you have it. My finished whip was about 5 1/2 feet long when finished.

While this whip is pretty benign, it doesn't snap or anything, it still can be dangerous so be cautious and use with supervision.