Here’s my how-to on making mini bows and arrows 🙂  Not only are they great props for medieval dolls, they also are actually functional!

Supplies:

1 wire coat hanger

Thin elastic string (gold or silver looks cool)

Wooden skewers

Colored paper

Aluminum foil

Glue & scissors

Bow:

Cut from the coat hanger a piece of wire about 6 inches long.  Bend it into an arc shape and curve the ends outward slightly.  Tie the elastic string between the ends of the bow. It should neither stretch nor sag.

Arrows:

Cut the wooden skewers into pieces almost as big as the bow.  Glue 2 little rectangles of paper on opposite sides of each stick near the bottom.  Once dry, cut fringes into them. That resembles the feathers and adds to the look. (For more functionality, you can skip this step–as this is the part you will hold to fire the arrow, the fringe comes off after a few uses.)

Using a knife, whittle the other ends of the sticks into blunt points–not sharp ones.  DO THIS STEP VERY CAREFULLY.

Now cut rectangles out of the foil, apply glue to one side, and fold the glue side over the pointed tips of the arrows.  You’ll have a foil square at that end. When dry, cut the foil into a pointed shape resembling an arrow-tip.

Ready, Aim, Fire:

Due to the small size of this set, you’ll have to use the “pinch draw.”   Grasp the arrow with thumb and forefinger and set it in front of the bowstring.  Pull back the arrow, making sure it is in front of the string.  When you release, the the elastic in the string will propel the arrow forward a good distance.  MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT FIRING TOWARD ANY PERSON.  For most of your marksmanship practice, you might want to use Q-tips instead of the wooden arrows.

Suggestions:

If you make more bows, you can have an outdoors shooting match with your family. Attach a paper target to a tree and dip the tip of each person’s Q-tip arrow into a different color of paint.

Have fun!