On Halloween, being in a wheelchair is no handicap for Clay Holquist of Burlingame, California. On the contrary, with his chair as a base, he has masqueraded as Superman, George of the Jungle, and a punk rock drummer. "I think it's important that he be a kid in a costume, not a kid in a wheelchair with a costume in there someplace," says his mom, Betsy. She and Clay jot down ideas for costumes based on favorite movies, shows or, in this case, a music concert. Clay's finishing touch was a tape of drum music that he could turn on by touching a button. "He definitely thought he looked bad," says Betsy.
MATERIALS:
• Hula hoop• White Fome-Cor
• Utility knife
• Duct tape
• 14- by 95-inch strip of corrugated cardboard
• Thumbtacks
• Gift wrap
• Removable tray fitted for wheelchair
• Nylon rope
• 2 1-gallon cylindrical cardboard ice-cream containers
• 2 large paper fasteners
• Acrylic paint and paintbrushes
• 3-foot-long, 1/2-inch-wide dowel
• 2 10-inch foil pie plates
• 2 rubber bands
• Drumsticks, sunglasses, white T-shirt, black vest and black fingerless gloves.
THE BASS DRUM:
Trace the outline of a hula hoop onto Fome-Cor and cut it out with a utility knife. Tape the cardboard sheet to the hula hoop, spacing the strips of duct tape about 7 inches apart. (To make the cardboard more flexible, try rolling it up lengthwise first.) Insert the Fome-Cor circle into the hula hoop and adjust it until it sits approximately 2 1/2 inches in from the rim. Secure the Fome-Cor with thumbtacks set along the outside of the cardboard, then cover the cardboard with gift wrap. The placement of the drum will vary slightly according to your child's particular wheelchair. Begin with the foot platforms as your guide; fit the bottom of the drum under them. Mark where the top of the drum meets the tray. With the utility knife, make two holes just above where the cardboard touches the tray. Add a third hole between them. Thread a 2-yard length of nylon rope through each of the 3 holes and loop both ends of each rope over and back under the tray. Tightly knot the ropes in place.
THE SMALL DRUMS:
Cover each ice-cream container with gift wrap. Cut a 6-inch, angled slit along the side of each container and fit one cylinder over each corner of the tray (you may have to lengthen the slit for a better fit). To secure, drive a paper fastener through the large and small drums where their surfaces touch.
THE CYMBALS:
Paint the dowel and tie it onto the side of the chair with two pieces of rope. Cut a small X into the center of each pie plate. Slide a rubber band onto the dowel about 10 inches from the top and wrap until tight. Slide one foil plate, faceup, on top of the rubber band. Wrap a second rubber band around the dowel 6 inches above the first plate. Add the second plate, facedown.
