Balloon animals are perfect for birthday parties and school celebrations. Children love it when the room is adorned with oodles of animal-shaped balloons. The art of balloon twisting has made balloon animals possible today! Once you master the art of balloon twisting, you can prepare almost any animal you want. To make a balloon animal, you need long balloons that are about half full. Blow them up using a hand or football pump. One should always start at the end with the knot while twisting the balloon. The balloon won't burst when one twists it. However, the balloon must be held at both ends of the balloon while twisting, or else it will untwist. Goldfish For the goldfish, you will need to blow a round balloon ¾ of the way. Place the balloon between your legs, wherein the knot faces the ground. Grab ¼ of the balloon with both hands and twist it 3-4 times, all the way round. However, remember to hang on to both sides of the balloon to prevent untwisting. One will now have a balloon with the bigger portion below and smaller one above. The smaller portion is to be again twisted in half, so as to split it into two tiny bubbles. Next, one will need to blow up a small thin balloon and twist it into half. This will be the tail. The tail is to be wrapped around the knot end of the earlier-prepared balloon body. Crocodile Once the balloon is blown halfway, tie a knot at the end. Beginning at this knot end, twist a bubble which is 4 inches wide. While doing this, one should make sure both ends of the balloon are held firmly, to prevent untwisting. Twist 2-3 times and then make another 2-inch bubble next to the twisted bubble. This bubble is the first eye of the crocodile. For the next eye, without letting go off the twisted balloon, make another 2-inch bubble. Twist the joints besides the bubbles together all the way round. For the neck, twist a 2-inch bubble, while hanging on to the two ends of the balloon. For the front legs, twist a 4-inch bubble and hang on to the neck while twisting the balloon. After this, make another two twists covering the rest of the balloon. For the hind limbs, twist a 4-inch bubble and twist it together. The remaining portion of the balloon serves as the tail. Mouse Blow ¾ portion of a thin long balloon and tie a knot. From the knot region, twist a 4-inch bubble and twist it 2-3 times. Without letting go of the twisted balloon, make another bubble of the same size adjacent to the earlier bubble. Similarly, make another bubble of the same size. Thus, now one has three 4-inch bubbles and one larger bubble which ends at the un-inflated portion. The joint where the first bubble ends and the joint where the third bubble ends are to be twisted together. Twist it 2-4 times all the way round. The three small bubbles form the face with two ears, while the larger bubble forms the body. The un-inflated portion forms the tail of the mouse. Try these out and then move on to making various other balloon animals, that are sure to leave kids jumping with joy.