With Halloween just around the corner, you and your kids might enjoy spending some time on some themed craft activities to prepare for the day. This will be a useful way of preparing decorations if
With Halloween just around the corner, you and your kids might enjoy spending some time on some themed craft activities to prepare for the day. This will be a useful way of preparing decorations if you intend to have a party, or if you want to make your costumes at home. Either way, it’s a great chance to get in the spooky spirit, so here are a few easy-to-do craft activities.
Scary specimens in jars
Photo credit: mixminglglowe
To transform your home into a mad scientist’s laboratory, get a few unmarked jars and glass bottles with plain metal lids. Find a few fake eyeballs, spiders or brains to put into containers. A few drops or yellow or green food dye in some water will make a convincing-looking brine. For a finishing touch, make labels with vivid descriptions of what’s inside.
Gravestone
Using layers of cardboard or a block of foam, fashion a headstone to go in the garden on Halloween. Paint it grey and give it convincing cracks, cobwebs and moss. If you’re having a party, you might even want to etch the names of guests onto it, for extra spook points.
Halloween masks
A great basis for a Halloween costume is a mask, as it enhances the costume to help your child really “get into character” and become another person (or creature!) for the night. Mask packs are available from Baker Ross, and there is even a helpful video to show you how:
Giant spider
Using some black garbage bags, some ties and a light stuffing like newspaper or even leaves, you can fashion a giant spider. Fill the main bag as the body and tie it off, to make a head and abdomen, and then use a smaller amount of stuffing and ties to create the jointed legs. Attach the legs to the body with a glue gun and finish off the look with some menacing eyes. For extra effect, place it somewhere unexpected!
Paper Lanterns
Find some paper lanterns at a discount store and use some black paper to cut out silhouettes of spiders, mice, rats and other Halloween-related creepy-crawlies. Glue onto the lantern before putting it over a hanging light. Some cobweb decoration won’t go astray either.
Since Halloween is all about the aesthetic, it can be a truly rewarding activity to sit down with and get creative to mark the occasion.
How do you prepare for Halloween? Do you have any excellent craft tips?
Vivienne Egan writes for Baker Ross where there are lots of great Halloween craft ideas
