The Spooky Times

Halloween is a celebration that adults and children alike find exciting. It is visually a time of thrills and color. Many of the Halloween decorations and crafts that are used today, have featured in the Halloween celebrations of ancient times. Items such as pumpkins, witches, broomsticks etc have been part of Halloween through the centuries. Children in particular love to make Halloween decorations and costumes, so here are a few easy Halloween crafts to create that special Halloween atmosphere.

Two such traditional items at Halloween are the pumpkin and witches. Here are two easy Halloween ideas for kids to make their own pumpkins and witches hats.

This witches hat not only makes part of a costume, but makes a good table decoration too.
You will need:

2 sheets of thick black paper
1 sheet felt. This can be green, orange, purple or red.
Strip of black felt
White craft glue
Tape

Instructions:

Roll one sheet of black paper into a cone and secure it with the tape. Trim the bottom of the cone so that it is level and will stand flat. Cut out a circle of black paper large enough to fit the brim. Glue the circle onto the cone and leave to dry. Cut ½ inch strips of felt and glue them around the cone. Cut strips of black felt to go around the base of the cone. If using as a hat cut a hole in the base and thread through the rim with elastic to keep on.

Pumpkin Head.

This is a particularly easy Halloween craft for small children.

You will need:

A large polystyrene ball, about 12cm
Orange paint
Black pen
Green craft foam
Glue

Instructions:

Paint your ball orange and leave to dry.Cut 3 leaves from green foam and glue these to the top of the ball.Draw on a face in black marker pen.

Halloween Prints make easy Halloween crafts that can be enjoyed by a wide age range. You will need a wipe-clean surface such as a plastic table cloth or tray.Paint and black paper.

Instructions:

Paint an area on the table slightly smaller than your paper. With your finger, draw a picture in the paint. Young children can paint something simple such as a pumpkin or cat, while older children can paint witches and ghost etc.

Spiders are another feature of Halloween and can be made out of a variety of materials. Here are two easy Halloween spiders to make.

You will need:

2 black pipe cleaners (chenille stems)
A black pompom
A pair of wiggle eyes
Glue

Instructions:

Cut the two pipe cleaners in half. Lay the four halves of pipe cleaner side by side, then twist them together in the middle.Glue the pompom to the middle of the pipe cleaners.Stick the eyes to the pompom.

When you are sure the glue is dry, bend the pipe cleaners so your spider’s legs into shape so they are spread out.

Paper plate spiders.

Paper plates come in handy for craft work in many ways from making faces to hanging decorations.

You will need:

A paper plate
Black paint
2 sheets of black paper
Scrap of white paper
Black pen
Glue

Instructions:

Paint the plate black and leave to dry.Fold each sheet of paper in half lengthways and then in half again. Cut along the folds so that you end up with 8 strips for the spider’s legs. Pleat the strips.Glue or staple the strips of paper to the plate to form your spider’s legs.Cut two circles from white paper as eyes. Draw on the pupils and stick to the spider.

Skeletons are another prominent feature of Halloween. Making your own skeleton from pasta shapes is a fun activity for any age.

You will need:

A few different types of pasta and dried beans, like spaghetti, macaroni, tiny tube pasta, long tube pasta, wagon wheels, long spirals, tiny shells, wagon wheels
A piece of thick black paper
White glue
A white crayon to roughly draw the outline of your skeleton.

Instructions:

Glue the pasta to the black paper using white glue. Arrange the pasta on the paper before gluing (to make sure that they have room for the whole body on the piece of paper).
You can use just about any type of pasta for the bones. A wagon wheel works well for the head. Spaghetti makes good fingers and toes. Tiny tubes or dried lentils are good as vertebrae in the spine. Long tubes make collar bones. Longer tubes or long spirals make good arm and leg bones.

Halloween jewelry is not only fun to do, but makes good Halloween gift ideas. One easy Halloween jewelry idea is to make necklaces and bracelets out of pumpkin seeds. Collect the seeds from a pumpkin and dry in a gentle oven for 30 minutes. When dry thread onto nylon string and dip in either paint or food coloring. Leave to dry completely and tie the ends to the desired length.

These are just a few ideas for easy Halloween crafts. Children will love making their favorite Halloween item to make the celebration more exciting. There are also many easy Halloween crafts that adults will enjoy too.