Crafty Mom: Halloween crafts

This is my most favorite time of the year! As a kid, I always looked forward to my mom putting the bowl of candy corn out on the table and the first time decorations were put up in the house in over a year.

Halloween, in a way, marks the beginning of the holiday season. Once Halloween is over,  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are right around the corner. So, bear with me, as I have so many fun ideas for this month!

You will need a cardboard box big enough to cover your child’s body, a box cutter (parental supervision required), wide masking tape, picture of popcorn, red duct tape, white duct tape, glue, one piece of white construction paper, one piece of yellow construction paper, red and yellow markers, popped popcorn, a red long-sleeve shirt, and brown pants.

First, parents, cut holes big enough for the arms and head of your child and then remove the bottom of the box for the legs. Tape the sides closed and cover any sharp edges with tape. Print out pictures of popcorn, wrinkle the photos, and tape around the top of box around the head hole. Use red and white duct tape to create vertical stripes around the box. Cut out a white oval and slightly larger yellow oval from construction paper. Write “Hot Buttered Popcorn” on the white oval and glue on top of yellow oval. Glue yellow oval onto front of box. Next, hot glue some popped popcorn around the top of the box. Finish with the red top and brown pants. Yummy!

Trace the pattern onto white or tan construction paper and cut out. Draw some stitches onto the rim and hat top by making tic-tac-toe symbols to mimic straw. Lay the paper bag on a table with the flap side down. Glue the googly eyes on the bag. Cut out a triangle from the orange paper and glue for the nose. Cut out two circles from the pink paper and glue them next to the nose for cheeks. Draw a smile from the bottom of one circle to the other and draw a few stitches on the mouth. Use a marker to draw eyebrows.

Cut the yellow paper into strips to make the hair and glue to the bag. Use the brown paper to make a hat brim. Glue the flower to the hat and then glue the entire hat on top of the yellow hair. Fill the bag with the newspaper, crumple the bag around the stir stick and tie a ribbon around the end of the bag. Now you have a cute decoration or puppet for the kids to play with.

You will need clean plastic gallon milk or water jugs, a black permanent marker, craft knife, and a string (or two) of holiday lights or battery-operated candles to light your lantern. Have the kids draw eyes and a mouth on the jugs with marker as if they were carving a pumpkin. Leave the caps on while drawing so the jugs do not dent. Use the knife to cut a hole in the back of each jug. Arrange the jugs near each other on a table or the floor and stuff several bulbs into each jug stringing the lights between them or set the battery-operated lights, often used to light up pumpkins, inside the jugs. Light up your lantern!

Place the white paper over the pattern and trace lightly. Place the pattern over the black sheet and glue in place. Tear the different colors of construction paper into pieces. Using the pattern as a guide, glue the pieces onto the paper. As you are making your masterpiece, explain to your children why we give thanks during this season and how the cornucopia symbolizes the wealth of food for the coming year. Talk about the fruits and vegetables that you are creating and how they taste, look, and feel.

Have a safe, playful, and memorable Halloween!