Kids' Halloween Pumpkin, Mummy and Spider Sea Shell Crafts

There are so many cute Halloween crafts for kids out there! I’ve tried to go for general art activities lately, but I can’t help get into the fall spirit. The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter and yesterday I got to take out my stash of sweaters and sport one on a trip to the pumpkin farm.

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So far, we’ve made quite a few fall-themed projects – there was a haunted house puppet theater, ghost puppets (to go with the theater), paper mache pumpkins and bat mobiles (the artsy kind, not the one that Batman rides around in). This time, it’s Halloween pumpkins, mummies and spiders using sea shells! I have a stash of clam shells that I just can’t wait until its summer/beach time to use. Instead of packing them away to await a turn as a beachy collage material or string together as a summer necklace, I’m putting them to use right now.

When your child is done with art-making, she can display her cute little creatures or use them as paper weights. You can also decorate a Halloween party table with them or try them out as an easy-to-make craft during said party!

There are three different options here. Choose one or go ahead and make all three! You’ll need a clean, dry sea shell (preferably half a clam shell), Model Magic, clear drying school glue, scissors and googley eyes for all three options. If you didn't go on a beach trip this year (or eat a massive pile of clams), you can purchase decorative craft sea shells for your child to use. The others materials that you’ll need for each specific design are noted below.

Pumpkin Face

Here’s What Else You’ll Need:

·        Orange tempera paint

·        A paintbrush

·        Black paper

·        Optional -black and orange markers

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Paint the outside of the shell orange. Wait for the paint to dry (this won’t take long).

2.     Roll two small pieces of Model Magic into balls. Each one should be slightly larger than the googley eyes.
 

3.     Press one googley eye into each Model Magic ball.
 

4.     Glue the eyes onto the top of the shell.
 

5.     Cut a triangle out of the black paper to make a nose. Size it according to the shell. It should be slightly smaller than the eyes.
 

6.     Optional- Make a mouth. Younger children may have difficult with this step. It isn’t entirely necessary, and still looks cute without. Mold a mouth shape from clay compound. Color it orange with a marker. Draw a black outline and a few stray teeth onto it. Glue the mouth below the nose.

Make a Mummy

Here’s What Else You’ll Need:

·        Gauze

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Cut a strip of gauze. Size it according to the shell. I used a 6-inch piece.

2.     Wrap the shell in the gauze. Have your child wind the gauze completely around the shell, covering the entire thing.
 

3.     Secure the gauze underneath the shell with a dab of glue.

4.     Repeat the googley eyes steps.

5.     Glue the eyes to the top of the mummy.

Sea Shell Spiders

Here’s What Else You’ll Need:

·        2 pipe cleaners

·        Black permanent marker

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Color the outside of the shell with the marker. You can use a washable version, but it will rub off. Let the marker coloring dry.
 

2.     Cut two pipe cleaners in half – at the middle. Use his as a counting activity too! Have your child count how many halves she now has.
 

3.     Twist the four pipe cleaners together at their centers to create eight legs.
 

4.     Press a piece of the Model magic into the underside of the shell. It should fill the shell, leaving only a small amount of room.
 

5.     Firmly push the center of the pipe cleaner legs into the modeling clay. Fold any excess that squishes out over the center of the pipe cleaners.
 

6.     Repeat the googley eyes step.

7.     Turn the shell spider over. Glue the eyes to the top.

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Haunted House Puppet Theater Halloween Craft for Kids

Halloween is almost here! The stores are packed with candy, everyone is picking costumes out and the haunted houses are open for business. My 13-teen-year old and his friends are begging to go to a local haunted house/zombie paintball attraction (apparently zombie paintball is very popular – who knew?). If this type of frightful night is too much for your young child, she can make her own spooky haunt that is much more tame. This haunted house project also doubles as a puppet theater.

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The other morning I blearily trotted down to my basement. My son’s gym clothes were still in the dryer from the night before and I wanted to get them out before he woke up (and before the new puppy made a puddle on the living room floor). In my 6 am stupor I found a puddle of a different sort – the hot water heater had finally said its final farewell (in all fairness to the old appliance, it did last three years past the plumber’s estimate). What does this have to do with haunted house puppet theater crafts? After the plumber replaced the old hot water heater with a brand new one, he let me know that his company doesn’t take the over-sized box that’s left behind. I gleefully exclaimed, “Fantastic!” He gave me that, “Hey, ok – crazy” look as I mumbled something to the effect of, “Um, I have a blog about kids’ activities, so I can use it for a project.”

If you don’t have to get a new hot water heater (and, I sincerely hope you don’t) you can use another large box. You can also modify the instructions and use a smaller box.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        A cardboard box

·        Scissors

·        Card stock paper or poster paper

·        Clear drying school glue

·        White Crayola Model Magic

·        Googley eyes

Here’s What to Do

1.     Cut a slit at the box’s joint. Make the slit go one-third of the way down. This will become the opening to see the puppet play. Although I’m all for having kids make their own art, cutting the cardboard along the joint is tough. It’s likely that you’ll need to do this step for your child.
 

2.     Cut another slit to the bottom (or almost to the bottom of the box) to use as a door.

3.     Cover the front of the box with paper. Your child can paint the box instead. The paper gives a patchwork like effect, and dries quicker than paint. If your child paints the box, she’ll need to glue on a piece of paper at the top as a roof.

4.     Create a roof for the house. Have your child cut diagonal lines along the top piece of paper.

5.     Make spooky windows. Cut squares or rectangles from back paper (this is an ideal time to talk about shapes with your child).
 

6.     Roll dime-sized balls of Model Magic.
 

7.     Squish the Model Magic on the black paper to make ghosts.

8.     Glue googley eyes to the ghosts.
 

 

 

9.     Glue the ghost windows to the haunted house.

10. Pull apart cotton puffs to make spider webs.
 

11.  Glue the spider webs to the outside of the haunted house.

Now your child is ready to stage her own pretend play!  If you don’t have themed puppets to play with, check out my cute glitter ghost stick puppets.

Are you looking for more fall projects? Follow my Pinterest board for ideas!

 

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CSI Halloween Cupcakes

Halloween is coming up, and these creepy cupcakes fit the bill. I’ve been on a cupcake kick – recently I made s’mores cupcakes (and then cupcake s’mores) as well as fall caramel apple ones. This time, I’m making “CSI Cupcakes”. Ok, so they’re more of a gooey, bloody frosting dessert, but that just doesn’t sound like something that anyone wants to eat.

These mini desserts are perfect for a Halloween party or post-trick-or-treating treat. As a bonus, they are so super-simple that even a young preschooler can help to decorate them. I’m not a great baker (I’m not really even an average baker). But, I always enjoy decorating them. This drip-drop decoration doesn’t take much artistic ability. If you’re not particularly artsy or your child gets frustrated while trying to slather on frosting in a pleasing-to-the-eye way – this activity is for you! It’s also an easy option for a Halloween party activity. Simply set up two stations – one for frosting and one for ‘dripping’ – and the kids are ready to make their own creepy cupcakes.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Cupcake mix – I’m not a from-scratch girl, but if you are – go ahead and make your own favorite recipe!

·        White frosting

·        Red food coloring

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Bake the cupcakes. I used chocolate, but you can choose another flavor if chocolate isn’t to your (or your child’s) liking. Let them cool completely.
 

2.     Frost the cupcakes.
 

3.     Drip red food coloring on top of the white frosting. You (or your child) can use the food coloring bottle to drip it on, or you can squeeze some into a bowl first. Use a straw or toothpick to drip the red coloring onto the frosting.

 

 

Yep, that’s it. I told you it was that simple.

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Cupcake S'mores!

The other day my son asked, “Mom, what’s up with all the s’mores and cupcakes?” Yes, I have a slight obsession with both of these sweet treats. I have to also mention --  I am not a baker or cook. Not in the least. You will never see me with one of those tiny torches in my hand, painstakingly creating a sugar-crackle crust on a crème brulee. It’s also not likely that I’ll provide brilliant instructions on how to make the perfect cake from scratch. That said, I completely enjoy coming up with cute and creative ways to dress up baking basics.

 

The other week I made s’mores cupcakes. They didn’t last long. I thought I might need to lock them away in a special sweets safe to keep my son and husband away from the ooey, gooey marshmallowy goodness. I was typing the title of the “recipe” (I use recipe loosely here, as I really mean instructions on how to put sugary items together) when I realized I was writing it backwards. It came out as “Cupcake S’mores”. That’s when I decided, if I’ve already make s’mores cupcakes, why not make the opposite combo?

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Chocolate cupcake mix—If you enjoy baking from scratch, please feel free to add a link to your favorite recipe in the comments section.

·        Marshmallow cream

·        Marshmallows

·        Graham crackers

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Bake a batch of chocolate cupcakes. Follow the directions on the back of the box or use your own recipe. If your child is helping you, ask her to measure and mix. This will help her to build math and science skills, all while having fun!
 

2.     Let the cupcakes cool.

3.     Slice the cupcakes into pieces; from top to bottom (they will look like mini chocolate bread slices).

 

4.     Coat one side of a graham cracker with marshmallow cream.

 

5.     Layer the chocolate cupcake on top of the cream.

 

6.     Add a marshmallow to the stack. Microwave for 5 to 10 seconds. Different microwaves vary, so you will need to adjust the time for your appliance. You can also smear another layer of marshmallow cream on top.

 

7.     Stack another graham cracker on top. Or, you can make a mega s'more by stacking one more piece of cupcake before you add on the graham cracker.

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Glitter Ghost Halloween Puppet

Boo! Halloween is right around the corner. So, why not make ghastly glittering ghost puppets with the kids? Ok, they are more super-cute than spooky. But, these stick puppets are easy-to-make and fun for children to play with.

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Even though glitter is quite the mess-maker, I’m fond of it when it comes to kids’ craft projects. I’ll probably be picking glitter off of the carpet, pulling it out of my hair and brushing it off of my son’s clothes for the next few weeks. That said, I still enjoy that special shine it gives. And this art activity uses loads of the sparkly stuff! I used silver and opal shades of glitter in this ghostly craft, but your child can pick any color that she wants.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

·        Cardboard – Try reusing the side of an old cardboard box. Since your child is covering it with glitter anyway, it doesn’t matter what color the box is or if it has writing on it.

·        A marker

·        Googley eyes

·        GLITTER! – Your child can mix a few different colors or use different sizes. I used fine grey/silver, thicker silver and opal star-shaped sparkles.

·        A paintbrush

·        Wax paper

·        A popsicle stick

·        Masking tape

·        Clear drying white school glue

·        Scissors

Here’s What to Do:

1.     Draw a ghost shape onto a piece of cardboard with a marker. Your child can pick the size that she wants. If she creates a puppet that is larger than an adult’s hand, you will need a thick craft stick instead of a regular popsicle-sized one.
 

2.     Cut the ghost out. If you’re using thick board you will need to help your child with this step.

3.     Pour a golf ball-sized dollop of glue onto a piece of wax paper. The wax paper provides a barrier for the mess that the glue won’t stick to.

4.     Sprinkle a few pinches of glitter into the glue. Have your child mix it with a paintbrush.

5.     Add more glitter in a different color or thickness.
 

6.     Paint the glitter glue over the cardboard.

7.     Sprinkle another layer of glitter over the still-wet glue.
 

8.     Press two googley eyes on the ghost.
 

9.     After the glue dries completely, turn the puppet over and tape the popsicle stick to the back.

Now your child is ready to play! Stage a dramatic Halloween scene, act out a holiday book such as:

·        Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell

·        The Berenstain Bears Go on a Ghost Walk by Stan and Jan Berenstain

·        Five Little Ghosts by Patricia Hegarty and Julia Woolf

·        The Ghosts Go Haunting by Helen Ketterman and Adam Record

Are you looking for more Halloween activities? Follow my fall Pinterest board for ideas!

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