How to Decorate a Scarecrow Out of a Paper Body

Create a scarecrow using different types of paper and other materials.

Smiling paper scarecrows hang on the walls in elementary schools during the fall season. You can make a decorative scarecrow with a paper body base for a classroom, library, bulletin board or home school display. The project is completed with paper, scissors and adhesive. The scarecrow clothing can be based on a character, school uniform or the standard shirt and overalls. Decorate a Halloween scarecrow with more menacing facial features and dark clothing to prepare him for fright night.

Things You'll Need

• Paper body outline
• Pencil or pen
• Recycled cardboard
• Scrapbook paper
• Scissors
• Buttons
• Tacky craft glue
• Raffia
• Twine
• Buckles

Instructions

1. Trace around the paper body outline to make patterns for a shirt, overalls or pants on a piece of paper or recycled cardboard. Trace the head for a hat outline. Trace around the hands and feet for socks, shoes and gloves.

2. Cut out the pattern pieces for the scarecrow's clothing.

3. Select patterned and colored scrapbook paper to create a plaid, flowered, denim or gingham shirt. Choose patterned paper for the pants, socks, shoes and hat. Trace the patterns onto the selected papers and cut out the decorative pieces for the scarecrow's clothing.

4. Cut out two round red or deep pink circles for the scarecrow's cheeks and an orange triangle for the nose. For a Halloween scarecrow, you might make a dark red nose.

5. Adhere two button eyes to the face of the paper body outline with white tacky craft glue. Secure the nose and cheeks to the face. Draw the mouth with a brown or black ink pen, extending the curve of it from one cheek to the other.

6. Cut raffia into strips and glue it to the sides of the head. Adhere the hat on top of the raffia hair.

7. Adhere the socks, shirt, pants and shoes to the scarecrow body.

8. Add the gloves to the hands. Glue short pieces of raffia at the wrist areas of the gloves and at the tops of the shoes.

9. Glue buttons to the shirt front. Adhere a piece of twine around the top of the pants for a belt. If you made overalls, glue small buckles to the straps.

Tips & Warnings

• Embellish the scarecrow with a paper mouse and a crow to add more character to the decoration. Place a jack-o'-lantern in one of the Halloween scarecrow's hands.

• Use construction or hand-colored copy paper if it is easier on your budget.

• Halloween paper prints add a different look to a frightening scarecrow.

References

• DLTK's Growing Together: Scarecrow Paper Crafts

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Kinder Themes: Scarecrow
• Teaching Heart: Scarecrow Theme
• Fun Pages For Kids: Scarecrow Body Template