Halloween Masks and Crafts

Halloween is a time for making scary, fun and tasty masks and crafts. The unofficial Halloween colors are black and orange, so when planning activities, expect to supply plenty of paint, fabric and decorations with these desired colors in mind. The spooky finished products are sure to add a handmade and whimsical element to any Halloween festivity.

Masks

Paper plate masks are fun and easy for young kids to do. Children can design their own mask on a plain white paper plate. They may need help figuring out where to put the eye and mouth holes by holding the plate up to their faces and marking the spots they'll need to cut out of the plate. Let them color or add felt or decorations to fully realize their mask. Staple both ends of a piece of elastic to the sides of the plate so the child can wear the completed mask over her head.

Egg carton animal masks are also simple to make. Each child cuts an egg cup from the carton. This is the nose of the mask. They can add whiskers and other decorations to the nose and paint the nose to represent the animal they're portraying. Elastic attached at both sides of the nose keeps it on the face.

Fun Crafts

Egg carton spiders are a fun craft to make on Halloween. All you need are paint brushes, black paint, glue, stick-on googly eyes and pipe cleaners. Have kids cut out one egg cup. Paint it black, add some googley eyes and stick eight legs through the cardboard as spider legs, bending to make them look realistic.

Clothespin bats are also a fun Halloween craft, and require the same black paint, paint brushes, glue and googley eyes. Black construction paper is necessary as well. Kids paint a clothespin black and add googley eyes. Cut out bat wings and attach to the top of the clothespin.

Pumpkin paper bags are simple for preschoolers. Fill a brown paper lunch bag with shredded newspaper. Tie with string at the top. Have kids paint orange on the fat part of the bag and green on the "stem" of the bag. Let them paint black jack-o-lantern faces on the bag to complete the pumpkin.

Edible Crafts

Make some Halloween spider crackers. All you need are Ritz crackers, peanut butter, mini chocolate chips and pretzel sticks. Smear some peanut butter between two crackers. Stick the crackers on top of each other. Stick pretzel sticks in the sides for legs, and chocolate chips in the front for eyes.

Use plastic gloves to make floating ice hands. Fill the gloves with punch or water. Freeze. Peel back the plastic from the ice. Stick the dismembered ice hand in the punch bowl for Halloween fun.

References

• Halloween Spider Crackers