The Younger is fighting a nasty head cold, so last night we decided to say “no” to baseball and stay home. The kids are getting excited for Halloween, so I figured there would be no harm in starting our annual footprint ghosts a bit early.

These are easy to do (this is my second time doing this, and the kids were really excited). All this project takes is white paper, a pen, a black marker, and some scissors.

First, have the kiddo put their foot on a piece of white paper (I used copy paper, but I think I’ll try thicker paper next time), and trace the foot. Try to keep their toes together, if you can.

This is not a good example of proper foot placement, but The Older was adamant that this picture be included.

(more…)

• white sock
• black felt
• thick Popsicle sticks
• white glue
• tissue paper
• marker
• orange pipe cleaner
• scissors

1. Place the sock upside down so that the toe is at the top. (The toe area will be the head of the ghost).
2. Socks should be about 8 inches long. If longer, cut the bottoms off to make them this length.

(more…)

This craft has been my plan to do since…well, forever. My mom used to make these amazing mini-pumpkins to sell at my dad’s store (he works in a produce department), and I’m not at all crafty and talented like she is, but I can certainly make it work for the kids! So far, we’ve made a spider and a ghost out of those little mini pumpkins you can find in the grocery stores for 75 cents, and Eric has loved doing it!

The spider is his favorite so far. All you need is some paint, 4 pipe cleaners, googly eyes (if you want them, or you can just paint eyes on!), and a glue gun. I went out an bought an ultra-cool glue gun for $5 at a craft store so I didn’t have to worry about the glue burning tiny fingers.

First, paint the pumpkin black! We used washable paints, and I learned that’s not the best idea, because the paint can and will flake later while trying to attach stuff to it. Next time, I’ll use just regular craft paint.

Set it aside and let the paint dry – Eric paints his pumpkin one day after school and does the decorating the next day. Once the paint is dry, take the 4 pipe cleaners (I had Eric pick; he wanted red) and fold them in half. Cut at the fold so you have 8 legs. (more…)