Halloween Craft Reboot

If you have been reading for awhile, you may remember our milk jug ghosts from a couple of years back, when it ended up being a project for me, and not really for kids. Well, I decided to try again this year now that Mia is a bit older and the thought of handing her a permanent marker wasn't quite so scary. 

This project was an ideal way for me to practice letting go, because my five-year-old's ghost jugs don't look the way I would have made them. I would have made sure the eyes and mouths were larger, and I definitely would not have thought to include teeth the way she did. I sat back and let her do her thing and I even tried really, really hard not to cringe when she dropped that Sharpie. (Note: I do recommend old clothes if you are feeling brave enough to let your kids try this.) The results are great, even if they aren't what I would have created. 

Mia was very proud of being able to do it herself. (My contributions were to wash the jugs, cut out the openings in the backs, and put the string of Christmas lights into the openings.) One little change we made this year was to use half-gallon jugs as well as gallon jugs (from milk and cider), mostly because this is what was available and not already crushed and placed in the recycling bin. I think having the different sizes of ghosts makes for a nice display.

{Ghost Jugs by Mia, Age 5}

{A Proud and Happy Girl!}

Hand Print and Foot Print Ghosts

Hand Print and Foot Print Ghosts by Mia, Age 3 1/2

Here is a very quick, very simple project for your little ghouls and goblins to make.

Materials Needed:

• white paper
• pencil
• black paint, crayon, colored pencil, or marker
• scissors

Directions:

1. Trace child's hand (or foot) onto white paper.
2. Cut out hand print (or foot print). 
3. Draw or paint eyes and mouth. (We used black dimensional paint.)

Note: Another option for this craft is to paint child's hand with white paint, press onto black construction paper, allow paint to dry, and then draw/paint on face.

Ghostly Greeters Craft

Here is a super simple craft (not recommended for younger children, however) that you can do with very few supplies. Soon you'll have a row of ghosts to greet your trick-or-treaters! I got this idea from: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/spirit-jugs-673388/

Materials Needed:

• plastic milk jugs
• black permanent marker
• scissors (or craft knife)
• string of low wattage holiday lights

Directions:

1. Using a black permanent marker, draw faces on plastic milk jugs. Keeping the cap on makes it easier to do this without denting the jug. (All of our jugs have inset circles on the front, so I tried to work with these to make the mouths.)
2. Cut a hole in the back side of the jug (about 1 1/2 -2 inches in diameter). I used scissors to do this, but you could also use a craft knife. Again, keeping the cap on the jug makes it easier to do this.
3. Set finished jugs near each other and string them together by pushing several bulbs into each milk jug. (I used purple and clear Christmas lights, but you could use any color. I have even seen strings of lights with Halloween shapes such as candy corn, which may be cute.