When it comes to Halloween decorations, my kids are usually all about it … with some limitations. There are plenty of things that they would really get scared about. I know this because of the many times during trick-or-treating over the years and the countless homes we did not approach simply because of what was lurking in the yard or perfectly poised on the porch. So, we keep it pretty simple at our house. At least, for now, while they’re still young. Since that’s the case, we include them on any decorating decisions we make. They even get to help make the ones that we so craftily do ourselves.

Eyeball Wreath

This wreath is something you can create as a family. It’s very simple to do and you can use your imagination to make some modifications if needed, too. It could make for a final decoration just before Halloween, too.

What You Need
Cardboard
Black fabric
White balloons
Glow-in-the-dark Duck Tape
Scissors
Wax Paper
Black permanent marker
Red marker
Ribbon

What You Do

• Cut out a circle from your cardboard.
• Blow up lots of white balloons, but only blow them up a little bit.
• Tie them around the cardboard circle.
• Wrap the black fabric around the white balloons.
• Cut circles out of the glow-in-the-dark Duck Tape. I found it easier to do this if you stuck the tape to wax paper. Then it doesn’t stick to your scissors and you can remove the backing like you would a sticker.
• Stick the glow-in-the-dark tape to the center of the white balloons.
• Draw in black circles on the stickers.
• Hang from ribbon on your door.

My kids loved trying to blow up the balloons themselves and were even able to accomplish the task … with a little tying help from me. My oldest loved figuring out how to wrap the black cloth around the cardboard circle, too. Encouraging her along, I reminded her that it didn’t have to be perfect. It was all in the fun of creating it. Once she was done, she was excited to move on to completing the eyeballs. I had to attach them to the wreath myself as that step proved to be a little more difficult for my young kids.

Now that we have created a unique eyeball Halloween wreath, we were ready to hang it on the front door. After allowing the porch light to charge up the glow-in-the-dark tape we used on the pupils of the eyes, I took the kids outside, turned off the light and showed them what the glowing effect left on the wreath. They sure were excited to see what it was doing. Be sure to give it plenty of light for it to work if your door doesn’t get direct sunlight during the day.

Halloween Stones

What You Need
Quickrete concrete
Mixing bowl
Water
Halloween cookie cutters
Wax paper
Spray paint
Permanent marker

What You Do

• Set out a piece of wax paper.
• Lay your cookie cutters out.
• PARENTS: Mix a little Quickrete concrete in a bowl slowly adding water to it until it’s at a thick, doughy state. Pour the mixture into the cookie cutters and allow them to dry overnight.
• Once dry, gently pop them out of the cookie cutters.
• PARENTS: Take them outside and spray paint the base color for them. Allow to dry completely.
• After the pieces are dry, add finishing touches to them with the markers.

Monster Mums

This silly craft for kids is great for Halloween and it will help spruce up those mums decorating your front porch, too!

What You’ll Need
Egg Carton (the paper one not styrofoam)
Scissors
Paint (white, red, purple, green orange)
Paint Brushes
Cup of Water
News Paper

What You’ll Do

• Spread out some newspaper so that you don’t get paint everywhere. I also use some of the newspaper as a pallette of sorts.]
• Take your egg carton and cut out the crevices that are supposed to hold the eggs.
• Turn them upside down on the newspaper.
• Pour out just a tad bit of white paint onto the newspaper.
• Take your paint brush and white paint and paint the upside down egg carton piece entirely. No need to paint the inside of it. Let dry.
• Rinse your paint brush in the cup of water.
• Pour out a little paint from a different color like orange, green, purple or blue onto your newspaper and with your paint brush paint the center of the “eyeball.”
• Rinse brush.
• Pour out a little red paint and with your paint brush, paint red veins around the white part of the “eyeball.”
• Rinse brush.
• Repeat steps to all of the egg carton pieces and you’ll have an even number of “eyeballs.”
• Set them aside to dry completely.
• Once dry, you can set them atop a bloom on your mums and there you have it! Monster Mums!

Halloween Stamps

What You Need
Cheap one-inch erasers
Festive foam stickers
Stamp pad

What You Do

• Take an eraser and stick a foam sticker to it. HA! It’s that easy!
• Press the newly made stamp onto your stamp pad and stamp away.

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