Saturday, October 30, 2010

Halloween Jack O Lantern in a Spooky Sky



Here's a Halloween Jack  O Lantern in a spooky watercolor sky. First draw a pumpkin and a face on it with crayons. Second use watercolor paints for the sky. Start with purples and blues, and finish with a few stroke of blacks. Show children how the sky isn't always just one color but a mixture of colors.
Let dry on a clothes line.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Halloween candy cup

Halloween candy cup


This simple little candy cup may help children eat candy in smaller portions after Halloween. Every day a little bit of Halloween candy could be put in the cup, to make the sweetness of Halloween last.

It is a paper cup. The cup was put upside down on a piece of paper to trace a circle. The circle was cut out, decorated, and taped on to the top of the cup in one spot like a hinge.

A little handle was made and taped on. And there is your child's own Halloween candy cup.

Little fall basket for Halloween

This is a delicate little basket, and may be used to hold your paper pumpkin or paper ghoasty. Or perhaps just admire the process that went into creating it.

I used coffee filters, tore them into strips and dipped them in about an once of water with two or three drops of food coloring. In three small empty and clean yogurt cups, I put the water. In one cup, I put 2 drops of yellow, in another 2 drops of red, and in the third, 2 drops or red and 2 drops of yellow to make orange.

Then I dipped the strips of coffee filters into the water with food coloring and let each strip soak up the liquid. I put the wet strips over a glass bread pan, and let them dry for a day.

Using red, orange, and yellow paper torn into strips would be easier and quicker. It would also make the basket a little stronger to glue the autumn leaves onto.

I was thinking of how children enjoy the process and learning to mix colors. But your children may want it finished sooner. The colored paper doesn't rip as easily too.

After the strips are dry, weave them into a plastic berry basket. Weave in and out only 2 or three times on each side, so the process isn't too tedious.

Collect some freshly fallen Autumn leaves, and carefully weave the stems in, and loop the top of the leaf through the top of the basket to hold them up. Glue the leaves to the paper and basket, and let dry.

The freshly fallen leaves don't crumble as easy as dry ones, and are easier to work with.
Dip strips
Dry strips
Weave strips
Add fall leaves

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Paper Jack-O-Lantern



Start with an 8 x 11 orange piece of paper. With the paper lengthwise, mark off one inch increments.
Cut 4 one inch wide orange strips.                                   


Tape the ends of the first strip together to form a circle. Tape the end of the second strip to the to the ends of the first to form a circle across the first. Do the same with the last two strips until it forms a pumpkin shape. Tape the top of the strips together to help the pumpkin keep it's shape.

Cut out a stem from green or brown paper. Fold the bottom of the stem, and tape it to the top of the pumpkin.

Cut out eyes and mouth from yellow paper. Attach to the front of the pumpkin to make a face of the Jack O'Lantern.