Fall Festivities
To many Canadians, October means two big events – Thanksgiving, and Halloween. Both events are loaded with craft themes; from harvest and thankfulness to turkeys, pumpkins, goblins and witches. Here are a couple of craft ideas to get started:
Turkey Place Card Holders:
A great way for the kids to contribute to Thanksgiving Dinner!
Supplies: Egg carton cups, scissors, brown paint, small googly eyes, red, yellow, and orange construction paper, feathers or a dried leaf (optional)
Directions: To make one place card holder, cut one egg cup from the carton. Flip cup open-side-down, and use scissors to slit a line across top of cup. Paint the outside brown to make turkey body. Make turkey face on one side of cup by adding googly eyes, red tear-drop wattle, and orange beak. Glue dried leaf or feathers to opposite side to make a tail. (if feathers or leaf are not available, use construction paper to make tail.) Once your craft is dry, insert place card into top slit and place on table.
Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos!
Halloween Mobile:
The kids are already starting to chant rhymes and songs about witches overhead, so Halloween crafts are a simple theme extension!
Supplies: coloured construction paper or card stock (black, orange, white), markers, crayons, and decorating supplies (sparkles, glitter glue, etc), string or yarn, tape, old coat hanger or drinking straw.
Directions: Make Halloween figures from construction paper: trace a closed hand on white paper to make a handprint ghost, make a triangle witch hat from black paper, and a round pumpkin from orange paper. Decorate your figures using markers, crayons, and decorating supplies. To make mobile, tape a piece of string to each figure, and then tape other end of string to coat hanger or straw (alternately use hole punch to tie string to figure, and tie other end to coat hanger or straw). If using drinking straw: string another piece of string through straw, tie ends together, and hang straw from ceiling. If using coat hanger, loop string around top of hanger and hang from ceiling
Did you try this craft? Send us your comments and photos!
Is It That Time Already??
Christmas Card Making Kits:
You asked, so here they are! Our Christmas Card Making Kits are now available on our website. To get an early start on making cards with the kids, order yours today.
Kids Craft Club – Gift Subscriptions:
For those who like to plan ahead, now is the time to buy gift Craft Club subscriptions for Christmas. It’s the perfect stocking stuffer or gift for pint sized friends and relatives. Simply note “Christmas Gift” in the comments section of your order form, and you will be sent a gift card to place under the tree or in their stocking. First craft delivery for Christmas subscribers will be the January Kids Craft Club project.
Kitchen with Kids – Frozen BlueBerry Finger Prints
Kids seem to love eating blueberries right out of the freezer, and eating a bowl full leaves their fingers all gooey and purple. Turn the mess into some fun – before wiping them clean, let them stamp their fingers onto a piece of paper to make blueberry finger prints! Keep the prints simple, or turn it into something fun like an imaginary purple fingerprint Halloween monster! A nutritious snack that just might taste even better when they get to play with their food!
Simple Science – Spider Web
In the fall it seems like there are spider webs being built everywhere you walk. Spend a few minutes observing a spider building it’s web. What is the web used for? Why doesn’t the spider get stuck but other creatures do? Spiders have bristles on their legs and special oils on their bodies so that they don’t get stuck in their own webs. The bristles slot over the web threads or silk, and act almost like skates for the spider, helping them glide along their own web!
Five Minute Fun – Tissue Ghosts
Make a string of Halloween ghosts by placing a cotton ball in the center of a piece of facial tissue. Gather the tissue around the cotton, creating a head for your ghost. Secure head with a twist tie or piece of string. Add eyes to the head, completing your ghost. Make several ghosts and string together for a Halloween garland.
Your Ideas
Thanks to Lara for this fun craft idea: “We have made coffee filter butterflies first by drawing abstract patterns on the filters using markers, and then using a spray bottle filled with water, spritz the marker and it will spread much like a tie-die effect. This craft is fun to do outside when the weather is warmer.”
Craft Caravan tip: use orange and black markers to make Halloween themed butterflies!