Busy Mommy Media » Halloween Arts and Crafts

Preschool Art – Paper Bag Pumpkin

Rachel — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:06:56 +0000

Preschoolers will love making this paper bag pumpkin as a special Halloween craft activity.This is my favorite activity to do with preschoolers for a fun Halloween project. It is so easy that even a toddler can do it with some supervision.

This Halloween art project makes a wonderful holiday decoration for preschoolers desks at school or at home as a centerpiece for a festive meal.

What You Need

Brown Paper Bag
Orange Paint
Black Construction Paper
Green Pipe Cleaners
Safety Scissors
Scotch Tape
A Pencil
Newspaper

What To Do

Give each preschooler a brown paper bag and some pieces of newspaper. Have preschoolers use safety scissors to cut the newspaper into strips. Preschoolers can tear the pieces of newspaper if they prefer. Crumple up the newspaper strips and fill the paper bag about half way. Tie the bag shut just above the newspaper filling by twisting a green pipe cleaner around it. Show preschoolers how to wrap the ends of the pipe cleaner around a pencil to curl them. You can add additional pipe cleaners to create more pumpkin vines if you want.

Have preschoolers paint the bottom section of the pumpkin orange. While the pain is dry, have preschoolers cut triangles out of black construction paper. Allow preschoolers to be creative. If they want to experiment with different shapes or formations let them.

When the paint is dry, use scotch tape to attach the black triangles to one side of the pumpkin to create a jack-o-lantern face. You can use glue if you want but tape works best because of the curve of the pumpkin and the paint underneath.

Preschoolers will have an adorable paper pumpkin to get them in the spirit of Halloween.

Tips for Carving and Keeping Pumpkins

Guest Writer — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:37:07 +0000

Carving pumpkins is a Halloween tradition in many families. What’s more fun for little ones than getting to stick your hands inside a pumpkin and pull out its gooey sticky insides? It’s typically then the parent’s job to slice and dice the big orange ball into something that remotely resembles a spooky or goofy looking face. If you’re looking for the easiest way to carve and keep a great pumpkin try some of the recommendations below.

1. Purchase a pumpkin carving kit. Most stores carry them and they are often pretty inexpensive. Many kits come with not only all of the carving tools but also a scooper and even patterns for more intricate carvings. The patterns are usually taped on the pumpkin and cut through to create the design although it may be more fun to let the kids draw their own design in pen or marker for you to cut out.

2. When gutting out the pumpkin remove all of the loose flesh and seeds, but don’t take too much of the hard flesh off the sides. If the pumpkin is too thin it will rot more quickly.

3. Do not cut shapes to close together. If there is little room between your Jack-O-Lantern’s mouth and nose it will rot more quickly.

4. After your pumpkin is carved, rub a thin layer of Vaseline on the parts that have been carved like the inside of the eyes, nose and mouth. The Vaseline helps the pumpkin retain its moisture and helps it to keep longer.

5. If your pumpkin starts to shrivel, place it in a sink or bucket full of water for a few hours. This will help it regain some moisture. Be sure to dry the inside with a paper towel after soaking so that it won’t get moldy more quickly.

6. The safest way of lighting your pumpkin is to use artificial candles that are battery operated. This allows no chance of anyone getting burned or anything catching on fire. If you really want to use a candle be sure to cut a small hole in the back, top section, of the pumpkin to allow the smoke to escape.

by Nicole E. Nappi

Halloween Art – Ghost Feet

Rachel — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:15:15 +0000

This easy Halloween craft is perfect for even the youngest preschoolers. With a little help from mom, this easy ghost craft can create some scary Halloween fun.

Preschool Craft Supplies Needed

Black Paper
White Paint
A Paintbrush
Paper Towels (to wipe paint off feet)
A Paper Plate (to pour paint on)
Cute Preschool Feet

Preschool Craft Directions

Sit your preschooler down on the floor outside or inside on a few sheets of newspaper to prevent paint from getting on the floor. Carefully help your preschooler paint the bottom of his foot. Older preschoolers may be able to do this step on their own. Toddlers may need more parental help.

Help your preschooler to carefully stamp his painted foot down on the piece of black paper. Try to push the foot directly down and do not move it once it is on the paper to get the clearest results.

Let the footprint dry for several hours. When the paper is dry, have your preschooler create a scary ghost face using black paint.

Preschool or Daycare Halloween Bulletin Board Idea

Preschool teachers and daycare providers can use this easy halloween craft to create a fun and festive halloween bulletin board in the preschool classroom or daycare center. Arrange the Ghost Feet pictures on the bulletin board. Write each child’s name clearly on the paper using white paint or crayon. At the top of the bulletin board, use fun letters to say “Meet Our Little Ghosts”

Preschool Art – Pumpkin Painting

Rachel — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:59:51 +0000

Preschoolers love to participate in Halloween themed activities but carving pumpkins is often too difficult for them to master and it can be dangerous giving a preschooler even a dull knife to use.

Painting pumpkins is a wonderful alternative to the traditional pumpkin carving and it allows preschoolers to use their imagination in a safe pumpkin decorating activity.

What You Need

Small pumpkins that are easy for preschoolers to hold
Non-toxic paint
Paintbrushes
Paint Smocks
Newspaper
Paper Plates

What To Do

Let each preschooler pick out a small pumpkin. This activity would be a wonderful follow up to a pumpkin patch field trip but you can also purchase a selection of small pumpkins for preschoolers to choose from. Pumpkin stems can be prickly. If you have an especially prickly pumpkin stem you may want to rub it with a piece of sand paper so preschoolers will not get tiny thorns in their fingers as they handle the pumpkin.

Spread newspaper on the floor, making sure to have lots of overlapping pieces to prevent paint from leaking onto the floor. If it is nice outside you can spread newspaper outside on a cement patio or the grass and give preschoolers a chance to get some fresh fall air at the same time.

Fill several paper plates with a variety of colors of non-toxic paint. Let each preschooler paint their pumpkins any way that they want to. You may want to test your paint before doing this activity. Some paint flakes off of a pumpkin when it dries. If the type of paint that you have does not work well, try mixing a very small amount of water into the paint to thin it out.

When the pumpkins have dried you can use them to decorate your preschool classroom or send them home for your preschoolers to enjoy with their families.

Variation

When the painted pumpkins have dried, you can have preschoolers add some additional decorations to their pumpkins by gluing on a variety of extra craft supplies. Plastic google eyes make a fun addition to the painted pumpkins as do sequins, glitter, and foam shapes.