Calling all Monsters......

I remember when I started working as a Preschool Teacher. I had ideas for crafts for every season, every holiday....except when my first Halloween came around. Since we didn't really celebrate the holiday, I was at a loss. I knew that I couldn't do a witch (that is one of the characters that as a Christian, I have trouble accepting) but I was expected to have a month's worth of crafts to do with the kiddos. So I started thinking of other characters that I could use for inspiration and I came up with a Frankenstein and a Mummy.

So here they are......

"I Love My Mummy! .....and Daddy too!

 

Supplies needed:

Paper Plates

Scissors

Hole Punch

Ribbon

Large Rhinestone Jewels (or Buttons)

Red Construction paper

Sharpie

Glue (Elmer's works fine)

Small stripes of Paper Towels (the softer towels look better than the "puckered" style)

 

I used regular sized paper plates for this Mummy. I cut them out (use one as a template and fold together so that both sides are cut together!) Just cut a curve with a little ear and cut about midway down the ridges to make the head curved. After making the template just trace out on the other paper plates to cut them out.

 

Have the kids glue the strips of paper towels onto the mummy - when finished, glue on the rhinestones for eyes

Add the heart at the bottom, hole punch top and add ribbon.

 

Here's an alternate way of doing the Mummy - it's created the same way - but instead of hanging, glue onto large sheet of white construction paper - cut out smaller pieces of paper in Halloween colors and let them glue them on - add a spider (we used a die cut) button eyes, and let them use a sharpie to gently draw on a mouth.

 

 Frankenstein

 

This is one of my favorite Halloween crafts. It's also made with a paper plate.

Supplies needed:

 

Paper Plate (small or large)

Black Chenille wires

Green Chenille wires

Black Tempra Paint

Green Tempra Paint

Green Pom Poms

Green Ribbon

Large Buttons

Grey Construction Paper

Black and Purple Construction Paper

White Tempra Paint or White Out Pen

Hot Glue Gun and Sticks

Elmer's Glue

 

The template is made just like the Mummy. Fold over the paper plate and cut out the shape - leaving the ridges at the top - remember to cut out an ear in the middle. Make the cut more boxy rather than curved like the Mummy was.

 

Paint green - when dry - paint the ridges at the top black for the hair.

cut the gray bolts out and glue on under the ears in the neck.

Draw a big "C" for the inside of the ear with a sharpie

 

To make the scars - cut out a piece of chenille wire about 3 inches long and smaller pieces (2-3) for each scar. Hot glue the pieces together.

 

Hole Punch the top and add a black ribbon to hang.

I let the kids set the scars on the Frankenstein where they'd like for me to hot glue them down (as well as the eyes and eyebrows) and draw the mouth on with a sharpie.

 

Depending on which design you choose - you can either do button eyes and use green chenille wires for the eyebrows or make eyes & eyebrows from construction paper.

Here's how I make the eyes from paper - just a thin line of black for the eyebrows (I like to arch the line in the middle for a more menacing look)- a large black oval, a smaller purple oval, and then a smaller black circle - use the end of a paintbrush dipped in white tempra paint for the dot or use a white out pen.

 

I think what really makes these monsters cute and gives them personality is the placement of their eyes and eyebrows and their mouths that the kids draw on themselves.