The haunting season is here! And, whether your children prefer scary stuff or silly shenanigans, there are a few new project kits and books sure to deliver family DIY “treats.” Brighten up fright night a bit with some really nifty “Glowing Halloween” jewelry and decor crafts by Kiwi Crate, a special offer from the popular by-subscription mail-order craft service. Or, for kids who love Play-Doh or clay, the spooky and fantasy creations by Modeling Clay are sure to bring smiles. Peek at the DIY options below to start creating with your child.
Kiwi Crate’s Glowing Halloween
$19.95, by Kiwi Crate
| Hopefully your family has tried Kiwi Crate this year. The monthly crafts-for-kids subscription service thinks of all the great ideas your children will love to experiment with in their kits. This fall, they’ve got a special, one-off box for your family to enjoy: Glowing Halloween. The crate comes with all of the supplies needed to make two projects: “Halloween Lights” and a “Glowing Ghost” necklace. |
| The Halloween lights are decoupaged tea lights made from small plastic jars. You can create a bat, pumpkin, spider and even Frankenstein! Simply punch out the character accessories, have fun with the glitter-based Mod Podge and slip in a battery-operated tea light when finished for a home accessory your child will be happy to contribute to this year’s decorations. Once you’ve tried your hand at this set of tea lights, save small relish or baby food jars from the recycling bin in the future so that your family can make even more. |
| The ghost necklace is a fun, safe idea for trick-or-treating. The device lights up, thanks to a glowing ring inside the ghost’s sphere center. Your child can add beads to the necklace to make it all their own. |
A couple kids can share the tea lights to work on, but the kit comes with just enough supplies to make one ghost necklace. Keep that in mind when ordering for a few children at a time!
Love Kiwi Crate? Be sure to check out our Make It blog archives for a Kiwi Crate subscription kit introduction – and the new Kiwi Crate explore! Magazine.
Modeling Clay: Spooky Characters or Fantasy Characters
$6.95 each, by Barron’s
Talk about a good time for Halloween-focused craft books, eh? Written by Bernadette Cuxart, these books’ descriptions say it all: “Making fun clay characters is easier than you think.” It’s true! The books offer step-by-step instructions for young crafters to try their hands at working with modeling clay.
Starting out with the basic techniques of working with modeling clay (it’s all about balls and sausages, according to the author), your child will be ready to take on any of the books’ whimsical characters in no time.
| In Spooky Characters, the project ideas range from witches to one-legged pirates. Color illustrations help your child create Halloween-approved characters like the skeleton on top of an archeological dig. |
| There are even fun facts about the characters sprinkled throughout the book, too. While some of the bigger characters, like the dusty mummy, seem daunting at first, the book breaks it down into easy-to-understand construction concepts. |
| Over in Fantasy Characters, the book once again starts off with the basic modeling techniques, but then takes you into a world of Pegasus models and stately dinosaurs. What’s nice about both books is that with more than a dozen ideas, there’s surely at least one character that will appeal to all children. |
