Remember that special deal I told you about yesterday... the one that I begged my friend, JoAnne, to put together for you? Well, today's the day for the:

Happy Halloween Crafting!
    -- Chris

Little Kid^TM Crafts

• Glittery Spider Web - This is a super-easy craft that gets a lot of *WOW* from the kids. On black

  Available in eBook or Spiral!

  construction paper, draw a spider web outline with elmer's glue. Sprinkle with glitter and let dry.

• Pasta Skeleton - This is a very simple to do craft, even for the youngest kids... And it's one of my all-time favorites! All you have to do is glue different shapes of pasta (wagon wheels, elbow, tubes, spirals, etc.) to a black piece of paper. To make it easier for younger children, use a piece of chalk to draw a rough outline of a skeleton on the paper first. Then the kids can glue their pasta pieces on top of the chalk outline.

• Pumpkin Treat Carton - This makes a wonderful container to send home treats after a Halloween party at school, daycare or your home. Or make a few of these special treat containers for your good friends and deliver them while you are trick or treating!

• Spider Webs - Cut several pieces of yarn in various lengths. Use white glue (like Elmer's Glue) and make a spider web pattern on a piece of construction paper. Let child glue yarn onto the paper to form a spider web.

• Styrofoam Ball Spiders - Paint a styrofoam ball (any size you want) black. Let dry. Use black pipe cleaners to make the legs by poking them about half an inch into the ball. There should be 8 legs. Use wiggle eyes to give your spider a little character. Attach a string to the top of your spider (so that you can hang it) by opening a paper clip up to form a "U", tying a string to a paperclip and then pushing it into the top of your spider as far as the paper clip will go. (Younger children shouldn't do the paper clip part on their own.)

• Candy Corn Pins - A cute little Halloween pin made from fun foam with a pin back. This craft is very easy to do, even for the youngest kids. This one is pretty versatile too... turn it into a necklace or use paper instead of foam.

• Jack-o-Lantern Mask - Draw the eyes, nose, and mouth of your jack-o-lantern on the back side of a paper plate. Cut them out (make sure the eye holes are big enough for the child to see out of). Paint your mask orange and let dry. Cut a stem out of green construction paper and glue to the top. Staple two strings to the sides of the mask so that the child can wear it. Tie knots in both strings so that they won't pull out of the staple.

• Rattling Skeletons - Use white paper to form 5 paper chains, and then connect to make a skeleton -- one chain is the body and the other four are arms and legs. Trace children's hands and feet on white paper, cut and glue to the ends of the arms and legs. Cut an oval shape and draw on the face.

More Challenging Crafts

• Writing Witch Brooms - This is a fun and easy way to decorate your pencil or pen, especially if you're a Harry Potter fan or you're looking for a quick and easy Halloween project.

• Ghost Necklace - A cute, but easy way to make a Halloween necklace out of fun foam and pony beads. I saw the original craft in a catalog and then we created our own version.

• Black Cat Hat - Use these directions from Enchanted Learning to create a cute black cat hat that you can wear or use for decorations.

• Ghost Windsock - I think these are really cute! They're easy to make, inexpensive, and look great hung in the trees, off the porch, or from the classroom ceiling. This would be a great scouting or classroom project!

• Ghost and Jack-o-Lantern Wreath - This project is a bit complicated and time-consuming for younger kids, but it's a nice project if you are looking for a 'real' Halloween decoration for your child to make that you can keep year after year. This would also make a great scouting or classroom craft project.

• Haunted House Centerpiece - This is a really cute idea and it would be simple for older kids to make... the best part is that it's also inexpensive!