JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – What’s scarier than Halloween? In my house, not celebrating it.
With the global pandemic, many families are not sure how to safely celebrate the spooky night. Some families may not feel comfortable trick-or-treating, but there are other ways to put a smile on your kids' faces. I found some easy DIY crafts online that I made with my youngest son in order to fill my house with Halloween spirit. It’s also a fun and creative outlet for children and a way they can feel festive.
I went to my neighborhood dollar store for some of the supplies, the rest I had laying around my house. My process was simple: I searched for DIY Halloween crafts on Google with my son and had him choose the ones he was inspired by. This is what we created:
Spooky Soap Dispenser
This was by far the easiest and without a doubt the most practical. Since we are in a global pandemic and Flu season, washing your hands has become as routine as breathing. We purchased a disposable hand soap with a pump dispenser and added Halloween toys from a bag we purchased at the dollar store. The bag had plastic spiders, skulls and bats in Halloween colors.
Jack O' Lantern Stress Ball
Another pretty simple project that in a way fits to the new normal of life: stress. This required three supplies — orange balloons, popcorn kernels and a black marker. We drew on the face first, then stretched out the balloon so we could add the popcorn kernels. Once the balloon was full, we tied it up. The popcorn kernels gave the stress ball a neat lumpy texture. This project turned out better than I thought it would have.
Haunted Forrest
This was our favorite of the projects. At the store, I found several items to add to our forest design. One of them was orange LED lights that we used to make a skyline. We also found fake spider webs, owl stickers and googly eyes. I purchased a foam board, so it was thicker and would be easier to have the lights poke through. As for the actual forest, we found sticks around our home. Assembly was very easy and my son was extremely proud of the final project. It is currently displayed on our fireplace mantle for all to see.
This holiday season will no doubt be different, but different does not mean everything has to be sacrificed. We just need to figure out creative ways we can generate memories, celebrate with loved ones and who knows, perhaps even start new traditions.