Hey, Artsy-Fartsy Folks!
If a clever means of three-dimensional, multi-media art is your idea of a good time, you’re likely to find this kind of fun at your next summer camp experience! Arts & Crafts is a definite essential to just about any summer camp. Camps know that kids love to break out the construction paper, popsicle sticks, and glue. What’s especially great about Arts & Crafts in particular is that you can work on something pretty much any time of year right at home!
While timely Arts & Crafts projects can be appropriate any time of year, the current Harvest season offers a great time to craft your own creations to make some spooky Halloween decorations! Along with pumpkin carving, this holiday is begging for you to roll up your sleeves and get creative! 
Check out these great examples of holiday crafts:
Toilet Paper Roll Bats
These guys are really fun to hang up every year! A million Halloweens ago, my mother and I made bats out of toilet paper rolls! I cut black construction paper to glue over the rolls and we put paper circles with faces over one end to make ‘the head’. Then we cut a couple wings to glue on the middle section of the roll. My mother helped me attach invisible string so they could hang from the ceiling and ‘fly around’ when I’d set them in swinging motion! They were always my favorite.
Stapled Spiders
These creeping little buggers were quick projects to work on among my brothers and sisters. We’d set them on kitchen counters and the entertainment center. Simply wadded up paper a little smaller than your fist and sandwiched between two larger circles of paper, the ‘body’ of the spider was then stapled together along the edges of the circles. Then we stapled eight accordion-folded ‘legs’ to the body. Add some eyes and put it in a dark corner where it might surprise an unsuspecting brother or sister!
Cheesecloth Ghosts
Another favorite of mine growing up were these spooky specters. I never did make these myself and they likely require a trip to the store. This Arts & Crafts project is a little more involved; I’d tell you how to make them right here, but it’s probably easier to just watch this short and sweet video!
Hope these ideas aren’t too scary for you and that they create some fond memories of the Halloween season as they have for me! Enjoy spreading the holiday fear and, as always, thanks for reading!
- John