Holidays bring excitement for parties, yummy treats, time with family and friends, and also time to tap into your creative side. As a teacher, I love to bring a little holiday pizazz into the classroom with a variety of projects. I am also mindful of my families that do not celebrate certain holidays, so I either plan projects with modifications (basically ones that can be spooky or not), or teach from a worldly approach, which is what I do in December for my Holidays Around the World unit. (You can read about my Winter Holiday projects HERE). If you are unsure how to bring creative fun into your homes this spooky season, keep reading!
PROJECTS FOR 3-5YO
Rainbow Spiderwebs
We are currently in our Color unit in class, so rather than switching gears and going into Halloween and having my students forget what they learned, I build my projects to reinforce the concepts they are focusing on. So my Kindergarten students are learning Color Names, Feelings with Color, and Rainbow Order (with our 6 basic colors), so cue the Rainbow Spiderwebs. I drew a spiderweb sheet for students, and then we color in each section using the 6 basic colors. I challenge them a bit by having them start with a different color for each section, so they really have to think about the color order. Afterwards, we will add a spider in either crayon or a textured material!Itsy Bitsy Pumpkins
Based off a fun remake of the Itsy Bitsy Spider, this project is a monster for a teacher, but turns out so cute! Because it is early in the year, students have not always developed great fine motor skills for cutting, so to do this one in school requires A LOT of teacher prep to cut out the pumpkins, stems, eyes, nose, mouth, and teeth, but gosh aren't they cute?
Five Little Pumpkins
This project is great for sequencing, as it serves as a companion to The Five Little Pumpkins book/song. You will need popsicle sticks for the fence, glue, black and orange paper, and then any other details you'd like to include.
Image Credit: All Kids Network
PROJECTS FOR 6-8YO
Picasso-Inspired Frankenstein
Yayoi Kusama Dot Pumpkins
I have done projects inspired by her work in the past, but I found this idea on Instagram, and decided to dive in. I found a great resource on TPT that I purchased to support my students annnnd the creator. If you would love this AMAZING resource too, click HERE.Paper Bag Halloween Puppets
These are an inexpensive craft that can double up as decor! Each member of the family can make their own (vampires, witches, ghosts, zombies, Frankenstein, and more!). To level up these puppets as decor, simply cut a round circle in the "body" portion, stand them up, and place a tea light underneath for an October glow.
Projects for 9yo and up
Paper Bag Haunted Houses
Just like the Paper Bag Puppets, these inexpensive projects can double as decor! Just stuff them with any recycled newspapers or Amazon packing paper before stapling the roof on.
Value Scale Pumpkin Drawings
Do you have kids that like to draw realistically? This project is for them! In class, we first practice together with guided drawings of pumpkins, and then move on to drawing independently before shading. I like to shade with oil pastels because they layer really well, but you can also use colored pencils, chalk/pastels, or conte crayons for value.Mixed Media Haunted Houses
This Sharpie and watercolor project allows kids to add their own touches to their work. Begin by drawing a haunted house in pencil. Be sure to add lots of spooky details (bats, witches in the sky, ghosts, glowing eyeballs, cobwebs, spiders, etc.). Next, watercolor paint the windows and sky before coloring the haunted house in a black sharpie to create a spooky silhouette. You could also make this a crayon and watercolor resist project by coloring the house in black first (press down heavy), and then watercolor painting everything after.
Zentangle Pumpkins
Need a project to calm your anxiety? This black and white line drawing project is just the thing! You could even print out blank pumpkin coloring pages for your kids to draw in the car on the way to school, practice, church, etc.!
Image Credit: Angela Anderson (Blog)
http://angelaandersonart.blogspot.com/2013/10/pumpkin-zentangle-kids-art-class.html
I hope you find some inspiration in a few of these projects. Please be sure to tag us on social media if you create with us!
Happy Creating!
Ally