My neighbors put out a number of Halloween decorations and my children wanted some too. I politely explained to them how I don’t believe in using electricity to shine lights on decorations or to blow fans to make decorations stand up. I also explained that it wasn’t good for the environment to go buy a bunch of styrofoam decorations – besides, they are expensive.
Mix of LEDs, pumpkins and DIY Halloween Decorations
My children understood, but they were disappointed. I hauled out a box of Halloween and fall decorations from the basement and my children went off and created pumpkins and ghosts from paper that they hung inside our front hallway (completely un-prompted by me!)
While driving around town, it occurred to me that we could make a ghost to hang outside out of an old crib sheet, a toy ball and a hanger. Jon and I made it one night and hung it in the hallway – what a surprise to my children when they came downstairs!
DIY Ghost
DIY Ghost from crib sheet, ball, ribbon and a coat hanger
This project took about 5 minutes. We stuck a ball inside the sheet and used a ribbon to hold it in place. Jon threaded a large needle with string and suck it through the top of the sheet to create a way to hang it. Then we bent an old wire hanger to a pleasing shape and used the hook part to hook it upside-down inside the sheet. Voila! It can either be used for several years, or dis-assembled and all the parts can go back to their original functions.
Gravestones
Made from reused styrofoam sheet
Then Jon realized that we have a bunch of styrofoam flat pieces that we get with a medical shipment each moth, so why not use some of those to make decorations? Brilliant! He and the children made gravestones for our front yard. He traced the shapes, then they cut it with a knife. The children each spray painted their headstones with gray paint we had leftover from another project. When it was dry, he carved the words out for them. They used wooden skewers to make legs to stick it in the ground. I don’t actually recommend going out and buying Styrofoam, but if you get it in packages, it can make a great art material!
For a final touch on our decorations, Jon did go out and buy a string of lights – LED ghosts.
Happy Decorating!
Alicia
Thanks for the ideas!