Tissue Paper, Ghosts and Guisers

  

Are you looking for easy to make gifts or decorations for your Halloween party? 

If so, simply gather some white tissue paper, magic markers, elastic bands, yarn or twist ties, and a few sticks (optional).

  

Ready, set go and take a sheet of tissue paper and crumple it up into a small ball.

Next, take another sheet of tissue paper and wrap and tie it around the bunched up paper, to create a ghostly head. 

Great! 

Now, draw some scary eyes and maybe a mouth too, on the tissue paper. 

Now you are ready to present your ghost to the ghoul of your choice! 

Optional: You can make a "ghost on a stick" by placing a stick into the bunched up paper or, tie some clear fishing line to your ghost and hang it from the ceiling for decoration.

Tip: You can use facial tissue instead of tissue paper to make your ghosts.

What we know as Halloween today, began hundreds of years ago as a Celtic celebration. Trick-or-treating is an Irish tradition, based on a custom where wealthy land-owners would give food to the less fortunate on Halloween night. They believed that ghosts would look favorably on them for doing such good deeds and therefore spare them from mischief. Meanwhile, in 17th and 18th century Scotland, people in strange costumes and masks would travel from house to house, singing and dancing to keep evil at bay. These folks were known as "guisers".

Now you know.

Lesson: Andrea Mulder-Slater

Illustration: Geoff Slater

Spaghetti, Spirals and Skeletons

Are you interested in a really simple way to create a creepy Halloween skeleton?

If so, simply gather some dry pasta (elbows, spaghetti, spirals, bowties, shells, lasagna, etc.), black construction paper, and glue.

Ready, set go and begin laying out a pasta skeleton on the paper.

Small tube pasta pieces work well for the spine, while bits of lasagna noodles make super hipbones. Spirals or spaghetti are great for arm and leg bones, while small shells are perfect for wrists and ankles. Macaroni pasta is ideal for ribs and angel hair pasta pieces are all you need for hand and foot bones.

Once you are pleased with the layout, then it is time to start gluing all of the pieces down in place.

Great!

When you are finished, try creating more skeletons in different poses.

These make fabulous window decorations for Halloween night!

There is a great deal of debate about who invented pasta. According to the Canadian Pasta Manufacturers Association, the Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C. It is believed that Marco Polo probably brought pasta back to Italy with him from China in the thirteenth century A.D.

Now you know.

Lesson: Andrea Mulder-Slater

Illustration: Geoff Slater

How to make paper lanterns

J spent the morning with Jantje and I at the studio the other day. We had some nice sheets of large construction paper kicking around so I asked her if she would like to make a paper lantern.

"Yes!" was all I needed to hear.

To make a paper lantern, you first need a good sized sheet of paper. Ours was around 11" x 17". First you need to fold it in half lengthwise. I did this while J snacked on a carrot.

Next, you need to cut slits in the paper about an inch from the top. I did this while J began decorating what would become the center of the lantern. For that, she used an 8-1/2" by 11" sheet of construction paper and markers.

Here's the paper with the cuts shown. Notice that the cuts don't go all the way across - there is an inch on either side.

Meanwhile, J, while continuing to snack on her carrot,  was busy putting her touches on the inner part of the lantern. In addition to markers, she also used a really neat product from Elmer's called Shimmer N Shine Glitter Glaze. 

When she was finished, we rolled the paper up and taped in into a cylinder shape. (See the glitter glaze?)

Then, we added some shredded paper to one side of the larger sheet of construction paper. For this we just used a glue stick.



Finally, it was time to put our lantern together. J helped with the tape while I rolled the larger sheet into a cylinder as well.

When we then put them both together - a paper lantern was born.

This is a great sculptural art lesson to do with kids of all ages. The older then children, the more they can attempt without assistance. Here's a lantern Jantje and I did a number of years ago with a group of grade 5 students. In that case, the kids used paint to decorate their lanterns. Very effective.

These would be a lot of fun for Halloween. Give it a try and remember... keep creating!

~Andrea

Turkey Trivia and a Creative Way to be Thankful

Leaves are falling, temperatures are starting to drop and kids have settled into their school routines.

Halloween is fast approaching and so is Thanksgiving. 

A holiday celebrated primarily in North America, Thanksgiving is observed on the second Monday of October in Canada and the fourth Thursday of November in the United States.

Stephanie M. Corder

Sitting with my coffee this morning -  thoughts of crisp air, multicolored leaves and turkeys in my mind -  I recalled a terrific lesson plan submitted by Susan Futch, a teacher from Valdosta, Georgia.

Thankful or Blessing Boxes are a lovely way for younger children to stop and think about the things they are most thankful for.

The materials required for this lesson are few -- empty milk cartons (washed and dried), brown construction paper, glue, white poster paper and magic markers. Paint is optional.

Parents and teachers will need to cut the milk carton down, leaving a flap on one side (see photograph).

From there, students can either cover the milk carton with construction paper or they can paint it - inside and out.

Stephanie M. Corder

Next, students can trace their hands (using markers) onto white poster board. Or, they can dip their hands into paint and make a multicolored hand print. These hand prints (or cut outs) will become turkeys with a few added touches (including a beak and turkey wattle).

Once dry, the hand print turkey can be attached  to the outer side of the flap.

On the inside of the flap, students can write or paint their names.

Inside the box, children can add some favorite items, including notes which talk about all the things they are most thankful for.

Give it a try and remember, you can find more Thanksgiving ideas at KinderArt:
http://kinderart.com/seasons/thanksgiving.shtml

Turkey Trivia: Turkeys have no feathers on their necks or heads. Instead, those areas are covered with red, fleshy skin. The soft floppy growth on the front of the head, which dangles down over the beak, is called a snood, while the pouch-like area at the front of a turkey's throat is known as a wattle.


Until next time,
~Andrea