Here at Pinwheel Crafts, we are so excited that Halloween is about to grace us with its spooky presence. Two things most kids and adults are excited about are trick-or-treating and pumpkin carving. To fully embrace October’s scary spirit, having a jack-o'-lantern sitting on your doorstep with all the other Halloween decorations is necessary. Some people start decorating their houses at the start of the month, while others wait till the last minute, only to hang a skeleton on their porch. If you fall in the former category, you are probably searching for fun and unique pumpkin carving ideas for kids as well as quick ways to pull together some DIY craft ideas.

Spend this last weekend making boo-tiful pumpkins and décor with things from around your house or items you can get at a dollar store. From using the pumpkin for decoration to a jar for collecting candy, an ice bucket, a terrarium, and a pumpkin purse, there are many Halloween-themed crafting projects your kids can handle solo under your directions.

Spooky Trick-or-Treating Lantern

Depending on your child’s age, they may be out well after the sun has gone down. To add some extra fun, ditch the flashlight, and make a super, spooky lantern to light their way! All you need is the Pinwheel Crafts Fairy Lantern Kit. Instead of using the fairy cutouts included, however, head on over the Pinwheel Crafts Download page for Halloween themed cutouts to use in their place.

Pumpkin Pots

Whether you are planning a small gathering, or just want a festive way to put out candy for the household, jack-o’-lantern pots are a cute way to put treats on display.

You will need

• Ceramic planter pots (terra cotta, or white)
• Paint in black (and orange if you are using a white pot)
• Paintbrush
• Pencil
• Small candies

Directions

1. If you are working with a white pot, paint it entirely in orange paint. Allow paint to dry for at least 20-30 minutes. If you are using a terra cotta pot, skip to step 2.
2. With your pencil, lightly draw the preferred pumpkin face on the pot.
3. Using black paint and a small brush, paint the sketched sections to create the jack-o’-lantern face. (If you have trouble working with brushes, you can also color in the pumpkin face using paint markers, like POSCA, or even a fine tip black Sharpie marker.)
4. One the paint has dried, fill the jack-o’-lantern pot with your favorite candies and set it out for visitors and guests.

If you are pressed for time and don’t want to run around collecting supplies, Pinwheel Crafts offers and all-in-one Garden Pot Kit. It has all the supplies you need to make 3 small pumpkin pots. It’s a great option if you have multiple kids that want to make their own jack-o’-lantern pots.

Spider Webs

Creating spider webs requires some advanced-level skills. However, when your child learns the skill, they will be able to make a dozen more easily. One of the best things about these spider webs is that the finished craft can be used for wall décor and the dining table as a coaster. Here’s how to make it:

You Will Need

• Regular craft sticks in (about 4.5 inches)
• Paintbrush
• Silver paint
• Craft glue
• Plastic spiders
• White yarn

Directions

1. Paint three sticks with silver paint.
2. Place a dot of glue in the middle of each stick and stick them on top of each other diagonally, forming an asterisk.
3. After the glue has dried, tie a knot with the white yarn around the middle of the sticks.
4. Start wrapping the yarn around each stick. This part is a little tricky because you need a loop on each stick and go around the stick ends in the same direction.
5. Once the yarn is tied around all the sticks and the web is as thick or thin as your child likes, cut the yarn end and glue it onto the back of a stick.
6. Glue a plastic spider (or two) on top.
7. Cut a large string of white yarn and tie it to the end of one stick.

Your spider webs are ready to be hanged!

Toilet Paper Mummies

One of the best things about a toilet paper roll is that you can create so many different things with it. They are cheap, and abundant. You probably already have at least a dozen on hand in your house, right now. Making a mummy out of a toilet paper roll is easy. All you need are some basic crafting abilities and some wrapping skills, and you will be set.

You Will Need

• Black paint and paintbrush
• Toilet paper rolls
• Glue
• Googly eyes
• Gauze

Directions

1. Paint the toilet paper roll with black paint and let it dry for a couple hours.
2. Stick the googly eyes at the top.
3. Stick the first end of the gauze with glue on the back of the toilet paper roll and start wrapping it (gluing occasionally after a couple of rounds so that it doesn’t slide down).

Since a mummy is supposed to look disheveled, it doesn’t matter if the gauze isn’t wrapped neatly. On the contrary, the messier it looks, the better your miniature mummy will look!

Medusa Pumpkin

This is perhaps one of the most fun and unique pumpkin carving ideas for kids. It is a bit tricky, but all that cutting will be worth the final reveal, and your kids will love it. You can use different colored lightings for the perfect Medusa effect and spread your pumpkins all over your garden.

You Will Need

• Pumpkin
• Small, battery-operated LED lights (we recommend green)
• Aluminum armature wire
• Hot glue gun
• Rubber snakes
• Pumpkin carving supplies

Directions

1. Prepare the pumpkin by cutting off the top and emptying the pumpkin seeds and pulp.
2. Carve out the pumpkin eyes, two small nostrils, and a squiggly mouth.
3. Put the LED lights into the pumpkin and place the bulbs inside the hollowed eyeholes
4. Laydown the snakes down on a flat surface and attach the armature aluminum wire to each using the hot glue gun. (Make sure to glue wire up along at least hallway up the snakes so they will stand up.)
5. Let the glue dry and then place the snake on top of the pumpkin by pushing the wire into the pumpkin.

Final Words

Halloween crafts for kids are a great way to bond with your little ones. For them, the holiday is all about wearing cool costumes, trick-or-treating, and gorging themselves on candy. The addition of these crafts will make Halloween even more memorable. If you can’t put these together, remember to check out the Pinwheel Crafts catalog for a variety of all-in-one kits and let your children create their own spooky, Halloween creations.