Easy Halloween Crafts For Kids - Simple Costumes And Accessories

By Kathy Pratts

Halloween is a fun time for everyone to play dress-up. Some costume projects may be difficult, but a lot are actually easy Halloween crafts for kids. Kids can make their own no-sew, homemade costumes and accessories. This article will show you a few ideas on making simple Halloween costumes and accessories.

A Milk Carton Cow Costume

A milk carton that resembles a cow at the same time would be a really cute no-sew costume to make! Young kids will especially love making this costume themselves. Simply cut out the flaps and a hole on two sides of a carton box for the arms to go through. Have your kid paint the box with a white base and black spots using non-toxic poster paint.

Accessories for this Halloween crafts for kids costume is a tail made of paper and yarn which you can attach to the lower part of the box. Simply cut out paper ears and horns and glue to a headband, which your kid can wear to complete the whole look.

Closet Costume

Costumes as Halloween crafts for kids does not always involve creating your own costumes. If kids will rummage through their old clothes, they will find items which they can assemble together creatively for their Halloween costumes. For example, they can use a red hooded sweatshirt for a Little Red Riding Hood costume; their PJ's for a Sleepwalker costume, and a black sweatshirt and pants for a Ninja Costume. Just add accessories like a basket, a teddy bear, or a mask made out of a plain T-shirt.

The Halloween Hats

There are easy Halloween crafts for kids that can show you how to make Halloween hats. For a witch's hat, draw out a semi-circle at the edge of a piece of black paper using a circular template. Cut out the drawing, fold the piece into a cone, and fasten with staples/glue. Cut out a circle (larger in diameter than the cone's bottom) from the same black paper and then glue or tape the cone on its center. This is your witch's hat. To make a sorcerer's hat, simply use the cone and paste cutout paper stars on it. You can also use glue and glitter to create the stars.

Making Halloween Wands

A witch is not a witch, nor a fairy a fairy, and sorcerer a sorcerer if they are without a wand. For this easy Halloween crafts for kids project, use a paintbrush instead of a pencil or straight tube for the wand stick. A paintbrush usually has a more elegant shape.

To make a Halloween crafts for kids' wand, spray-paint the whole paintbrush and let it sit to dry. Next, draw and cut out two identical paper starts. At the brush-end of the paintbrush, stick the two stars back-to-back, with the brush in between. Use other shapes for a witch's wand such as a half-moon. For a sorcerer's wand, place glue on the brush to harden it. Wind yarn or twine around the paintbrush for a Harry Potter-like wand. Spray-paint the whole paintbrush with gold or brown for that realistic effect.

To make any costume realistic and interesting-looking, always remember to add its matching accessories. Both are simple to make with easy Halloween crafts for kids.

You can make easy Halloween costumes and Halloween crafts for kids. The key is looking for the right steps.

Organizing Your Home - Purging and Sorting Childrens Clothes

By Rebekah Kogelschatz

Organizing children’s clothes is a never ending job. They tend to grow faster than the parent can keep up with their ever-growing bodies, especially in the early years when they seem to grow overnight. By keeping track of the clothes that fit and that do not fit, you can have an organized space for your children’s clothes without much hassle.

Here are tips of how to sort and purge the clothes that you no longer need.
First, you are going to sort the piles into two piles:
A: stained or torn and
B: good condition.

Second, you begin the sort. If you have been the recipient of hand-me-downs, there is a good chance you do not even wear many of the clothes that were given to your child. Sometimes they are not the style you would like or have a stain or two. Get rid of your guilt for not using the gift and sort the clothes into one of the two categories.

Third, check sizes on every piece of clothing. If it is the wrong size, sort it. If it looks like it could fit but you are not sure, bring the child in and try it on. Evaluate which category it belongs in and sort it.

Fourth, check the sizes on the seasonal clothes. What may fit now may not work for your type of weather. I have a lot of winter clothes that would currently fit my daughter when it is hot and humid, but will probably not fit in the winter. Take stock of what you can hang on to and sort the rest. You may want to find an alternative place to put seasonal clothes. Good options are the “space saver” bags or a sealing plastic container. If you are going to put them in the attic or basement, make sure they are sealed from rodents and moisture.

The next step is to evaluate the stained and torn category. If it is too shabby to give it away, make a rag pile and use the items for cleaning and messy jobs. It is hard to throw away good fabric, but if you must, do it.

Next, evaluate the good condition pile. There are now four possibilities for them:
1. Donate them.
2. Give them away to a friend or family.
3. Take them to the consignment store.
4. Sell them on eBay.

Only donate clothes to local organizations if they are wearable. Do not donate torn or overly worn clothes. The organization has to then dispose of them.

Family or friends may be ideal to take the clothes. Most people are willing to take free clothes and may pass along those they do not want.

Consignment stores and eBay are great ways to make some cash from your clothes. They may bring in more money that a garage sale, but they are more work. Most consignment stores have a “clean and ironed” policy and may require a hanger. Each eBay sale should be in the best condition possible to get the top dollar. Mostly only name brand items sell on eBay. Do your research before you take either of these options. Be especially careful on eBay with your shipping cost and do not lose money because you did not weigh the items.

With less clothes, the drawers and closets should be easier to maintain.

With these tips, your children’s clothes should be organized and neat with less hassle for morning dress times.

Rebekah Kogelschatz is a wife and a mom of two children in rural Florida. She is a co-founder of the site http://www.SmartMoms-SmartBusiness.com and the founder of a preschool activities site http://www.preschool-activities-everyday.com You can read her blog at http://the-day-of-a-mom.com