Halloween is an enjoyable and spooky holiday for all, especially for children. Kids enjoy the opportunity to channel their whimsy and imagination, whether that involves choosing a clever costume or helping design the theme and scope of home decorations.

Channel creativity inspired by Halloween into various craft projects this month. Crafts not only keep children busy when the “I’m bored” lamentations turn up, but crafts also are a way to keep children off screens. Plus, the items that children create can be used to decorate rooms in the house. The following are some Halloween crafts children can make alone or with the help of older siblings and parents.

Jack’s Slime
The toothy grins of jack-o-lanterns can be seen just about everywhere come Halloween, and the bright orange color of pumpkins heralds the start of fall. Slime is something that’s always a big hit. Recipe courtesy of The Best Ideas for Kids.

Materials
-6 ounces of Elmer’s glue (substituting with another brand of glue may not produce the same results)
-Orange food coloring to create the desired hue
-1⁄2 teaspoon of baking soda
-1 1⁄2 tablespoons of contact lens solution (one that contains boric acid in the ingredient list, as that is what causes the chemical reaction to form slime)
-Optional: 2 tablespoons of water added to the glue before the baking soda if you desire a stretchier slime
-Black felt or black construction paper cut into the eyes and mouth of a jack-o-lantern
-Small mason jar with lid

Directions
Decorate the mason jar using a bit of glue to stick the black paper or felt face pieces to the outside of the jar. Mix all the slime ingredients in a small bowl and pour into the decorated jar.

Forest Spider
Can Halloween be complete without creepy, crawly, and cute spiders? I think not. Once you finish the craft, set the spiders on the table as decor or tie a string to them and have them hanging from the ceiling.

Materials
-Desired amount of round pine cones
-Four brown pipe cleaners
-Glue
-Pack of googly eyes (small and large)

Directions
Take a trip to a nearby forest or wooded trail and gather round pine cones that have fallen. Purchase brown pipe cleaners and cut four in half to form eight legs. Glue the legs on the pinecone and attach several small googly eyes and two larger ones to create the eyes of the spider.

Paper Roll Treat Holders
Rather than discarding the tubes inside of paper towels or toilet paper rolls, let kids transform them into monster craft treat holders.

Materials
-Paper towel or toilet paper rolls
-Masking tape
-Paint or markers
-Colored paper (optional)
-Candy
-Tissue paper

Directions
Cover the bottoms of the rolls with masking tape so treats won’t fall out. Paint the outside of the cardboard rolls and let them dry. An alternative is to cover the rolls in colored paper for less messy fun. Then use markers or paper cut-outs to form faces of the monsters. Fill the rolls with treats, then stuff a piece of tissue paper in each top to add even more personality to the creations and hide the treats inside.

Ghostly Leaves
Ghosts are another spooky Halloween essential! Make a truly eco-friendly craft on Halloween with ghosts made out of leaves, eliminating the need to use extra paper.

Materials
-Leaves
-Paint (white and black)

Directions
Paint large leaves with white paint. On the narrow-most point on top of the leaves, paint black eyes and mouths. When completely dry, scatter on a table or sideboard for some scary fun, or use double-sided tape to stick to windows and doors.