pinterest & october crafts

So I've become addicted (Matt will verify) to this new sight called Pinterest.  It is basically a virtual pinboard where you can "pin" or save various images/sites from the internet.  Anytime I see something I like, something that inspires me, or something I want to try, I pin an image from the site and save it on one of my many boards in hopes of coming back to it in the future.  So far, all I've done is pin things.  I haven't actually followed through with anything....until recently.

As it was October, I looked up crafts to do with my students that had some sort of connection to Halloween.  I found a lot of fun ideas that I pinned and saved in the hopes of actually trying them out.  Well, I am proud to say that I have actually done two of the crafts that I pinned and even did a spin off activity that I created myself! :) They were super easy (which might have been why I was able to do them) and the kids really loved creating the different crafts.

Since I learned from someone else willing to share their ideas, it only seems right to share what I made from the inspiration.  So with that, I'm going to try to share some of the things I've made from the images I've pinned on Pinterest.  This way I will hopefully be forced inspired to have some follow through.    I probably should have posted this earlier so that you could try it too, but just pin this and plan ahead for next year! :)

Ghost Hands

You will need construction paper, scissors, and markers.  You simply need to trace your hand, cut out the handprint, and then decorate the palm with a face! The important thing is to keep the fingers pointing downwards, which some of my kids didn't adhere to.  I experimented and traced my hands in a variety of ways in order to make the ghosts look different from each other. 

My examples...


Ones that my kids made....lots of creativity!

Ghost Lollipops

You will need a lollipop, tissue paper (kleenex), and a small piece of yarn.  You simple need to place the lollipop in the middle of the kleenex and wrap the kleenex around the lollipop.  Then tie the piece of yarn under the candy part of the lollipop so that you form a head.  Finally you just need to decorate the face!

Some finished products that I later handed out to my students.

Ghost Pom Poms

This is similar to the Ghost Lollipops.  You will need a pom pom or a cotton ball, tissue paper (kleenex), and half of a pipe cleaner.  You simply need to place the pom pom in the middle of the kleenex and wrap the kleenex around the pom pom.  Then wrap the pipe cleaner under the pom pom to secure it in order to form a head.  You can wrap the pipe cleaner completely around the pom pom, or you can leave some of it out in order to be able to play with it.  Finally you just need to decorate the face!

Materials and the finished product.  Simple.

Have fun!