Bruce the Chef

(white poster board, clear self-adhesive paper)
1.  Cut a large rectangle from a piece of white poster board. With markers, draw a Halloween scene.
2.  Have an adult help you cover your scene with clear self-adhesive paper. Fold the extra paper to the back of the board or trim at the edges.
3.  Reuse your place mat by cleaning it with a damp cloth.

(paper, permanent marker, pennies, drinking straw)
1.  Draw and cut out a ghost shape from paper. Draw eyes and a mouth. Outline the edges of the ghost with a permanent marker. Punch a hole in the mouth of the ghost.
2. Glue a penny under each "hand."
3.  Put the straw through the ghost’s mouth, letting the body of the ghost rest on the rim of the glass.

(white poster board, black yarn, construction paper)
1.  Fold a 6-by-8-inch piece of white poster board in half to make a card. With the fold at the top, find the center of the front of the card. Draw a circle, 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and cut it out.
2. With the card still folded, draw around the circle, making an outline on the inside of the card.
3.  Open the card. Spread glue in the circle, and cover it with yarn by going around in a spiral until the circle is covered. This is the spider’s body.
4. Add eight legs to the body using pieces of yarn. Add a paper head and eyes. Write "HAPPY HALLOWEEN." Close the card, and all you will see is the spider’s body.

(small gourd, construction paper, yarn, pompon)
1. Wash and dry a small gourd. Cut and glue on pieces of construction paper to create a face on the lower half.
2.  Spread a line of glue around the gourd above the face. Cut small pieces of black yarn. Press the yarn into the glue to create hair.
3. Glue a black pompon at the tip of the gourd. Add a loop of yarn for a hanger.

(round cardboard food container with plastic lid, aluminum foil, construction paper, small aluminum pie tin, brass fastener, chenille stick)
1. Remove the plastic lid from a round cardboard food container. Cover the container with aluminum foil. Decorate it with pieces of construction paper.
2. Using a brass fastener, attach the center of a small aluminum pie tin to the center of the plastic lid.
3. To make a flower, cut circles of different-colored paper. Hold them together and punch two holes in the center, like a button. Thread a chenille stick through the holes, and twist in the back to make a stem.
4. Punch two holes in the side of the aluminum pie tin, and fasten the stem of the flower.
5. Fill the cardboard container with candy. Put some candy in the aluminum pie tin, and place the lid on top of the container.

(10-inch heavy paper plate, poster paint, yarn)
1.  Cut from the edge to the center of a 10-inch heavy paper plate. Pull one cut edge over the other to form a cone-shaped hat. Staple in place.
2.  Paint Halloween decorations on the hat and let dry.
3.  Cut twenty to thirty short pieces of yarn. Tie together in the center. Glue to the top of the hat for a pompon.
4.  Punch one hole on opposite sides of the base of the hat, and attach a piece of yarn for a tie.

(7-inch paper plates, construction paper, frame from an old pair of plastic eyeglasses)
1.  Glue and tape two 7-inch paper plates together, side by side. Cut large eyes and eyelids from construction paper, and glue them in place.
2. Hold the paper-plate eyes up to your face and have an adult help mark a place for your eyes. Remove from your face. Cut or punch eyeholes on the marks.
3. Tape a frame from an old pair of plastic eyeglasses to the back of the big eyes so they will be easy to wear.

(black poster board, black elastic, heavy black thread)
1.  Fold a large piece of black poster board in half.
2.  With the board folded, draw and cut out half a bat shape.
3.  Staple the end of a piece of black elastic, like the kind used on masks, to each wing. Tie a piece of heavy black thread to the middle of the elastic.
4. Bounce the bat to make it "fly."

(large heavy paper plate, three small paper plates, papier-mache, poster paint, elastic)
1. Use the outside bottom of a large heavy paper plate for the face of the mouse. To make ears, staple two small paper plates, right-side up, to the large plate.
2.  To make the nose, cut a small section from a small paper plate, as shown. Bend it to form the point of a nose, and tape it in place on the face. Cover the nose, ears, and face with papier-mache and let dry.
3.  Decorate with poster paint, adding features, and let dry. Cut out eyeholes. Staple a piece of elastic to opposite sides of the mask to fit around your head.

(cardboard candy box, papier-mache, poster paint, elastic)
1.  Use the outside of a cardboard candy box with a lid to create the witch. Cut and tape together, as shown.
2.  Cover the box and lid with papier-mache. To make the nose, cover a wad of paper with papier-mache. Add strips of papier-mache to create eyebrows and a mouth. Fold a strip of papier-mache for cheeks.
3. Paint the features with poster paint and let dry. Cut out eyeholes. Staple a piece of elastic to opposite sides of the mask to fit around your head.