Halloween decorations can be very expensive, especially during the high markup holiday season. Fortunately, you can easily make Halloween decorations with your children that require very inexpensive items and yield a high volume. Not only will you save money on decorations, but you can also craft with your kids for some special quality time. The following directions will tell you how to make spider web decorations. If you are interested, make sure you have the following materials:
-Elmer’s glue
-Mixing bowl
-White string
-Scissors
-Wax paper
Step One: Make a glue solution! Mix two parts of glue with one part water in the mixing bowl.
Step Two: Cut a sheet of wax paper for each child who will be making a spider web decoration. The size of the sheet will vary on how large your kids want their webs to be.
Step Three: Cut a long strip of white string or yarn. You will be creating a sort of assembly line set up. Dip one portion of the string into the glue solution and transfer it to the sheet of wax paper, all the while keep the next section of string in the glue solution. Don’t put all of the string into the solution at once, though!
Step Four: Begin to arrange the gluey string in a web pattern on the wax paper. Once you have finished your web design, set it aside to dry. If you have excess string, cut it off. You can use it for your next web design.
Step Six: Make sure the web design on the wax paper is completely dry. This could take several days depending on how soaked with glue the string is. It should not take more than a day on average, however. Next, flip over the design and slowly start to peel the wax paper away from the glued string. When you are finished, you should have a solid spider web design!
Tips:
-These webs can be hung around the house or front porch for Halloween.
-You can dump the excess water and glue solution on top of your design to make a more translucent spider web design. This type makes a great window decoration.
-Many craft stores carry black, plastic spiders during October. You can include these on the design by applying them before the glue dries, or you can glue them to the design after it has already dried.
-This craft can be adapted to other holidays, as well. You can make Christmas trees, stars, hearts, and birthday cakes…anything you can imagine. Use different colors of string for other projects. Some of these designs are far more complicated than a web, so younger children might need some extra help.
-Children can also make their names with this project. Advise them to draw a design beforehand to use as a template. Have them draw it on plain white paper first and then put that paper underneath the wax paper, as most writing utensils do not work on wax paper. Some children may need helping writing in cursive (the design must always be connected for it to pull off from the wax paper in one piece). Follow the above steps to complete the name.
