Kids' Decorations

• Kids of all ages can help create easy Halloween decorations for the home. Make spooky spiders by gluing chenille bump pipe cleaners and a black pompom together. Add googly eyes to the top and a small section cup to the bottom of the pompom. Stick the spiders to walls, ceilings or windows for a creepy-looking touch to your holiday decor. Another indoor option is to create your own paper borders or posters. Give your child a variety of Halloween stencils or cookie cutters, tempera paints in orange and black, a paintbrush or sponge and construction paper, and help her design the perfect holiday pattern.
  
  

Halloween Tree

• Create an outdoor Halloween tree filled with friendly ghosts to delight passers-by. Use simple household materials such as garbage bags to make flying ghosts and bats that withstand the weather. Cut white and black kitchen bags into squares approximately 8-by-8 inches, as well as assorted sizes of extra pieces for filling. Place the cut squares flat on your work surface and scrunch another piece of bag into the center. Twist the remaining bag once around the scrunched filling to create a head. Secure with a twist-tie or rubber band. Tie a 12-inch length of fishing line to the twist-tie or rubber band and secure to tree branches. Alternate the black bats and white ghosts for added decorative interest.
  
  

Door Wreath

• Wreaths aren't just for Christmas time. Construct a Halloween-inspired wreath that makes a bold statement on your front door. Start with a purchased base or twist together long-stemmed pipe cleaners in browns, blacks or oranges. If you start with a premade wreath, choose something simple that looks like twisted branches or stems. Add faux spiders, plastic glitter ghosts or other small, Halloween-themed items. For a spooky, spidery effect, tie mock spider webbing to the interior of the wreath and attach the mock arachnids.
  
  

Pumpkins

• As one of the most recognizable symbols of Halloween, pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns can add a decorative spark to your in-home or outdoor display. Purchase four or more pumpkins in different sizes and shapes from a local market or farm. Look for an array of squat, rounded ones combined with long, thin types. Decorate the pumpkins in many different ways, from painting to carving. Paint ghostly faces, toothless grins or even a scary scene. If you will be placing your painted pumpkin outdoors, use weatherproof craft paint. Create traditional-looking craved jack-o'-lanterns by hollowing out your pumpkin and designing a festive eyes, nose and mouth. As an alternative, try using a carving template for a more polished look.