Materials

• Prepare for a bat luminary craft project by gathering together a bat stencil, luminary bags, pencils, scissors and craft sand. To make bat-o-lanterns, assemble a few pumpkins, black craft paint, black craft foam, a hot glue gun, knives and a large spoon.
  
  

Safety Concerns

• Though both of these projects are kid-friendly, some adult supervision is necessary, especially when carving the pumpkins and using the hot glue gun. To eliminate the danger of burns, fill the luminaries and pumpkin lanterns with glow sticks or battery operated candles, rather than with standard candles.
  
  

Bat Luminary

• Lay a luminary bag flat on a table and trace a bat stencil onto the front panel of the bag. Sharpen the pencil to a very pointed edge and use it to poke tiny holes in the outline of the upper 2/3 of the bat wings. Poke a larger hole in the center of the bat design. Carefully insert the scissor blades into the hole and cut out the bat shape along the outline. Open the bag and stand it upright. Fill the bottom 1/3 of the bag with craft sand to prevent wind from knocking it over. Add a battery-operated candle and display the bat-themed glow on Halloween night.
  
  

Bat-o-Lantern

• Cut off the top of a pumpkin and gut it with a large spoon. Paint the surface of the pumpkin with black craft paint and allow it to dry completely. Cut two large bat wings out of black craft foam. On opposite sides of the pumpkin, carve two slits; make each the same width as the edge of the foam bat wings. Insert the end of one bat wing into each slit and secure it with some hot glue. Carve a bat face on the front of the painted pumpkin. Fill the pumpkin with a handful of non-toxic glow sticks or place a battery-operated candle inside.