Halloween is the favorite holiday of many people, and it certainly wouldn’t be Halloween without some classic spooky decorations. It already looks like Halloween exploded in our house (it actually did before October…we’re big Halloweenie folk around here), and much of it is the result of very simple, easy handiwork on our part. Here are some simple projects you can do to get your home spooky this month.

• Trash Bag Ghosts: You probably remember these from when you were little, right? We took it a step further and used a few grocery store bags we hadn’t recycled yet. That way, we didn’t waste any trash bags. Simply fill up the “head” of your ghost—or the bottom of your grocery bag—with some crumpled newspaper, and wad up the bag below the “head,” as shown (left). Then take a twist tie and tie it around so it won’t undo itself and draw on features with a permanent marker. To add a little spooky depth, we also sliced the bottom of the grocery bag’s handles to create an uneven, ghostly effect.
• Yard Gravestones: Paint some sturdy cardboard white and wait for it to dry. Once it’s dry, cut it into a gravestone shape and add a funny name, like “Izzy Deadyet,” or “Frank N. Stine” with a marker or black paint. Finally, either prop it up against a fence or tree, or add a garden stack in the back with some glue and stick it into the ground.
• Bat Attack: Cut out a giant yellow circle from a sheet of poster board. If you like, spread out some cotton balls thinly across it to make “mist.” Have your little one draw a bunch of bats with a white crayon on purple, brown and black construction paper—or simply use a template if you prefer—and help cut them out. Now tape a few bats onto the giant moon and hang it in your window. Take the rest of your bats and surround the moon with them, creating a window full of bats! For a bolder effect, feel free to add googley eyes, glow in the dark paint, or glitter.
• Spooky Trees: Trace your child’s complete hands and arms on a sheet of black or brown construction paper. Help cut them out and glue them onto a piece of orange construction paper as “spooky trees.” Draw or add cut-outs of little ghosts, tombstones, bats or whatever you’d like around the trees.