Tuesday, 28 October 2014 by Irene Hoofs

DIY Halloween decorations by Emma of Showpony

I love Halloween and I’m really excited that my son who’s nearly three is just about old enough to get excited about it too. So to help him get in the mood for all things spooky I wanted to spend some time making decorations with him. These are really simple and perfect for a toddler to get involved with.

What you'll need:
* Polystyrene balls - I used 4 cm balls
* Black and orange paint
* Black pipe cleaners
* Black cardstock
* White paper
* String or cord
* Paintbrushes
* Scissors
* Black pen
* Glue
* Darning needle/ thin knitting needle

Step1: Paint your polystyrene balls. Paint some black for bats and spiders, some orange for pumpkins and leave a handful white for your ghosts.

Step2: For the spiders: Cut two pipe cleaners in half and half again making the eight legs, push them into the sides of a black ball and bend into shape. Cut out eye shapes from your white paper, draw in the pupils and stick in place.

Step3: Make the bats: Fold a piece of black card in half and draw on one wing shape, Cut this out and push or punch two small holes in the fold. Using a small piece of pipe cleaner attach the wings to the back of a black ball. In the same way as before stick the eyes in place.

Step4: To make the pumpkins: Use your black pen to draw on some pumpkin markings, add your eyes and push a small piece of pipe cleaner into the top to make a little stalk.

Step5: For the ghosts: Cut a strip of white paper long enough to wrap around a white ball. Cut a wavy shape into the bottom of the paper and stick around your polystyrene ball. Cut large black eyes from the black card and stick to your ghost.

Step 6: Using a thin knitting needle or long darning needle push holes through the centre of the polystyrene decorations. Thread a large darning needle with your string and push through the holes. Tie knots in the string to stop the decorations from slipping down and carry on adding as many decorations as you like.