Stack and fold two sheets of black paper in half. Enlarge template. Position template on fold, trace, and cut out, making two bats. With black craft wire, poke a hole in the center of one bat; hold the end of the wire. Glue second bat on top, sandwiching wire in between. Wrap opposite end of the wire around a thin headband (ours was 1/4-inch wide) to secure. Repeat, adding more bats.
All we did to transform a mere 7-year-old boy to a mighty magician was use a fabric marker to draw a tie and collar onto a white T-shirt, affix a fake carnation to his lapel, and tie a black-and-red satin cape around his neck. And lo and behold: a levitating maestro ready to make piles of candy disappear.
Cape How-To
This unadorned cape falls just above the knee. You will need black satin and red satin fabric and two 14-inch pieces of red satin ribbon for ties. Make the cape following the basic directions. Stitch the ribbons securely to either side of the neck.
An avid bird watcher keeps an eye on her little owl with a pair of binoculars. Other than the hat and a canteen (available at camping-supply stores), this costume can be assembled entirely from ordinary street clothes: Choose an outfit that consists of neutral, outdoorsy pieces, such as the safari-style jacket and brown pants shown, and don't forget a pair of sensible shoes.
For party favors or treats on Halloween night, fill crepe-paper pumpkin pouches with tiny toys and candy eggs.
Kids can bone up on anatomy and create a fun Halloween decoration at the same time when they make a skeleton out of noodles. With an illustration of a skeleton as a guide, they just need lots of dried pasta, white glue, and construction paper to assemble the pictures. We snapped some of the pasta in half and used alphabet-soup noodles to make labels.
