Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Looking for a festive appetizer to bring to a Halloween gathering? Look no further...I made this pumpkin shaped Carmelized Onion Cheese Ball last year for a Halloween party & am looking forward to making another next weekend.

It turned out so cute & tasted pretty good as well. Added bonus: the orange on the outside is created from crushed Goldfish crackers... a staple in most houses with little ones.

I found the recipe here- Taste of Home 

Did I mention I love Halloween??!!

Enjoy! s.b.

Paper Plate Spider

M1 is terrified of anything that crawls, but she surely enjoyed making this spider! Drying time aside, it was quick & a great way to pass time yesterday morning. I wish Halloween could come 3 times a year!! So fun...

Supplies- Paper Plate, Glue, Black Paint, Paint Brush/Sponge, Scissors, Black/White Construction Paper, Black/Gold Pipe Cleaners, Stapler & Scotch Tape.

1. Start by painting the under side of the paper plate black. Allow to dry.

2. Once it's dry, fold the paper plate in half.

3. Tape the black pipe cleaners to the right & left side of the bottom half of the plate. (3 on each side. I also cut them each in half so they weren't too long. **If you don't have pipe cleaners, you could use thin strips of black paper.)

 

4. Fold the plate in half & secure by stapling around the edges.

5. Create spider eyes by cutting out large white circles & small black circles. (M1 glued them together.)
6. Glue the eyes onto the spider.
7. Bend the gold pipe cleaner into a silly shaped mouth & glue on. (If you don't have one, you could use a different colored paper, colored ribbon, etc.)

8. Allow to dry.

I wish all spiders were this cute! Enjoy!...s.b.

Lunch Bag Pumpkin

It's always fun to bring some of my past classroom projects back & do them with the girls. This paper bag pumpkin project was always a favorite & it was fun to see the different pumpkins that were created. I had to give my girls a little  more assistance with this one.. but as usual, it can be modified for little ones of any age.

Supplies- 1 Small Brown Paper Bag, Orange/Green Paint, Paint Brush/Sponge, Green Pipe Cleaner or Green Ribbon, Glue, Black Construction Paper, Scissors & Newspaper

1. Crinkle up a few sheets of newspaper into a ball shape.

2. Stuff the bottom of the paper bag with the newspaper balls.

3. Tie the bag shut 3/4 of the way up with a green pipe cleaner or green ribbon.

4. Begin painting the lower 3/4 of the bag orange until it's covered to the little one's liking... M2 definitely didn't even come close to covering her's but it looked great.
5. Continue by painting the top portion (above the tie) with the green paint.

6. Cut out two triangle eyes, a triangle nose & a jack-o-lantern mouth using the black construction paper. (I did this for M2 but if you have older children you could allow them to create their own shapes for the face.)

7. Glue them into place.

Finished... allow time to dry.