Costume Ideas for Kids

Whether your child wants to dress up like Orville Wright for Halloween, a party or the annual Wright Brother’s Day on December 17, you can pull together a costume to teach him about the first man to soar in a “flying machine.” Originally the co-owner of a bicycle shop, Orville and his brother Wilbur invented the first successful airplane. Orville was born in 1871, enjoyed flying kites as a child and spent many years working in aeronautics.

SUIT
Begin your child’s Orville Wright costume with a three-piece suit that includes dress pants, a vest and a suit jacket. Dark, subtle colors like charcoal gray or navy blue are appropriate for a suit from the early 1900s (khaki would also work). Parents can search for authentic wool suits in vintage clothing stores or in a grandparents’ attic, but be sure to wash them well before wearing. If you cannot locate an authentic suit, dark slacks and a sports jacket from a department store will work well for the costume.

Shirt
Layer the suit over a button-down dress shirt in white or blue cotton fabric. Clip-on cuff links can add an old-world look to the shirt along with solid-colored braces or suspenders. Your child can elect to wear a necktie with his costume or leave the top button unfastened for a more casual look. For cold-weather months, add a knee-length, black topcoat over the suit to keep your young Wright brother warm.

Accessories
You can be as creative as you like when accessorizing the Orville Wright costume. A derby hat or a newsboy cap can add a sophisticated or relaxed look to your child’s outfit, depending on which one he chooses. Orville Wright wore a mustache, so consider taping on a large, bushy, black mustache on your inventor’s upper lip for a touch of whimsy. Complete the outfit with a pair of black or brown dress shoes.

Other Additions
If your child would like to add a little more flair to his Orville Wright costume, he can carry a toy with him. Take some time to assemble a wooden recreation of Orville and Wilbur’s first flying machine or get a miniature bicycle to represent the Wright brothers’ most successful ventures. Smaller versions of the plane and bike make excellent lapel pins that you can attach to your child’s jacket to help better identify his costume to admirers.

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Witch Hitting Tree Halloween

Various monsters come to mind when thinking of Halloween, but none more so than a witch. Turn this frightful figure into something a little more fun and show that not all halloween witches are masters of flight. Creating a witch running into a tree for Halloween decor is fun, easy and quick.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 1: Cut the Wood and Pool Noodles

Once your supplies are gathered, cut the wood using a chop saw. Start by cutting two pieces at 16 inches and another two pieces at 22 inches. Then, use the scissors to cut the green pool noodle into two 16-inch pieces and the other noodle into two 22-inch pieces. Cut lengthwise down one side of the pool noodles so you can fit the wood into them.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 2: Create the Witch's Arms

Insert the smaller wood pieces into the smaller green pool noodle pieces, making sure the wooden pieces stick out on one end by 2 inches. Place the monster hands on the other ends of the pool noodles. These will be the arms for the witch.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 3: Attach the Arms to the Tree

When attaching the arms to a tree, be sure the thumbs of the monster hands are running parallel with the wooden piece that is exposed and that both thumbs are facing up towards sky. Place the first arm where you would like it to go on the tree and hammer two nails into the wood sticking out of it. Now, hammer the other arm on the other side of the tree, making sure the arms are positioned so the cape can cover about half of each arm.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 4: Attach the Legs to the Tree

Insert the longer wood pieces into the longer pool noodles, leaving 2 inches of wood sticking out of one end. Put a striped legging on both pool noodles to create the witch's legs. Attach the legs the same way you did the arms, making sure the cape can cover about one-third of the legs, too. Since the size of each cape will vary, the best way to determine the proper spacing between the arms and legs will be to hold the cape up around the arms and measure, starting from the bottom of the cape, about 6 to 8 inches up the tree; attach the legs to the tree at that point.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 5: Attach the Cape to the Tree

Place the seam that attaches both the hood and the cape together about 5 inches above the arms. You will need a helper to hold the cape in place while you spread it out to make sure it can cover the arms and legs as suggested above. Once positioned, use the staple gun to attach the cape to the tree, stapling five evenly-spaced staples along the seam. The hood should cover the staples. Now move parts of the cape in place so it's covering the arms and legs and place a staple above the arms and below the legs to keep the cape in place.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 6: Attach the Wig and Hat to the Tree

Place the brow of the wig about 7 inches above the cape. Depending on how long your wig is, you may need to adjust how high it goes. Once it's in a good spot, staple the wig to the tree. Now place the hat over the stop of the wig and staple along the outer rim of the hat to attach it to the tree (the bottom of the hat should preferably hang over the cape by a couple of inches). You should only need about three staples to attach the hat.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 7: Place the Broom

The broom will be balanced between the wooden part of one leg and a nail. Place the broom at an angle on top of the wooden part of the leg with the bristles sloping downward, and make sure the broom's bristles stick out far enough from underneath the cape. Place a nail directly above the broom to keep it snugly in place. Using this method, you can use the broom year after year; trying to nail or screw the broom handle into the tree may result in breaking or cracking.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Step 8: Put Shoes on the Legs

Place the black heeled shoes on the end of the legs, and then place the witch shoe covers over the shoes to make sure the shoes stay on the pool noodles.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

Prepare for some neighborly glances, chuckles and discussions on how great she looks in your front yard.

(Image: Matthew Ashman)

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Make Stick Figure Halloween Costumes

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most striking, and one of these is an incredibly simple stick figure Halloween costume. This creative costume is sure to be one-of-a-kind at any Halloween bash. It's also easy to create. You can even put off preparations until the day of halloween party.

(Lexi Cooper/Demand Media)

Start the mask. Get a thick, white paper or plastic disposable plate or another rounded, white object. You can use foam core, poster board or any other piece as long as it's cut into a circle large enough to cover your face.Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Hold the object in front of your face and mark where your eye holes need to be. Draw two circles with black marker around the eye hole area and cut out the center of the eye holes. Draw a dot below and between the eyes for the nose. Draw a mouth using an upturned, downturned or jagged line, depending on the expression you wish to have.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Poke a hole in either side of the mask, right above the ears. Reinforce the back with duct tape. Cut a piece of string that reaches from each side of your face above the ear to around the back of your head. Thread string through the holes, knot to secure.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Choose an all white or other light-colored outfit. The best combination would be a long-sleeved T-shirt and pants or jeans. Lay the items face-up on the floor in front of you.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Cut pieces of duct tape to attach to the outfit and serve as the sticks in the stick figure. One piece of tape should reach from the center of the neck to the center bottom of the shirt. One should reach from each center line down the arm to the elbow. Another should reach from each elbow to each wrist. Legs should each have one strip of tape from the center of the waist band to the knee and another from the knee to bottom of the pant leg.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Hook up the other side of the body. Flip the outfit over and repeat the tape outline for the back of the garments.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

Add a little jazz to the outfit with a bowler or other hat, black shoes and gloves that have fingers created with snipped duct tape.

Lexi Cooper/Demand Media

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How to Make Halloween Punch

Halloween is kind of like the unofficial kick off of the holiday season. If that isn't reason enough for you to look forward to Halloween, there is also the fact that you get to dress in any ridiculous costume you choose with out so much as a sideways glance from others. If you plan on throwing a Halloween bash this year then you might be thinking about displaying a nice foggy bowl of punch on your snack table. The following steps will help you to learn how to make Halloween punch with dry ice.

Place a small amount of warm water in the bottom of your larger plastic or glass punch bowl; this warm water will react with your dry ice to give you the desired foggy effect.

Add your dry ice to the warm water at the bottom of your larger plastic or glass punch bowl using your tongs. Do not touch the dry ice with your bare skin under any circumstance as it can leave you with some pretty nasty burns.

Place your smaller plastic or glass punch bowl inside the larger plastic or glass punch bowl.

Fill the smaller plastic or glass punch bowl with your punch. Any regular bottled fruit punch mixed with Sprite makes a great sparkling punch. Others prefer the sherbert and Sprite mixture.

Make sure that small children and pets are kept away from the dry ice because it can cause burns if it comes in contact with skin. The fog is also not good for breathing because it carbon dioxide from the dry ice.

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Make Scary Halloween Decorations

The decorations are one of the most important parts of Halloween. When decorating halloween, people try to create a scary atmosphere. Most decorations are aided by dim lighting and unexplained movement. You also want to play on people's natural fears in halloween. For example, a lot of people are scared of spiders, so creating one the size of a room can be very scary. Using helium balloons to create ghosts will make the ghost seem like they are moving unassisted.

Use a silver metallic marker to draw eyes and a mouth on the black balloon.

Hang the balloon from the ceiling in the center of a room. You can hang it with sturdy tape, or if you are able to put a removable hook on the ceiling, you can hang it with a hook.

Measure out eight pieces of streamer so that four are long enough to run from the center of the room to the four corners of the room, and the other four to the side walls of the room.

Hang the streamers so they look like the spider's legs.

How to Make Floating Ghosts
Inflate 3-foot white balloons with helium. Tie them down with a weight so they are floating at different heights. Make sure the weight is heavy enough that the balloons can't float away.

Hang a thin white sheet over the balloons so they look like floating ghosts.

Position a strobe light behind the balloons, and turn out all the other lights in the room. If you aren't getting a lot of movement, you can also put a small fan behind the balloons and turn it on low.

How to Make a Tombstone
Cut the Styrofoam so it is flat on the bottom and rounded on the top to resemble a tombstone.

Paint the entire piece of Styrofoam with gray spray paint. Use two shades of gray paint to give the stone a textured look.

Use black spray paint to put people's names or messages on the tombstones.

Duck tape a thin wooden spike to the back of the tombstone, and stick the spike into the ground so that the tombstone stands upright in your yard.

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How To Make Decorations for Halloween

The month of October brings cooler weather, scary movie marathons, festive costumes and delicious treats. Embrace this spooky time of year by decorating your home with frightfully fun decor elements. Skip the store-bought goblins and ghouls and elevate your Halloween decor with these terrifyingly terrific DIYs.

(Image: Demand Media)

1. Spooky Witch's Jar/Potion Bottles

Transform your home into a scene straight out of Hocus Pocus by making thesespooky witch’s potion jars. Display them at a Halloween party or fill them with goodies to hand out to trick-or-treaters.

(Image: Kenzie Mastroe)

2. Dryer Vent Pumpkins

If you’re looking for something a little less spooky and more traditional, give these quick and simple dryer vent pumpkins a try. They can be easily customized to fit the style of your home, and you get to skip the messy pumpkin carving process.

(Image: Kenzie Mastroe)

3. Pumpkin Piñata

Everyone knows the best parties have a piñata. This festive pumpkin piñata is sure to be a hit (pun intended) with kids and adults.

(Image: Image: Jessica Begum)

4. Witch Running Into a Tree

Contrary to popular belief, not all witches are skilled broom pilots. Add some humor to your Halloween decor by building this funny tribute to the broom-school dropouts.

(Image: Image: Matthew Ashman)

5. Cardboard Tombstones

There are few things more terrifying than walking through a haunted graveyard on All Hallows' Eve. Transform your own yard into a ghostly graveyard by making these simplecardboard tombstones.

(Image: Image: Matthew Ashman)

6. Cemetery Fence

Naturally, you are going to need a spooky fence to protect your ghostly graveyard. Follow these easy instructions to complete your backyard cemetery.

(Image: Image: Matthew Ashman)

7. Scarecrow

There is nothing more quintessentially Halloween than a traditional scarecrow. Keep those pesky crows away and add a little creepiness to your garden with this fun scarecrow craft.

(Image: Image: Matthew Ashman)

8. Hanging Branch Centerpiece

Transform your dining room into a horrific vampire's lair by creating this eerie hanging branch centerpiece that will drive dinner guests batty.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

9. Creepy Halloween Floral Arrangement

Dress up autumn's beautiful flowers with some creepy spiders to create a one-of-a-kind Halloween floral arrangement that is elegantly eerie.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

10. Head on a Platter Serving Tray

Guests will get a dose of tricks and treats when you serve them this platter with aghastly mummy head in the center.

(Image: Image: Jonatan Fong)

11. Halloween-Themed Switch Plates

Don't forget to spruce up your light switches this Halloween. Check out some of these fun ways to disguise ordinary switches and turn them into whimsical decor elements.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

12. Dried Apple Shrunken Heads

Apples are abundant in the fall, but rather than using them in traditional harvest recipes, try carving them into these monstrous and grotesque dried apple shrunken headsinstead.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

13. Ghost Illusion for a Haunted House

Create a bone-chilling optical illusion that will have friends and guests running for their lives. This genius haunted ghost illusion will guarantee you the title of scariest house on the street.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

14. Spider Centerpiece from Flowers

Not all spiders have to be scary. Utilize autumn's bold and beautiful flowers to create this not-so-scary floral spider centerpiece.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

15. Ghost Face Picture Frame

Made with items you probably already have on hand, these ghost face picture framesgive the illusion that ghosts are traveling through the walls of your home.

(Image: Image: Jessica Begum)

16. Chicken Wire Ghost

Take your haunted house theme outside by adding some ghastly ghouls to haunt your yard with this chicken wire ghost project.

(Image: Image: Jessica Begum)

17. Pumpkin-Shaped Floral Arrangements

Try a new take on the traditional pumpkin by creating these elegant and charming pumpkin-shaped floral arrangements. This fun floral craft makes a delightful centerpiece and can be used to decorate your favorite outdoor space.

(Image: Image: Jonathan Fong)

18. Spooky Mason Jar Globes

These spooky mason jar globes are easier to make than you might think. Use them as centerpieces, display them on shelves, or give them away as gifts.

(Image: Image: Lucy Akins)

19. Boo Tray

Surprise guests with this clever boo tray. It is perfect for displaying Halloween treats and can be made in just a few quick steps.

(Image: Image: Lucy Akins)

20. Spell Book

Every witch needs a terrifying spell book to keep track of all those potions and elixirs. Create your own spell book that is sure to impress guests and trick-or-treaters.

(Image: Image: Matthew Ashman)

21. Spider Web

If you have some old yarn, scissors and tape available, you have everything you need to make this quick and easy DIY spider web. Hang it in a doorway or outside to create an eerie atmosphere in your home.

(Image: Image: Angie Diersman)

22. Fake Spider Webbing

You see fake spider webs sold in almost every store in October, but do you know all the different ways you can use it in your home? Check out some of these creative ways to decorate with spider webs.

(Image: Image: Angie Diersman)

23. Fake Spiders

Invoke a case of arachnophobia in your guests by displaying these handmade spidersaround your house. Add them to your fake spider webs for the maximum spook factor.

(Image: Image: Angie Diersman)

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Halloween Ideas for Kids

Halloween is lots of fun for kids - mostly because it usually involves getting dressed up and eating candy. There's more to Halloween than trick-or-treating, though, and you may want to share the history of the holiday with your family.

Explain the origins of the holiday. Although medieval Christianity is the origin for the majority of our modern Halloween celebrations, some traditions are rooted in Samhain, an old Irish festival. This festival honored the dead and marked the beginning of winter and the start of the new year (by the ancient Celtic calendar) in early Christian and pagan times.

Talk about how the celebration spread. As Christianity gained momentum in Europe in the ninth century, the church declared November 1 All Saints Day to honor saints who did not yet have their own day of homage. The special mass they held became known as Allhallowmas - the mass of all saintly ones. The night before was known as All Hallows Eve.

Discuss the origins of trick-or-treating. One version is that on All Souls Day, early Christians went door to door begging for "soul cakes," offering a prayer for the giver's soul in return. Others say that on Samhain, revelers would don masks representing the dead, and would go from house to house and collect food that had been reserved for the departed.

Explain why revelers wear Halloween costumes. People used to believe that on All Hallows Eve, the line between the dead and the living weakened, allowing spirits to re-enter the world and possess the living. Apparently, fearful folks wore the garb of ghouls and ghosts to avoid an encounter with the real thing.

Talk about jack-o'-lanterns, which originally were hollowed-out turnips, not pumpkins. According to folklore, a man named Jack who once tricked Satan was barred from heaven and hell when he died. He was condemned to wander in darkness, with just one coal to light his way. This is why we put candles inside carved pumpkins at Halloween.

Explain similar celebrations around the world. From Mexico's Day of the Dead to Sicily's Festival of the Dead and England's Guy Fawkes Day, there are many celebrations similar to Halloween around the world. Your family might even enjoy borrowing some traditions from these varied cultural celebrations.

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Teens Halloween Party Ideas

The drift of fog emitting from the fog machine, the spooky music from inside, a buffet of scary foods and a crowd of costumed teenagers make a spooktacular party event. Too old to go trick-or-treating and too young for nightclubs, teens enjoy a scarily fun atmosphere at a Halloween party. When you send out the invitations, encourage your guests to dress up as their favorite book, TV or movie character -- and remind them that you will award prizes for the best or scariest costumes.

Decorate for the Party
Hang ragged sheets around the perimeter of the porch or in the windows. Replace the light bulbs in the fixtures with red or orange bulbs for a spooky entrance. Red or orange rope lights indicate the walk to the house, and a fog machine adds a mysterious fog to the garden and entry while a scary music CD plays. Inside, black plastic lines the walls of the party room, and orange twinkle lights strung overhead provide light. Set aside a place for a dance floor, and hire a DJ to provide music once the party starts. Don't forget a spooky corner with classic Frankenstein and Dracula cutouts or blowups for selfies with the teens' BFFs.

Halloween Games and More
A makeup artist set up in the dining room enhances costumes with scary makeup as the guests arrive. Set up a treasure hunt in the backyard, with bags of gold-wrapped chocolate coins and favorite candy bars as prizes. Each teen receives a map with clues, but make each map different so the prizes are fairly distributed among the guests. Alternately, set up a haunted house in the backyard, dividing the "rooms" with reed fencing covered with black plastic. Several adults should be on hand to help with the scary activities and monitor the teens' activities while touring the haunted house. Before the evening ends, give out prizes for the best costumes.

A Spooky Spread
Cover the buffet table with black plastic tablecloths for easy cleanup. Add serving platters for mozzarella and olive "eyeballs," pretzel "fingers," spider cookies and a large dirt cake, complete with gummy worms wiggling out of the cookie crumb topping. Use chafing dishes for hot dog "fingers," meatballs, chicken drummettes and other finger foods. Serve a red fruit punch with red and orange-tinted ice cubes, and provide plastic glasses trimmed with dribbles of red-tinted corn syrup for the extra-creepy effect. Also provide bottled water and sparkling fruit juices for the teens and plenty of hot coffee for adult chaperones.

Control of the Party
While a teen Halloween party is all about the fun, maintaining control of the party is essential to its success. Encourage the chaperones to dress up in costume or wear glow-in-the-dark T-shirts and have their faces painted before the party starts. Pumpkin flashlights help find missing jewelry and flash into dark corners unexpectedly, keeping everyone on their toes. Once the music starts and while the DJ plays Michael Jackson's "Thriller," encourage the adults to line up and start the zombie dance to get the teens up and dancing. A selection of novelty tunes gives the teens a chance to try out "The Monster Mash" or "The Mummy's Bracelet" with the chaperones teaching the teens the steps.

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