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Gauzy Ghosts

Gauzy Ghosts

WHAT YOU NEED

  • 1 empty Juicy Juice® 64 oz plastic bottle
  • 5 – 6 boxes of gauze (2.5 yard size)
  • 1 bottle of liquid starch
  • 1 medium sized kitchen bowl (stainless steel is recommended)
  • Safety scissors
  • 2 googly eyes
  • Black puff paint
  • Aluminum foil
  • Craft glue gun
  • 1 plastic plate

HOW TO DO IT

  • Set the empty Juicy Juice bottle onto a plastic plate. This will be the body of the ghost.
  • Make an aluminum foil ball, just large enough to fit into the opening of the bottle. This forms the head of the ghost.
  • Once the foil ball is in place, secure around the opening of the bottle using a craft glue gun.
  • Tear off a 12 inch piece of foil. Gather it up to form a thick “rope” and curve it slightly. Repeat this process. These will be the arms of the ghost.
  • (PARENTS ONLY) Apply a liberal amount of glue to one end of each arm and secure to the bottle. You will have to hold the foil to the bottle just until the glue sets or the arms will not stick to the plastic.
  • Let the arms dry completely before moving to the next step.
  • Place the liquid starch in a bowl.
  • Measure the distance from the top to the bottom of the bottle, including the foil “head.”
  • Double the measurement and you will have the length of the longest piece of gauze you will cut.
  • Cut several pieces of gauze to this length and several pieces of differing lengths.
  • Dip each piece of gauze into the liquid starch being sure to coat the gauze completely.
  • Then run the gauze between your first and second fingers to remove any excess starch.
  • Now drape the gauze over the juice bottle, covering the foil head and arms.
  • Continue this process until you have the ghostly effect you want.
  • You will be removing the ghost from the plastic form once it dries, so don’t worry if some of the foil or bottle shows.
  • Set the ghost aside until it is completely dry. This may take a day or more depending on how many gauze layers were applied, the thickness of the starch and the dampness of the weather.
  • When the ghost is dry, apply the googly eyes and use black puff paint to create a “howling” mouth. Let this dry.
  • Remove the ghost from the juice bottle. You may have to twist it back and forth slightly to release any dried starch that sticks to the bottle.

TIPS

  • The Gauzy Ghost makes a great companion to the Trick-or-Treat candy by the front door. Place a flashlight or glow stick inside the ghost for a very spooky effect.
  • Make several ghosts and hang them to the tree branches outside your house.

FOLLOW UP FUN

  • Check out the Fun Finder and see if there are any Professional Haunted Houses in your area.
  • Look for neighborhoods that really decorate their houses for Halloween and take the family for a drive to get ideas or just to enjoy the season!

“Gobble Up” Gobbler

WHAT YOU NEED

For each Gobbler:

  • 1 red pear
  • 1 white mushroom or marshmallow
  • 1 toothpick (optional)
  • 2 oval carrot chips or slices
  • 5 snow peas
  • 1 square cracker
  • Red bell pepper
  • 2 raisins
  • Thin pretzel sticks
  • Smooth peanut butter
  • Butter knife
  • Heavy duty paper plate

HOW TO DO IT

  • (PARENTS ONLY) Cut a thin portion from the bottom of the pear so that it sits upright on the plate.
  • For the gobbler’s head: remove the stem from a white mushroom and attach it to the top of the pear by sliding it onto the pear’s stem. If your pear has no stem, insert a toothpick into the top of the pear and slide the mushroom onto it.
  • For the tail feathers:cut a thin wedge from the middle-back of the pear. Angle the wedge so that the feathers stand upright.
  • Fill the wedge with peanut butter and insert the 5 snow peas. Fan them out to form the Gobbler’s tail feathers.
  • For the side feathers: Secure one carrot chip to each side of the gobbler using peanut butter.
  • For the beak: cut a horizontal 1 ½ inch slit in the center of the mushroom. Break off a corner of the square cracker and insert it into the slit, making sure the finished corner faces out.
  • For the waddle: Cut a 2 inch length of red bell pepper. Use a dab of peanut butter to secure it to the beak.
  • For the eyes: Secure two raisins above the beak with peanut butter.
  • For the feet: Place two dabs of peanut butter about 1 ½ inches apart at the bottom of the pear. Insert three 1 inch pretzel pieces into each dab (see image).

TIP

  • You can use a marshmallow instead of a mushroom for the head of the gobbler if you wish.

FOLLOW UP FUN

  • Creating this Gobble-Up Gobbler is a great activity for the kids to do on Thanksgiving Day. Set up a table with all the gobbler makings and let the kids have fun!
  • Make sure that you have plenty of carrots, raisins and pretzel sticks for the kids to snack on while they are making their gobbler.