Quick crafts with kids: Simple Halloween skeletons

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Do you have extra cotton swabs on hand at your house? Those plus some glue and black (or any color) construction paper are pretty much the makings of a super simple skeleton craft for kids of most ages.

Here's the skinny on the skeletons my grandsons made in less than 20 minutes Saturday morning, inspired by this crafty post from Spoonful.

Halloween skeleton craft

WHAT YOU NEED:

Several cotton swabs

glue (not a glue stick)

 white paper

black construction paper

black marker for drawing skeleton faces

WHAT YOU DO:

Put some glue in a small container that's easy for the child to dip into with the cotton swabs .

Dip each end of one cotton swab into the glue and place vertically on the black construction paper.

Add more cotton swab bones for legs and arms.

halloween skeletons

(Note: Two swabs per leg and arm make for a more accurate skeleton... ya know, the kind with elbows and knees. But does it matter if Mr. Bones can't bend his arms or legs? Not one bit.)

Don't feel like adding legs or arms? Do whatever you feel like doing... which may be swirling glue in spots around the paper just because it's fun to do when you're two.

halloween skeletons
halloween skeletons

At some point in the process — it doesn't matter the order — freehand draw a skeleton skull on the white paper. Cut out and glue in place.

Cut cotton swabs in half for the rib bones, to be glued horizontally on each side of the first swab placed on the paper.

Cut both ends off one swab for feet. Cut the remaining stick — and another stick — into "fingers" to be glued at the end of each arm.

halloween skeletons
halloween skeleton craft

Use the black marker to draw a spooky or silly face.

halloween skeleton craft
halloween skeleton craft

Explain to your brother why you drew the face the way you did.

halloween skeleton craft

Appreciate your work.

halloween craft

Even if it's work Gramma and your brother helped you do.

halloween craft

That's it!

Want another quick and easy Halloween craft? Try these Simple Spooky Spiders Bubby made last Halloween.

Today's question:

What's most prominent in your Halloween decor — skeletons, ghosts, zombies or pumpkins?

I'm baaack... as is GRAND Social No. 75

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I'm back from visiting my grandsons in the desert. My bottom-line wrap-up: 'Twas a short but sweet time together.

In the four days I had with Bubby, Mac, Megan and Preston (plus Roxy the dog, too), I came away with 2,068 photos and 14 videos on my camera, plus 41 photos on my iPhone.

I'll be sharing those captured moments in months to come — so many recorded as it will be several months before I see the boys again — but today I want to share this one, which I think just might be my favorite of the massive bunch:

loving brothers

Oh, how I love these boys!

If you follow Grandma's Briefs on Facebook, you likely already saw this precious shot of the snuggle-bunny brothers. You may have even seen it in my sidebar (over there to the right), as I couldn't help but make it my new "Who's Who" shot of Gramma's favorite boys. Call it overkill, if you will; I call it a perfect picture I simply had to share again and again.

I hope your time while I was away was equally picture perfect, and I thank you again and again for joining me for this week's GRAND Social No. 75!

link party

How it works:

  • All grandparent bloggers are invited to add a link. You don't have to blog specifically about grandparenting, just be a grandparent who blogs.
  • To link up a post, copy the direct URL to the specific post — new or old — that you want to share, not the link to your blog's home page. Then click the blue button marked with "Add your link" below and follow the directions.
  • You can add up to three posts, but no duplicates, contests, giveaways, or Etsy sites, please.
  • Adding a mention such as This post linked to the GRAND Social to your linked posts is appreciated. Or, you can post the GRAND Social button anywhere on your page using the following code:

Grandma’sBriefs.com

<a rel="nofollow" href="/" target="blank"><img src="http://grandmasbriefs.squarespace.com/storage/GRANDsocialbutton.jpg " alt="Grandma’sBriefs.com" width="125" height="125" /></a>

 

  • The GRAND Social linky is open for new posts through Wednesday evening, so please come back to see those added after your first visit.

  • If you're not a blogger, you have the pleasure of being a reader. Bloggers who link up would be honored to have one and all — other bloggers as well as readers — visit, read and, if so moved, comment, even if just a "Hey, stopping by from the GRAND Social."

Picture this: Hot air here and there

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Many of you know I'm a long-distance grandma. I live in the mountains, and my grandsons live more than 800 miles away in the desert.

Yesterday I shared some of the things unique to my home in the mountains, things likely to delight my grandsons because they're things Bubby and Mac will find only at my house.

Today, though, I share something we both have, something found here at my home in the mountains as well as there in the desert.

A recent view from my back yard:

And a recent view from their back yard:

Balloons in the morning sky are a common occurance at their place and a common occurance at mine — no balloon festivals required.

Seems there's just as much hot air in the mountains as there is in the desert.

At least when it comes to balloons. (Thankfully just balloons.)

Today's question:

Have you ever ridden in a hot-air balloon or would you ever want to?