Print Making - Halloween Style!

My preschoolers love to get their hands messy! This year, as I was attempting to decorate my classroom for the season, I realized that I wanted more kid-designed work. There's just something perfect about the 'not-so-perfect' crafts they work so diligently to create.

I racked my brain hoping to come up with something new - something we'd never done - and came up with these fun (super decorative!) Halloween prints. These are just the mock-ups (I'm waiting till the week before Halloween to introduce these crafts), but you'll certainly be able to get the idea!

Supplies You'll Need

• Small canvas or cardboard pieces (I cut 8" x 10" pieces of canvas in half)
• Halloween themed scrapbook or crafting papers
• Black, white, orange, and green craft paint
• Kids paint brushes
• Black, white, and orange glitter
• Craft glue
• Wiggle eyes
• Black Sharpie marker

I'm not certain whether I'll prepare these paper pieces before the craft or have my students cut their own paper (I like them to have all the fine motor practice they can get!), but I began by cutting pieces of festive scrapbook paper to glue to the rigid canvas base. Here's how we'll create each of these unique Halloween characters:

• Cover the student's palm with black craft paint. Invite them to press their hand firmly to the paper covered canvas to create a print. Quickly sprinkle black glitter over the wet paint then set aside to dry. When dry, have students add wiggle eyes to the spider's body then draw spider legs with a black marker. Invite them to trace the newly created legs with craft glue and sprinkle the creation once more with black glitter.
• Cover the student's palm with orange craft paint. Instruct them to firmly press their hand to the middle of the canvas to create a print. Quickly cover the wet paint with orange glitter and set it aside to dry. Invite students to use a black marker or pieces of black construction paper to create the jack 'o lantern's stem, eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover the student's palm with black craft paint. Have them press their hand firmly to the canvas to create a print. Help them draw "ears" on their cat then quickly sprinkle the wet paint with black glitter and set aside to dry. Have students add wiggle eyes, use a scrap of construction paper to create a kitty nose, and a craft glue/white glitter combo to create whiskers.
• Cover the student's palm with green craft paint. Invite them to make a print in the middle of their canvas and set it aside to dry. Add wiggle eyes then, using a black marker, black craft paint, or black construction paper, help your students design Frankenstein's hair, neck bolts, nose, mouth, and stitches.
• >Cover the student's hand with white craft paint. Have them hold their fingers together as they create a print in the middle of their canvas. Quickly sprinkle the wet paint with white glitter and set aside to dry. With black craft paint, a black marker, or black construction paper, help your students create eyes and a mouth for the ghost.
• Cover the student's palm with black craft paint. Invite them to press their hand firmly to the canvas to create a print, then quickly cover the wet paint with black glitter and set aside to dry. When dry, have students add wiggle eyes to the bat body then create ears and wings with a black marker, black craft paint, or black construction paper.

Of course, my plan is to have students choose their favorite character and create just one, but we'll see! Hope you enjoy creating your own prints - Halloween style!