Here are seven Halloween decorations you and your students can make quickly and easily. In most cases all you will need is some paper, glue and felt pens or paint.
1. Ghosts!
Draw a large ghost on a piece of poster size card. This can be as simple as an upside down U shape with googly eyes and a zigzag mouth. Glue several white streamers to the bottom. Pin your giant ghost on the notice board for the class to see. Give each student a smaller version of your ghost printed on white A4 card. The students cut these out and glue white streamers to the bottom. Pin the smaller ghosts on the notice board as well. If there's room it's fun to add a speech balloon to each ghost.
2. Gravestones
Cut a gravestone out of cardboard. Leave a flap at the bottom that can be folded back. This needs to be about a quarter of the height of the gravestone. This will enable the gravestone to stand up. Paint the gravestone grey. Use a sponge or brush to paint darker grey patches. Use a sponge or toothbrush to add black speckles. Use a black felt pen to write a name, date and epitaph. If possible drape with cobwebs and add a spider or two.
3. Borders
Use repeating pictures or patterns to create borders for noticeboards, windows and displays. Print out a copy of the picture you want to use, for each student in the class. If possible, print on lightly colored paper (green, orange, yellow). This will help the pictures create a unified effect when they are lined up. Let your students color the pictures. If they all use the same medium the effect will be stronger (crayon, felt pen, pencil).
4. Raffia
String teased out raffia across a wall in the classroom. Sticky tape cut out pictures that your students have colored to the string, creating a pinched effect at the site of each picture. The rough texture of Raffia and the strings that fall down create a great effect.
5. Dead Tree
Use a dead tree branch to create a classroom display. Place a leafless tree branch in a bucket filled with sand or stones. This works best if you use one with several smaller branches on it. Spray paint it black or let a small group of students paint it black with brushes. Use string to hang pictures and decorations. Add cobwebs and spiders if possible.
6. Bats Everywhere!
Bats fly in large groups. Let your students paint (or color with crayons) a whole bunch of bats. These look great if you paste them to the wall. Have them coming through the door, up and across the wall and then up to the ceiling.
7. Paper Lantern
Make orange paper lanterns with black lanterns to hang on a string stretched across the classroom. To make the lantern, fold A4 paper in half lengthways. Then cut into the card starting at the fold and ending 1cm before the end of the paper. Continue making these cuts every 1cm.
Unfold the paper and glue the two short ends together. Cut a strip of paper to make a handle and glue this to the top of the lantern.
