15 Zero-Waste Halloween Crafts For Kids to Kick-Off Spooky Season

15 Zero-Waste Halloween Crafts For Kids to Kick-Off Spooky Season

Looking to make Halloween fun, creative, and eco-friendly this year? With a little imagination, you can turn household items and natural materials into festive decorations, costumes, and crafts that kids will love! We’ve compiled 15 easy and zero-waste Halloween crafts that are perfect for spooky season while keeping waste to a minimum. Let’s get crafting!

The Real Halloween Waste Monster

Before we dive into the crafts, let’s take a quick look at some scary Halloween waste stats:

  • Candy Wrappers: Almost 600 million pounds of Halloween candy are sold annually in the U.S., leading to tons of non-recyclable wrapper waste.
  • Synthetic Costumes: Nearly 85% of Halloween costumes end up in landfills due to their non-biodegradable materials.
  • Pumpkin Waste: Over 18,000 tons of pumpkins rot in landfills each year, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

This Halloween, you can celebrate without the scary waste. These craft ideas use repurposed and natural materials to make a difference!

Sustainable Craft Essentials

While you can repurpose many items for your Halloween projects, here are some eco-friendly essentials to keep in mind:

  • Biodegradable glitter: Ditch the plastic glitter for a planet-friendly version.
  • Natural paints: Use non-toxic, water-based paints for craft projects.
  • Wooden paintbrushes: Sustainable and sturdy!
  • Plant-based glue: A kid-safe alternative to synthetic glues.

15 Easy Zero-Waste Halloween Crafts

1. Egg Carton Spiders

Materials: Egg cartons, black paint, yarn, glue, scrap paper
Instructions:

  1. Cut the egg carton into individual cups.
  2. Paint each cup black to form the spider’s body.
  3. Cut pieces of yarn for the legs and glue four legs on each side of the spider.
  4. Cut small circles from scrap paper to make eyes, and glue them to the top of each spider.
  5. Once dry, hide the spiders around the house for a spooky surprise!

2. Cardboard Graveyard Scene

Materials: Cardboard shoebox, gray paint, markers, scissors
Instructions:

  1. Cut the lid off a shoebox. Use the lid to cut out tombstone shapes.
  2. Paint the tombstones gray and let them dry.
  3. Use markers to write spooky names and dates on each tombstone.
  4. Arrange the tombstones in the shoebox to create a mini graveyard scene.

3. Toilet Paper Roll Mummies

Materials: Toilet paper rolls, white paint, scrap fabric or bandages, markers, glue
Instructions:

  1. Paint the toilet paper rolls white and let them dry.
  2. Cut strips of scrap fabric or bandages and wrap them around the rolls like mummy wraps.
  3. Glue the fabric in place and leave some space to draw a face with markers.

4. Sock Puppet Monsters

Materials: Odd socks, buttons, yarn, fabric scraps, glue
Instructions:

  1. Take old socks and sew or glue button eyes on them.
  2. Add yarn for hair and use fabric scraps to create teeth, tongues, and other monster features.
  3. Have fun bringing your sock puppets to life for a Halloween puppet show!

5. Tin Can Lanterns

Materials: Clean tin cans, hammer, nail, LED candle or light
Instructions:

  1. Remove labels from the tin cans and clean them thoroughly.
  2. Using a hammer and nail, punch holes into the can in spooky patterns (like a pumpkin face or spider web).
  3. Place an LED candle inside the can for a safe, spooky lantern. (Note: Supervise kids while making holes in the cans.)

6. Paper Bag Trick-or-Treat Bags

Materials: Paper shopping bags, paint, brushes
Instructions:

  1. Take an old paper shopping bag and paint it with a Halloween-themed design, like pumpkins, ghosts, or witches.
  2. Let the paint dry and use your custom bag for trick-or-treating!

7. Recycled Cereal Box Monster Puppets

Materials: Cereal boxes, paint, markers, recycled materials for decoration
Instructions:

  1. Cut out rectangular pieces from old cereal boxes to create puppet bases.
  2. Paint the puppets to look like monsters and let them dry.
  3. Add eyes, teeth, and other features using recycled materials (like bottle caps or paper scraps).
  4. Put your hand inside the box to control the monster puppet!

8. Pumpkin Seed Art

Materials: Pumpkin seeds, paint, glue, paper
Instructions:

  1. After carving a pumpkin, clean and dry the seeds.
  2. Paint the seeds in fall colors, such as orange, red, and yellow.
  3. Draw a tree shape on a large piece of recycled paper.
  4. Glue the seeds onto the paper as falling leaves to complete the artwork.

9. Mason Jar Lanterns

Materials: Glass jars, orange paint, black markers, LED candle
Instructions:

  1. Paint the outside of the glass jar orange.
  2. Once dry, draw a jack-o'-lantern face with black markers.
  3. Place an LED candle inside to create a glowing lantern.

10. Leaf Garland

Materials: Fallen autumn leaves, string, needle
Instructions:

  1. Collect fallen leaves in different colors and sizes.
  2. Use a needle and string to carefully thread the leaves together, creating a garland.
  3. Hang the garland on your mantel or across a doorway for a natural, festive decoration.

11. DIY Witch Brooms

Materials: Fallen twigs, string
Instructions:

  1. Gather fallen twigs of similar lengths.
  2. Bundle them together at one end and tie them tightly with string to resemble a miniature witch’s broom.
  3. Use the brooms as fun decorations or costume props!

12. Cardboard Spider Webs

Materials: Cardboard, black paint, glue, paper spider
Instructions:

  1. Cut a large circle out of old cardboard and paint it black.
  2. Draw or glue string in a spider-web pattern across the circle.
  3. Create a paper spider to place in the center, or use other recycled materials for decoration.

13. Ghost Decorations

Materials: Yogurt pots, white paint, googly eyes, string
Instructions:

  1. Clean out empty yogurt pots and paint them white.
  2. Once dry, add googly eyes and draw spooky faces.
  3. Thread string through the tops and hang them around the house as ghostly decorations.

14. Recycled Paper Pumpkin Prints

Materials: Apples or potatoes, eco-friendly paint, recycled paper
Instructions:

  1. Cut apples or potatoes in half and carve simple pumpkin faces into them.
  2. Dip the carved side into eco-friendly paint and stamp them onto recycled paper to create pumpkin prints.
  3. Let the kids decorate their prints with additional drawings or stickers.

15. Face Paint Fun

Materials: Cornstarch, water, natural food coloring
Instructions:

  1. Mix cornstarch, water, and natural food coloring to create homemade face paint.
  2. Let your kids paint cute or spooky designs on their faces with this safe, eco-friendly paint.
  3. Wash it off easily at the end of the day!

Witching You a Happy, Eco-Friendly Halloween!

With these 15 zero-waste Halloween crafts, you and your kids can enjoy spooky season while making a positive impact on the planet. From upcycling materials to using natural resources, these ideas will kick off your eco-friendly Halloween in style. Happy crafting, and let’s make this Halloween both fun and sustainable!

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