| You don't have to buy or hire expensive ready made | | | | a large flat tail out of a sheet of black card (or a piece |
| Halloween costumes for your kids, you can have lots | | | | of black fake fur for a great look!) and paint a white |
| more fun coming up with cheap costume ideas from | | | | strip down the middle. Pin or sew this to the bottom of |
| things you have around the house. Try these for size: | | | | the sweat shirt at the back. |
| Pebbles Flintstone Costume | | | | Attach claws to the fingertips of the gloves and the |
| Take a chicken thigh bone and soak it in a weak | | | | black shoes by cutting claw shapes out of cardboard |
| bleach and eater solution for a few hours. Scrub the | | | | and gluing them in place. Now hang your trick or treat |
| bone well with a nailbrush and soapy water. Dry in a | | | | collection bag on a pole so people can stand well back |
| slow oven. | | | | in case your `skunk' decides to add his own touch of |
| Take one green t-shirt and cut a small slit in the front | | | | realism! |
| from the neck down. Using a black laundry marker, | | | | The Hunchback of Notre Dame |
| draw small arrows all over the t-shirt. Team this with | | | | For the costume you will need a pair of green tights or |
| blue shorts or a blue diaper to make Pebbles' outfit. | | | | sweat pants, and a medieval style over sized shirt. |
| Brush the child's hair up onto the top of her head and | | | | Scour the charity shops for something that looks right |
| secure in a bunch with a hair elastic. Thread the dry | | | | a brown man's shirt will do. |
| bone through the hair elastic. | | | | To make the hunch, fill a back pack with crumpled |
| Now you have one very cute Pebbles Flintstone! | | | | paper and slip the arms through the straps then put |
| CREEPY SPIDER | | | | the shirt on over the back pack. |
| Boys love this costume. The basic costume is a black | | | | For medieval boots, draw round the shape of the |
| sleeved sweatshirt and sweat pants with black shoes. | | | | child's foot into strong cardboard, drawing a long point |
| Put on black woollen gloves and make sure there is no | | | | out from the toes. Stuff the card soles into a pair of |
| flesh showing between gloves and sleeves. Cover the | | | | knee length black or brightly colored socks and curl the |
| head with a black balaclava. You can paint the face | | | | point of the cardboard up. |
| black with child's greasepaint. | | | | Sew bells on the costume and around the top of the |
| Now take two pairs of opaque black tights and stuff | | | | socks. |
| them with newspaper. Tie the tights together and pin | | | | The Head on a silver platter costume |
| them to the back of the black sweatshirt. | | | | Take a large cardboard box, and cut out holes for |
| A cute but scary touch is a pair of `goggle eye' | | | | your child's head and arms to fit through. Cut a |
| glasses with the eyeballs hanging off on springs. | | | | matching head hole in a plastic table cloth and glue it |
| Skunk | | | | over the box. Cut another matching head hole in a |
| You will need the black sweats, balaclava and gloves | | | | large circle of silver card stock (or the largest silver |
| from the spider costume. Using white acrylic paint | | | | colored paper plate you can find, and glue it round the |
| draw a stripe down the center of the black balaclava | | | | head hole in the box, over the tablecloth. Glue a few |
| and down the center back of the black sweatshirt. Cut | | | | plastic fruits and vegetables to the plate. |