Easy Halloween Craft

I did a simple Halloween craft project with my kids the other day. I had a collection of empty toilet paper rolls that I've been saving. I didn't really have anything specific in mind for them, but I've made a lot of crafts with toilet paper rolls, and I knew something would come up. So at my house, no one is allowed to throw away the empty roll!

I had a brainstorm and on Saturday, we put the empty rolls to use. Along with some orange paint, string, markers, pipe cleaners and googly eyes.

First, I let the kids use finger paint to paint all the rolls bright orange.

After the rolls dried, it was time to put faces on them. I suggested the standard jack 'o' lantern faces - you know, three triangles and a jaggy mouth. We did a few like that, but then the kids got bored with that method. They decided to make faces using googly eyes and mouths made of pipe cleaner. They enjoyed it, but even they agreed that the result didn't really look like a jack 'o' lantern. Actually, they decided that it looked like the Muffin Man of "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" fame. I don't know how they decided this, but they sang the song a LOT while finishing the faces. I don't even know where they learned that song.

Eventually, they decided we should put regular jack 'o' lantern faces on the back of all the Muffin Man rolls. Then we punched holes at the top of each roll, strung the rolls onto a string, and had a fun Halloween decoration for the kitchen island!

And if at any point we need a Muffin Man string, we are prepared! We just have to hang the string the other direction and we're all set. :)