Easy Halloween Craft: Make a Mummy

At our library we have a weekly Storyhour which is attended mostly by children under the age of four. As the librarian, I find it a challenge to find new and interesting projects that the kids are able to do. This past week was a busy one and I needed something that would be quick for me to prepare. The book we were reading ("In the Haunted House" by Eve Bunting) had lots of creepy characters to choose from. I settled on a mummy.

Make a Mummy

Materials Needed:

Card stock (regular paper would work too, but might be a bit trickier to wrap)

Streamers (tissue paper cut in strips could also work)

Googly eyes (you could also make your own out of paper)

Scissors

Tape

Glue (bottle or stick)

Crayons or markers (optional)

Adult Preparation:

1) Fold your card stock or paper in half and cut out a body shape, sort of like a single paper doll. This first step will require a bit of creativity on your part. There is an example of a "blank mummy" in my pictures above. You don't need to be to picky, he or she will be wrapped in "bandages" anyway!

2) Cut some lengths of streamer. (I think this is a fun way to use up old party supplies.) I had some old off-white streamer that looked good, but, as you can see in the pictures, a blue mummy is cute too! (Or pink or orange or whatever!) You may want to cut some of the strips lengthwise to make thinner bandages for the arms and legs. The nice thing is that the streamers can be folded quite a few times and still cut easily, so you don't have to cut a straight line for the whole length of the streamer.

Your Child's Part:

1) Color your Mummy. For some children in our Storyhour (especially very young ones) this is great fun, for slightly older ones it has lost some of its charm. This step is optional. The mummy looks good either way.

2) Wrap the mummy in streamer bandages. You may want to tape one end of the bandages to the back of the mummy to stabilize them. Glue works too but tends to shift a bit. To make a spot to stick the eyes, encourage your child to wrap the head. I wrapped my sample mummies very sparsely, but you can't really wrap too much!

3) Add eyes to your mummy. I used a glue stick. Bottled glue would work too, but if you use too much the color of your streamers might run a bit.

4) That's it! Hang it up for Halloween. (You may want to add a string for hanging, but you can use poster putty or tape too.)

This is a fun and simple craft, that works a bit on a your child's motor skills without being too overwhelming. And for the little effort it took, I think they are pretty cute!!

If you are interested in another simple craft for Halloween, you can check out the "Super Simple Spiderweb" we made here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2256491/easy_halloween_crafts.html?cat=25#comments

Hope you have fun when you Make a Mummy!

Happy Halloween!