Haunted House Halloween Craft for Kids

Over the years, this was an art project that was beloved by my elementary students.  We called it the Haunted House. 

The supplies are found in most craft stores.  They include: crayons, pencils, black thin line markers, ruler,black, orange, green, gray, white, red and yellow construction paper, fluorescent papers, white glue, tape, scissors, a hole puncher, and Halloween spider webs.

 

With a white crayon, sketch a haunted looking house or castle on black construction paper.  Include towers, shingles, porches, steps, doors and windows.

Cut out the house, and find a background sheet of construction paper or project board, orange or magenta look really spooky.

 

Carefully, cutting on the lines, (diagrams to follow,) open the doors and the windows of the Haunted House.

 

Lines for cutting out windows and doors.

 

Flip over the house to the reverse side, after cutting open the doors and windows.  Carefully place and tape over the openings, fluorescent pieces of paper.  This paper had color on both sides both sides, some do not, so make sure that the color shows out the front of the house.  Use a little white glue to paste on to background.  Smooth.

 

Cut out a circle of bright yellow fluorescent paper for a moon,

and slip it behind the tower before the glue dries.  Add a bat on top.

 

Fold a small piece of black construction paper in half, and draw half a bat's figure, making sure that the fold is in the middle of the bat when you cut it out.

Use a hole puncher for bat eyes, and a triangle for the bat nose.

 Make some ghosts on white paper, with a black marker.  Keep both eyes on the same side of the head, so that it looks like it is floating in a direction.

 

Make  ghosts facing out.  Cut out ghosts and make them in different sizes.

Make some pumpkins in different sizes.  Use brown, orange, yellow, and green crayons to give the pumpkins shape.  Cut out the pumpkins.

 Draw a flying witch, and use a ruler to show a line for her broom handle.

Finish the witch and cut out.

Make a waving Frankenstein for the front door, and cut out.

 

A vampire is next, then

a Jack-O-Lantern popping out of a second story window.

 

Tombstones with a ghost in front gives dimension to the piece. Slip rolled tape behind the figures to push them out a little.

Complete by stretching Halloween spider webbing over the front of the Haunted House, catching it on the figures and taping it to the back of the paper at the corners.  You need  very little of the webbing to get the right effect.  Have fun withthis project and Happy Halloween from the Jarvis House.

Happy Birthday Dad b.1914 d.1998

This is the earliest photo of Carmelo Guglielmino, my father.  He was born in New York City, New York  October 21, 1914.  Midwives  delivered babies then and this one did not get around to recording his birth until Nov.13, 1914, so he has two different birth dates.

 

These are his parents, Maria Grazia Locascio Guglielmino, and Agatino Guglielmino, 1872-1935, and 1877-1953 respectively.

In the city, photographers would come around the neighborhoods with ponies, 

or take photos in studios with backgrounds and props like this car,  which would entice parents (thankfully) to take photographs of their little ones.

This is an early photo of "Carmine" as his sisters and brothers called him,  to Americanize his name.

He was a speed skater and won races at the 1940, at the  World's Fair Rink in Queens, NY.

This is his Tri- State Middle Atlantic Skating Ass'n. Championship 1940,

880 yd.  medal.

A WWII historian from California sent this remarkable picture of my father from his collection.  In it my father is aiming a Browning 2HMB 50 caliber machine gun, and around him are the components of a bazooka, which was used against enemy tanks and large trucks.  He sat in fox holes for weeks, even in the snow.  This picture was unknown to my family, until just a few days ago, attesting to the power of the Internet and blogging.

The reverse side of this photo gives the date, name of the signal corps photographer, identifies the man as Carmelo Guglielmino, Brooklyn.NY and titles the picture "Guarding a Belgian Highway."  It was stamped with a "passed for publication" number.

What makes every picture of my father look so noble is the way he is always gazing upwards. My dad and mom on August 17, 1943.

The pigeon basket, racing pigeon, and Carl, as my mother called him.

 

In 1969 when I was practicing with my Yashica 2 1/4" camera.

Easter, April 5, 1959. He was a very honorable man, an athlete, a reader, a working blue collar man, a family man, unforgettable, and a hero.

Harvest Muffins

Sometimes it is ok to use a packaged cake mix to make a really great muffin.

Today I got together the ingredients for an Autumn Muffin.

 Combine a carrot cake mix with four eggs.

Chop into very fine pieces, raw peeled carrots, and add to mix.

 

Peel and core two large apples.

 

Chop into much smaller pieces.

Add 1/2 cup of water.

 

Add 1/2 cup canola oil.

 

Add 1/2 cup raisins.

  Mix in  1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon nutmeg to batter.

Chop 1/2 cup pecans, and save 24 pecan halves for tops of muffins.

Add 1/2 cup shredded coconut.

Blend very well.  This mixing stick is wonderful, for that job.

Oil pans.

Spoon mixture into muffin cups and top each one with a pecan half.

  Place in the oven.  I baked these muffins at 350 degrees.  Since I was experimenting it took quite a while for these muffins to bake, maybe 45 minutes.  They were loaded with wet  & raw ingredients  so it took a long time before I thought they were cooked through and through.
 

 These are wonderful for breakfast, or in the afternoon with tea.