Spook-tacular Halloween crafts for the whole family

Believe it or not, some kids simply don't enjoy dressing up and being frightened after dark for Halloween. But that doesn't mean you can't celebrate -- decorating your home for the ghoulish day is a great way to spend time with your kids.

Don't worry, you don't even have to go out of your way to buy expensive supplies from party and craft stores -- just take a peek around your house to see what you have on-hand, then make a quick trip to your local dollar store to supplement your craft supply.

Here are three simple crafts you and your kids can make for $10 or less:

Creepy Crawly Spiders
Suitable for ages three to five.

Supplies:

• Little hands (free)

• Black paint ($1)

• Construction paper ($1 for a package)

• White glue ($1)

• Googly eyes ($3 for a combination package of googly eyes, pom poms and pipe cleaners)

• String ($1)

This craft will have your little ones giggling the whole afternoon because they finally have your permission to get their hands messy!

1. Start by covering both hands with black paint and stamp them onto construction paper side by side, with your kids’ thumbs tucked in so there’s only eight fingers.

2. After the paint dries, cut out the hand prints.

3. Glue on your desired amount of eyes and attach the "spiders" to string.

4. Hang above doorways or windows.

Jug-O-Monsters
Suitable for ages five to eight.

Supplies:

• Old soap jugs or coffee containers (free)

• Acrylic paint in desired colours ($1 per bottle)

• Construction paper ($1 for package)

• Googly eyes ($3)

• String, pom poms, or feathers ($1)

• White glue ($1)

This craft will challenge your kids to use their imagination and get creative with reusing old products that you would otherwise throw out.

1. Rinse and dry jugs or containers. Cut a large hole in the front of the jug for the mouth (you can put candy or glow sticks inside later).

2. Paint the jug with your desired ghoulish colour and let it dry -- the paint will take a few hours to dry, but you can speed up the process with a hair dryer.

3. Should your monster have three, four or more eyes? Will it have wings? Sharp teeth? Fluffy hair? Lay out the glue and all of your construction paper, googly eyes, string, pom poms and feathers and let your kids’ imaginations go wild!

4. Once the glue has dried, use your monster jugs to store candies, or stick a few glow sticks inside to imitate a jack-o'-lantern.

Franken-Pot
Suitable for ages eight to 10.

Supplies:

• Terra cotta pot (2 for $1)

• Green and black acrylic paint ($1 each)

• Googly eyes ($3)

• Pipe cleaners, buttons or other crafting decorations ($1 each)

• White glue ($1)

• Glue gun (depending on decorative materials)

Here's a craft that requires a little more precision and attention to detail -- perfect for older kids!

1. Wipe down the terra cotta pot with a damp paper towel to remove any dust. Paint the entire pot green and let dry.

2. With the black paint, carefully paint jagged streaks vertically over the outside of the pot for the hair, then paint a thick horizontal line for the mouth. (This is another chance for your kids to show off their creativity -- will Frankenstein have long hair or short hair? Spiky or curly?)

3. Attach your chosen decorations to the pot with glue. Depending on your chosen adornments, a hot glue gun may be required to attach the decorations (pipe cleaners, for example, will have a hard time affixing to the pot with white glue, though white glue can be used for paper and googly eyes). An adult should be the only person to use the glue gun to prevent any injuries.

4. After the glue has dried, find a spot where your Franken-Pot can be safely tucked away (terra cotta will shatter if dropped) and fill with packaged candy or other Halloween decorations!

How did your craft session turn out? Tweet your pics to @YahooShineCA!