Halloween is a kid-favorite holiday in our house -- decorating pumpkins, trick or treating, and finding the perfect costume. My family loves it all!
But because of the pandemic, Halloween costumes might look different this year. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control recommends not wearing a costume mask this year because a cloth mask is safer. (See their complete recommendations here)
But this doesn't mean your family can't have fun dressing up this Halloween! We all just need to be a little more creative this year.
So my son and I experimented with three fun ways to incorporate his cloth face mask into potential Halloween costumes. All it required was a little hot glue and some imagination!
Kitty Cat Face Mask
The kitty cat is a classic Halloween costume!
Supplies:
- 1 cloth solid-colored face mask
- Hot glue gun and glue
- Pipe cleaners
- Scissors
- Pom-pom ball
Directions:
- Glue the pom-pom ball onto the middle of the face mask. For a more realistic look, place the ball where your nose sits under the mask.
- Cut the pipe cleaners to the desired length you would like your whiskers.
- Put glue on one end of the pipe cleaner and glue it to the mask, under the edge of the pom-pom ball. Add two more whiskers in the same way. Repeat for the other side.
- Cut a pipe cleaner in half and then bend it in half. Curl up each side so it looks like a cat mouth.
- Glue the pipe cleaner mouth to the mask under the nose.
- Let everything cool and then try on your kitty cat creation!
Halloween Theme Face Mask
This face mask can incorporate your favorite Halloween characters like ghosts, pumpkins, and witches. It will go with any attire and can be worn well before Halloween to show your spirit!
Supplies:
- 1 cloth solid-colored face mask
- Hot glue gun and glue
- A package of Halloween felt stickers from a dollar or craft store
Directions:
- Pick out a theme for your mask from the selection of felt stickers in the package.
- Glue the stickers to your face mask, adding as many as you'd like.
- Let everything cool and then try it on!
Monster Mouth Face Mask
Transform your face mask into a scary monster mouth!
Supplies:
- 1 cloth solid-colored face mask
- Feathers or plumes from a dollar or craft store
- White construction paper
- Hot glue gun and glue
Directions:
- Put a line of hot glue around the rim of the face mask. Place a feather onto the glue.
- Layer the feathers on top of each other to create thickness. Glue each layer together.
- Let the glue cool completely.
- Cut out 4 triangles from your construction paper. These will be your monster's teeth, so make them the size you want!
- Glue the top teeth on the mask, with the edge under the bottom of your feathers.
- Glue the bottom teeth onto your mask the same way.
- Let everything cool completely!
- Try on your mask, and trim off feathers if they poke out too far.
Show off your creations by hosting a face mask decorating contest over Zoom. How creative can your friends and family get? With a little creativity, we can still make Halloween fun for kids... even during these strange times!
Holli Carlin is the publisher of Macaroni Kid Cherry Hill, N.J.
