Monster Squad
Halloween is finally here! Thank you to all of our young artists who helped us imagine a monstrously fun Halloween party at Kidspace. We received over 100 of the kookiest, spookiest, dancing-est monster creations for our Halloween rumpus. You might spot some familiar faces… errr… or teeth. Or claws. Or maybe tentacles.
Simple Monsterfication for the Home
Get ready for your big party with a little monsterfication for your home and yard by taking every day items and reimagining them to become monsters. Through exploring and experimenting with the arrangement and placement of things like eyes, mouths and more, kids are practicing skills related to STEAM learning, and strengthening their decision-making skills.
Supplies
- Paper (colored construction paper works great)
- Writing utensil
- Markers or colored pencils (optional)
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Tape
Directions
- Trace a variety of different shapes and sizes (circles, half circles, crescents, triangles) onto your paper
- Cut out your paper shapes and experiment with how they can be arranged together
- Glue the different shapes together to create eyes, teeth, horns, and other monster features. You can also use colored pencils or markers to decorate the features.
- Tape the monster features onto furniture, appliances, trees, or wherever else your imagination inspires you!
Extend the Learning
- Monsters can be made in any size, shape, or configuration. There is no wrong way to make a monster, and this activity is a great way to celebrate your child’s creativity!
- This activity allows children to explore different shapes and arrangements in creative ways. Playing with different shapes helps develop spatial awareness and visualization.
Monster Photo Booth Props
Print and create your own set of photo booth props to use at home at your own monstrously fun party. This project has lots of room to explore color, texture, and other visual arts concepts as kids make creative choices about what their props should look like. Using monsters as a theme also provides kids with a lot of creative freedom and flexibility, since there is no right or wrong way for a monster to look! They can work until they are satisfied with their vision, which cultivates a sense of achievement and confidence.
Supplies
- Monster Photo Booth
- Paper or cardstock
- Scissors
- Markers or other coloring and decorating tools
- Sticks, lots of options work! (Popsicle sticks, straws, skewers, disposable chop sticks).
- Tape or glue
- Optional:
- Cardboard
- Tissue paper
- Glue
- Buttons or beads
- Pipe cleaners
- Any other materials you would like to use!
Directions
- Print the Monster Elements on cardstock or paper. These are just a guide to get help get creators started, and can be reimagined and decorated in lots of different ways.
- A note on creative planning: if you plan to use supplies beyond coloring utensils, print your elements on appear and glue them to cardboard to give yourself a more robust canvas to work with!
- Use your coloring utensils and/or supplies to decorate however you see fit!
- Once your elements are decorated, use glue or tape to adhere your stick
- Hold up and snap a pic!
Ways to Play
- Make the same monster element lots of different ways, how can you make it different every time? Can it be created using different colors, textures, or materials? What might happen if you flip it, or turn it on its side?
- Make nature monsters using supplies like leaves, twigs, and other cool items you find on walks!
- Can you add a third dimension to you monster element? Might there be a tongue that pops out? A set of whiskers that curl?
- Mix and match! What monster elements can be combined, or added to? Using parts of other pieces?
Monster Freeze Dance
Get ready to boogie like the bogey man and get your Halloween groove on with some classic Halloween creatures to inspire you. Dancing is a silly and joyful way for all of us (kids and grown-ups alike) to express ourselves, and exercise our minds and bodies. In this dance game kids will support the development of spatial awareness, and learn more about how their bodies can move, while also practicing listening and understanding skills. But maybe most importantly, we’ll be having fun dancing and being goofy together!
Supplies
- Your favorite Halloween playlist
- Room to dance!
- A freeze dance DJ
- A list of classic Halloween creatures. Some ideas include:
- Mummy
- Witch
- Dracula
- Frankenstein’s Monster
- Ghost
- Jack-o’-lantern
Game Play
This is a twist on the classic freeze dance! Choose who will be in charge of playing and pausing the music, and calling out the creature!
- Begin by putting on some themed Halloween or monster music.
- When the DJ stops the music they call out a creature from the idea list.
- Everyone then freezes in the position they think that Halloween creature would look like!
- Start the music, and repeat until the game feels ready to end.
Other Ways to Boogie Down
- Skip the DJ, and when the mood strikes, any dancer can call out the creature for people to start dancing like. We enjoyed doing this and seeing how everyone created some similar, and some different dance moves!
To view all our Halloween blogs and more, click here.
This program is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.