Craft seniors and kids can do together ~ Halloween

Searching for craft seniors and kids can do together?  We are pretty excited to share our Halloween craft seniors and children can do together.  

Crafts for seniors with limited mobility can be difficult to find.  This easy craft will suite children and seniors alike.  This simple, fun craft idea can be enjoyed in small groups and larger groups.  

My oh my, my favorite month of the year is finally here!   To be honest, I wish it lasted longer than 31 days.  The cooler weather, the leaves are beginning to turn and shed, the scent of pumpkin spice wafting through our home, sweatshirts have come out, blankets are all about for covering up and snuggling, and flannel sheets have even been called upon from their slumber.  

Speaking of cooler weather, did you need to turn the heat on this past week?  I caved... and I so hate doing that so early in the season.  As long as I was upstairs, I was fine, but the moment I walked downstairs... the floors were cold, and I wanted to run back upstairs to the cover of those warm blankets and say, see ya next spring!  

No, not really.  I could never miss my favorite month of the year!  I also really love snow and I cannot miss that either.  I took a look at the thermostat and found it was 62 degrees in our home.  Yikes!  Time to warm this ole cottage up!  So, I turned the furnace on and turned that dial right up until Bentley and I were nice and toasty.

That husband of mine likes it cold, like 55 degrees cold.  Me?  Absolutely no way, no how can I be that cold.  When we were first married and he told me that he kept the thermostat at 55 degrees in the winter, I said are you crazy?  Have you lost your mind?  I am so sorry honey, but that is going to have to change.  62 degrees nearly froze me out, so can you imagine 55 degrees?

Whew!  

    

So, do you ever pick up an item and then once it arrives, your direction changes?  Well, that happened to me this past week.  I picked up some Halloween cut outs for a project I had planned and once they arrived I knew they would not work for what I had in mind.

So what's a gal to do?  Well, come up with a new craft is what she does.  I had no real direction and decided to see what I could come up with.  When I am in this mode, I just fill my work space with many materials and see what I can create.  

Did you just get a vision of kindergarten where the teacher throws a bunch of different items on the desk in the pile and says get to it?  Well, that is kind of how my mind works when there is no plan.  I play... what fun, I know!  If you tend to take yourself too seriously in life, give this a try.  I can tell you it really helps in de-stressing from the mundane day to day life we each carve out for ourselves.  I am a firm believer we all need to call upon our inner child from time to time.  

For those of you who craft you know what I am talking about.  Those of you who like a bit of structure in life are probably cringing about right now.  Trust me, once I finish and look around I am cringing to myself too.  As a matter of fact, I did take a video of my work space so I could share how life is messy around here when I am working on projects.

See, not everything is rainbows and puppy dogs in the life of a crafter.  I am still waiting on that designated crafting space.  Ohh... maybe one of these days we can dream one up together.  

I have found I am one of those people recently... the one who has multiple projects going on at one time, and the house is in utter chaos while the creative process evolves.  I guess my inner Gemini has decided to come out and play and has decided Halloween was the best time to do it.  How fitting, huh?  I never gave that whole astrology thing any thought, but hey, maybe it has some merit to it.

I began to think I have never shared an easy craft that children and seniors can both do so I decided today is that day!  I began with an 8x10 canvas, I picked up a whole pack of them some time ago and they have been waiting on me to figure out how to use them all.  I think I am on to something here.

I went ahead and painted the entire canvas metallic silver and decided I would would work with the haunted house cut out.  Now, if you do not want children to have access to paint, or if a senior individual does not want to paint the canvas, you can always paint all of the canvases in their entirety ahead of time to get the project started.

I pulled out my paint markers and painted the bottom of the canvas to show the ground and since our picture is to be at the witching hour, I used black for the ground since everything would be cast in shadow.

Then I decided to add two tombstones to our canvas.  This is where everyone who decides to participate can begin creating their own canvases.  The paint markers really keep the mess contained and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with them here lately on several projects (using the metallic gold paint to line items with, how posh).

 

I decided we needed another tree to go with our canvas and began drawing one out with a brown paint marker.

I found when I added our haunted house to the canvas the tree was too thin so I began making it a thicker tree so it could be seen once the haunted house was added to the canvas.

We all know I cannot paint to save my life or draw for that matter, so you get the idea, but I think children and folks who used to draw may enjoy a craft like this one.  

I know when I was a child there were those folks who were excellent artists, my best friend growing up was one of them.  I would have loved a craft like this one since the haunted house would turn out perfectly every time.  I would have also been proud of my art work since I did not need to do much to make this canvas look like something my mom would have liked hanging on the wall.

I placed the haunted house on the canvas and decided my tree still needed to be beefed up a bit so I continued to work on it.

The best part? No hot glue to hurt small fingers or sensitive skin.  I used a glue stick so this was as kid friendly and senior minded as I could make it.  These cut outs are glossy on one side and matte on the other.  I chose the mat side to face out.  The glue stick even stuck to the glossy side and attached to the canvas just fine.

And here we have an art project for anyone who wants to see what they can make with some assistance with cut outs.  I think this would be a cute craft for a Halloween party and then everyone has a take home as a keep sake of the party and time spent with friends and family.  All who participated could sign the back so the memories are recorded with the date of the party as well.    

I have to say, I even enjoyed myself.  I know, I know, looks a bit juvenile for me to complete, but I like to be a kid too every now and then.  I have already said I do not have an artistic bone in my body so please be kind.

Once upon a time I worked in the rehab field and I worked with children with disabilities.  This craft reminded me of something we would have completed in the classroom.  The craft was really budget friendly too.  Who doesn't love that?

My grandmother will have her 100th birthday this upcoming week.  Her fingers do not work as they used to, and I know she would have enjoyed a project like this one.  I have been thinking about taking it over and see if she is interested in making one for Halloween herself.  

It is very important to keep our loved ones who are seniors busy with easy projects.  She also loves word finds too, there is always a need to keep the mind active during all stages of life.  I will keep you updated if she decides to give this craft a try.  She is slowing down pretty quickly and sometimes she is just too tired to make it to the kitchen table to work on crafts or whatnot.  

I have read a lot of research about daycares being housed inside nursing homes and feel this is a great idea for both children and seniors alike.  It keeps our seniors young since they are surrounded by children everyday and they get to have visitors on a daily basis.  It also offers many children the opportunity to be around seniors since they may not have grandparents themselves.  

I actually love the idea and think it would benefit both children and seniors.  I know I loved being with my grandparents growing up and they both had a positive affect on me.  Their values and hard working nature was a positive influence, something I think our youth would benefit from.  

What do you think?  Do you think you may try this one with your children or grandchildren, or perhaps a loved one who used to enjoy crafts?

If you are interested in trying this craft, I have linked the supplies needed below. 

Vintage Inspired Halloween Cutouts  
     

Metallic Craft Paint 

Multi pack canvases, I always think of more projects I want to try so I like having a few around when I need them.

Paint markers, love them!  So easy to use, and clean up is a breeze.  

Multi pack of glue sticks, so useful around the house.  

My beloved sponge brushes, I have been using these more and more when it comes to crafting.