TASTYBABY'S TOP 5 MOST CREATIVE KIDS HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

Sure, it's easy to go out and buy a Halloween costume for your kids but where's the fun in that?  This Halloween, clear out that Saturday afternoon agenda, grab your kids and make their Halloween costumes... together! Not only will it be a fun, creative way for them to express themselves, but they will feel so proud when they put on their very own homemade Halloween costume that they made together, with you!

Pick of the litter

The Dog-Lovers in the crowd were looking for a costume truly fit for the leader of the pack. How can you absolutely fall in love with a child dressed up like a box full of puppies!?!

CRAFT MATERIALS:
    White and brown faux fur (sold in packages at discount stores or by the yard at fabric stores)
    Scissors
    White hooded sweatshirt
    Double-sided carpet tape
    Safety pins
    White tights and fiberfill
    Velcro Sticky-Back strips
    Red belt webbing or ribbon, 19 inches long
    Cardboard circle, 2 1/2 inches wide
    Aluminum foil
    Hole punch
    Embroidery or dental floss
    Cardboard box
    Utility knife
    Two 45-inch lengths of rope
    Masking tape
    Newspaper strips
    Pipe cleaners
    Stuffed dogs

Time needed: Afternoon or Evening

1. The Dog Sweatshirt:
Cut a large piece of faux fur for a chest patch and several smaller patches for the arms, back, and hood. Attach them to the sweatshirt with double-sided carpet tape.

For dog ears, cut long rounded fur shapes and safety-pin them to the hood as shown (A).

2. The Tail:
Cut off one leg from the tights and loosely stuff it with fiberfill. Safety-pin the open end to the back of the sweatshirt. Cut a few more patches of fur and tape them to the tail.

3. A Dog Collar:
Attach Velcro strips to the ends of the belt webbing or ribbon. For a tag, wrap the cardboard circle in aluminum foil, punch a hole through it, and loop a piece of floss through the hole. Safety-pin the loop to the inside of the collar.

4. Puppy Box:
Select a box that your child will easily fit into and still be able to walk comfortably in. With the utility knife, cut the box where indicated (B).

Poke holes through the box for the rope suspenders and attach the rope, as shown. You may have to adjust the lengths to fit your child. Masking-tape newspaper strips around the top of the box as shown (C).

Finally, use pipe cleaners to attach the stuffed dogs to the box and each other, as needed.

Sure, it's easy to go out and buy a Halloween costume for your kids but where's the fun in that?  This Halloween, clear out that Saturday afternoon agenda, grab your kids and make their Halloween costumes... together! Not only will it be a fun, creative way for them to express themselves, but they will feel so proud when they put on their very own homemade Halloween costume that they made together, with you!

Windy Day Duo

The neighbors will be blown away by these fool-the-eye outfits. No fans were used here. Instead, wire and tape give everything from braids to shoelaces a blustery look.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
    1 spool of 18-gauge wire
    Wire cutters
    Safety pins
    Tree leaves
    Double-sided tape
    Duct tape
    Umbrella
    THE BOY WILL WEAR:
    Suit jacket and pants
    Shirt and tie
    Lace-up shoes (laces that are tubular rather than flat work best)
    Strong hair gel
    THE GIRL WILL WEAR:
    Top and cardigan sweater
    Lightweight full skirt
    Silky scarf
    Hair elastics
    IMPORTANT: For safety's sake, fold over the cut ends of each piece of wire!

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours
1. BOY: Knot the tie around your child's neck, then loosen it and pull it off over his head.

2. Shape a 34-inch length of wire into a U. Slide it inside the front portion of the tie, bending the curved center into the knot and trimming the ends. Slip the tie back over your child's head, tighten it gently, then use safety pins on the tie and jacket to make them look like they're blowing to one side.

3. Have your child put on the shoes and tie them. Thread a length of wire through the tail of each lace. Trim each wire to fit and  anchor it in an eyelet.

4. Use strong hair gel to slick your child's hair to one side. Affix the leaves with double-sided tape and carefully turn the umbrella inside out.

5. GIRL: For the scarf and sweater, tie a slipknot in the scarf, then follow the instructions in step 2 above.

6. Use duct tape to affix a length of wire along the inside of half of the skirt. Bend the wire to make the skirt fly up to one side.

Rockin' Sushi Roll

Serve up a slice of costume genius with this tasty look. The seaweed wrap is made from cardboard covered with black duct tape, the grains of rice are actually packing peanuts, and the filling is drawn on a cut-up paper plate. Add a soy sauce goodie bag, and you're ready to roll.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
    3 large pieces of corrugated cardboard (see measurements below)
    Yardstick
    Craft knife
    Scissors
    String
    Pushpin
    White double-sided carpet tape
    Black duct tape
    2 dinner-sized paper plates
    Packing peanuts
    Markers
    Card stock or white paper
    Red gift bag

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours
1. SUSHI ROLL: Use the craft knife to cut the cardboard as shown, with the corrugation running parallel to the rectangle's short side [A].

2. Make a half-inch fold along one short edge. Starting there, roll the rectangle into a compact log shape, then unroll it.

3. Tie one end of a 19-inch string to a pushpin inserted into the center of a cardboard piece; tie the other end to  a pencil. Hold the string taut as you draw a 17K-inch circle. Cut out the circle. Repeat for a second circle [B].

4. Apply strips of double-sided tape along the interior edges of the roll as shown. Make a drum-shaped cylinder by pressing the roll's taped edges around the circumference of each cardboard circle. Trim and seal the roll's seam with duct tape. Add more tape inside and outside the roll to reinforce it [C].

5. Have your child try on the costume. Fold the underarm tabs down and inside the costume and widen any other openings as needed. Have your child remove the costume.

6. Cover the outside of the cylinder with black duct tape.

7. FILLING: On the underside of a paper plate, draw 3 sections of sushi-roll filling (salmon, avocado, etc.), extending your drawings to the plate's edge for a three-dimensional look [D].

8. Cut them out. Repeat on the second plate to make filling for the roll's back side.

9. To attach the filling and "rice," apply closely spaced strips of double-sided tape all over the roll's circular ends. Press the filling pieces firmly into the center of each side, securing with extra tape if needed. Cover the remaining tape with packing peanuts.

10. SOY SAUCE: Draw and cut out a soy sauce label from white paper. Use double-sided tape to attach the label to the gift bag. one side.

Picnic Invader

Up the ante with this creepy-crawler costume. A foam-core board makes a lightweight base for the tabletop, while glue dots are a no-fuss way to add both the plastic food and the tiny attackers. The biggest, baddest ant at the picnic wears a helmet embellished with a balloon body and pipe cleaner legs and he's hungry!

CRAFT MATERIALS:
    Craft knife
    scissors
    18-inch square of foam-core board
    Plastic tablecloth (54 by 108 inches)
    Large (or "dimensional") glue dots
    2 empty cereal boxes, taped closed
    Black skate or ski helmet
    Black duct tape
    2 black 12-inch balloons
    6 black pipe cleaners
    Lightweight plastic food
    Plastic ants
    YOUR CHILD WILL WEAR:
    Black turtleneck
    Black sunglasses

Time needed: About 1 to 2 Hours
1. TABLE: With the craft knife, cut a 6- by 8-inch oval head opening into the center of the foam board.

2. With the scissors, trim the tablecloth to a 54-inch square. Lay the tablecloth face down on your work surface and center the board on top. Trace the oval opening, remove the board, and cut the cloth in sections as shown [A].


3. Replace the board, then pull each of the cloth's triangular tabs through the opening and affix them to the board's underside with duct tape. Using glue dots, attach the cereal boxes to the board as shown; these will rest against your child?s chest and back and stabilize the tabletop [B].

4. Have your child try on the costume. Once the cereal boxes are positioned comfortably, reinforce them with duct tape.

5. ANT AND PICNIC SETTING: Blow up one balloon to about 6 inches in diameter and the other to about 5 inches. Leave an ample "tail" when you tie them off. Use the duct tape, balloons, and pipe cleaners to assemble the ant body as shown. [C]

6. Use plenty of glue dots to attach the plastic food and ants firmly to the table's top and sides.

Little Bearded Gnome

CRAFT MATERIALS:

   15-inch square of red felt
    Marker
    Glue gun and glue sticks
    11-inch square of white fake fur
    Beard template (optional)
    28-inch length of white elastic cord

YOUR CHILD WILL WEAR
    Blue pullover top
    Sweatpants or leggings
    Wide belt
    Boots

Time needed: Under 1 Hour
1. HAT: Measure and mark an arc on the felt square as shown. Cut along the line.

2. Run a line of glue along the bottom edge, then form the felt into a cone and let the glue dry. If the hat is too big, trim or fold its brim.

3. BEARD: Draw or trace the beard shape onto the fake fur's back side, then cut it out. Cut 3 one-inch slits as shown

4. Fold the tabs over the elastic cord and glue them down. When the beard's dry, have your child try it on. Tie it and trim the cord's ends.

All costumes are courtesty of familyfun.go.com.  Check them out for more great costume ideas!