A quick gift for teachers or grandparents or for a favor at your Halloween party. All you need is some orange tissue paper, glue, a paintbrush, a black permanent marker and a glass jar.

Cut or tear tissue paper into stips. Paint a layer of glue onto the outside of a clean, glass jar. Place strips of paper over the jar onto the glue. If you want to make a layered texture, repeat the process by applying a little glue to the existing paper and placing more strips of paper. Stagger the strips in subsequent layers to enhance the textured effect.

Using a black marker, draw a jack o’lantern face on the jar. Fill with candy corn or other holiday candy.

There are only two more weeks to Halloween. The time leading up to it is exciting for children, the anticipation second only to that of Christmas.

To keep little hands busy until they can get them on that Halloween night candy, here are some crafts that are fun for kids and require only occasional parental supervision. From macaroni skeletons to windsock ghosts, this site has spooky ideas for kids of all ages. Check out the costume ideas for great spooky looks kids can create themselves. Also fun are the games and “rancid recipes” but the ghost stories might be too ghoulish for young children.

Halloween is Here.

This is an easy craft for kids to do with a little supervision and makes use of simple things and the natural products of crisp, fall days.

Have the kids go out into the yard and find the prettiest fall leaves they can. Give them each a paper bag or plastic shopping bag to collect them in. The hard part of this activity is stopping, since yet another beautifully colored leaf will always strike the eye. When they have gathered enough, it is time to begin.

For this project gather together the following:

* Roll of white freezer paper or kraft paper
* Roll of clear Con-Tact paper
* Scissors
* School glue or glue sticks

Measure the size of your placemats by cutting equal size sheets of Con-Tact paper and the kraft or freezer paper. Con-Tact paper backing is marked off in inches so this makes it easy to do without rulers. Cut the Con-Tact paper first and lay it on the kraft or freezer paper to measure equal size sheets.

Next, have the kids glue the leaves to the paper, arranging them with their own artistic eye. They can add other items to their masterpieces, such as construction paper cut-outs of pumpkins or pieces of ribbon. They need to leave space between the items so that there is contact between the adhesive side of the Con-Tact paper and the bottom sheet. To make the mats personalized, you can include a wallet size picture (such as a school portrait) or have the children write their names on the paper. Make sure they secure the edges of the leaves with glue to make it easier to apply the Con-Tact paper smoothly.

The last step is where they need Mom the most. Peel the backing paper off the pre-cut pieces of Con-Tact paper and press it over the top of the creation. Go slowly and smooth carefully as you go, working out air bubbles. If you want to, you can put another piece of the clear Con-Tact paper on the bottom to seal the mat and make it last. For a nice effect, trim the edges with pinking shears.