It’s that time of year again. Halloween is fast approaching. With the economy like it is and so many people struggling to make ends meet, I thought it might be nice to give some costume ideas that are inexpensive and fun for the kids – and us parents too.
ROBOTS – these are easy. If you look at the picture I have on here, you can see my youngest daughter in her robot costume. We used two boxes for the head and body, and duct tape to go over the boxes for the silver color. We picked up some cheap lights from a dollar store and those full-length gloves. Originally, we had CDs for the eyes, but she couldn’t see well so we changed to full slit so she had peripheral vision. Not shown was some heating duct we used on her legs as well. Total cost was under $25 since most of this was laying around the house. She got a lot of compliments on this because not many people make costumes anymore. She loved it!
NINJAS – This is really simple and includes some black pants you likely have around, a black T-shirt for the mask and a long-sleeve black shirt for the body. Then some black cloth for a sash and you’re done. you can add an old pair of black winter gloves and cut the fingers off too. The T-shirt is the mask as I said. Put it on just so the head sticks out of the hole for the head and use the sleeves to tie it around the head. Let the rest drape. Simple huh? Add a toy sword and you should come in at just under $10.
GHOST – This is the simplest costume ever. Let’s dress it up a big though. You’ll need a sheet of course. White is nice. I wouldn’t cover the head, but it is up to you. If you don’t, some white makeup is a must. You can go classic and add some chains if you would like. Nothing heavy, and honestly the plastic ones are cheap and much safer, so use your best judgment. If you want an interesting glow effect, you can tie some glow sticks inside loosely so they can move around a bit as well.
PIRATES – Oh yes, a pirates life for me. This costume is a bit more complex than some of the others, but it is still easy to do. So what do you need? Long pants can be tucked into boots or cut offs that you can make look a bit ragged. Of course, you’ll need an eye patch, which you can get in the local drugstore. A baggy white shirt looks good. I’d also add a vest, and then, depending on the way you want to go, you can add a stuffed parrot or a small treasure chest. Hit the dollar store and find some loot for your pirate.
You can make anything. The limit is your imagination. Want to have fun with it? Give the kids 30 minutes to get whatever they want in the house and make a pile of stuff for the sole purpose of being creative and making a costume from their pile. Set some ground rules so you don’t lose your favorite pots and pans to a dragon slaying knight or your best curtains to a pack of gypsies. The kids will love this, and if you give yourself the same time limit, then so will you.