Creepy Crawlies Classroom Halloween Treats

I confess I drew a blank on what to do so I turned to my 5 yo, Mr J, for inspiration. After multiple revision of his plan we finally came up with this Mickey Head Spider and now I get to share it with you.

Just so you know – Mom’s rules were 1) we had to use a glow stick (because I had bought 100 of them on Amazon) and 2) only include one piece of candy. My J’s rule was that it could not be cutesy – it had to be scary.

This was the compromise and I have to admit I think for a paper craft created by a 5 yo it isn’t half bad. So let’s get started why don’t we…

Supplies

choose cutting file or printable

Over all you only need a couple of things and they are the same for either the printable or the cutting file.

You will need:

• Decorative paper for the main body (I suggest paper that has a pattern on both sides as they both will be visible)
• Black card stock for the candy wrapper and spider
>Printer paper for the embellishments (if you are using a personal cutter for these I would recommend Avery sticker paper)
• 10-12 inch black pipe cleaner for the spider legs
• 8 inch glow stick bracelet (can be found for cheap on Amazon)
• Miniature chocolate
• Extra string adhesive (I used Elmer extra strength glue stick and double sided tape)

Tools that come in handy are scissors, a scoring board and a personal cutter like Cricut or Silhouette. (when I started making these in full force I also pulled out the glue gun to speed things up)

I have included the FREE printable (click here) and for my newsletter subscribers you can find the SVG and print & cut file on the members only page. If you want to subscribe click here.

Cutting It All Out

this is the prep work

If you are using the printable there are two pages. The first is a template for the main body, the spider and the chocolate cover. I would print this out and cut out the parts. Then use that to draw the template onto the paper you plan to use.

The second page has your embellishments. Just print this on plain printer paper or sticker paper and cut the pieces out.

Hint: If you think the spiders are too intricate to cut out with scissors use a small round punch to punch them out as a circle.

For the SVG cutting file all you will need to do is cut out the main body, spider and chocolate cover. There are score lines if you would like your cutting machine to do that also.

There is also a PNG file with all of the embellishments for you to use your print and cut capability.

Note: You may need to resize the PNG files depending on the software you are using for your personal cutter. If you do use the SVG cutting file as a guide.

Step 1: Assemble the Spider Innards

score the chocolate wrapper

If you used the printable or didn’t have the cutter score the chocolate cover for you do that now. Using a scoring board make it easy but a straight edge and a butter knife does just fine too.

wrap the chocolate

Wrap the paper around the miniature chocolate bar and use adhesive to secure it. Double sided tape is the easiest here.

make the legs

Take two pipe cleaners and fold them over. Then using a pair of scissors (I would not use good ones since you are cutting through wire) cut them in half.

assemble the legs

Take the legs and push them between the miniature chocolate bar and the wrapper. Then spread the pipe cleaner and form to look like legs.

Set aside the spider leg assembly and begin working on the main body.

Step 2: Put the Main Body Together

score the main body

Like before, if you used the printable or didn’t have the cutter score the main body use a scoring board (or butter knife) to make the two fold needed.

glue the sides of the Mickey head together

Take the adhesive and glue just the sides of the Mickey head together leaving the center open to slide the glow stick into.

Hint: Use a strong adhesive to secure the Mickey head because when you add the glow stick it will try to pull apart. I used Elemers extra strength adhesive until I got lazy and pulled out the glue gun. I did find that the double sided tape was not strong enough.

score the different tabs of the spider

Pull the scoring board out one more time to score and then fold all of the tabs on the spider head.

glue the bottom tab onto the main body

With a bit of adhesive glue the bottom tab onto the main body. Use an extra strength adhesive again as this is also a point that will get stress from the glow stick.

Hint: Put this on before sliding in the glow stick.

Hint: At this point I would let the adhesive cure for a bit before you put the glow stick into the lower main body.

add glow stick and glue the top together

Slide the glow stick into the lower body where you should have left a portion without glue.

At the top glue the slides together over the top of the glue stick.

Note: You MUST insert the glow stick into the lower body BEFORE closing the top because if you don’t you will have to bend the stick and that would activate the ‘glow’.

Hint: The sides of the top are not going to want to stick. So use an extra strength adhesive and take a couple of minutes to hold it to make sure if stays.

Step 3: Install the Chocolate Spider

add the miniature chocolate to the body

Glue the miniature chocolate horizontally onto the lower part of the main body around the center of the Mickey head.

Hint: Use both double stick tape and glue to apply the chocolate cover to the main body. The tape will hold the bar in place as the glue dries.

glue the top tabs onto the main body

Place a piece of double sided tape onto the top of the miniature chocolate and then fold the spider over it. Place a bit of glue onto the top tabs and adhere to the ears of the Mickey head.

holding the tabs in place

To get the tabs to adhere you may need to use a tool to slip under the body and apply pressure a minute or two until the adhesive takes hold.

Step 4: Add the Details

apply the sign

I have included two signs: ‘Beware of Creepy Crawlies‘ and ‘Happy Halloween‘. Both will fit on either side of the top so choose whichever you want.

add the face to the spider

Use the creepy eyes and mouth and apply to the spider. Remember Mr J wanted this to be a scary spider – not a cute one.

add remaining embellishments

Add the spider embellishments wherever you wish. Did you catch the hidden Mickey?

Hint: In the end I found I liked the spiders underneath the glow stick. They just never seem to hold the glow stick when I put them on top.

I also included a blank Mickey head perfect for add your name or a personal note on the back of the main body to let people know who it was from.

The Final Product

not bad for a 5 year old

Now you have the final product. I really like that it includes a non-candy treat and if you really wanted to you could make this without a miniature chocolate – maybe a holiday eraser?

Hint: We ran into a peanut allergy when making these for his class mates. So we discovered that PEZ works just as well as the Hershey Miniatures.

In the end we made 22 of these puppies. Towards the end Mr J got a bit punch and the faces began to change. One face is even upside down!

I hope you enjoyed making this and maybe it even inspired you to let your child design your next craft.

It really was that fun collaborating with Mr J. We did have our ups and down but in the end we loved every minute of it.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Yellow | Halloween Crafts Loop:

• 1st Stop – Saving Up for Disney | Mickey Pumpkin Appliquéd Halloween Tee”
• 2nd Stop – Disney Mamas | Pumpkin Mickey Door Decoration
• 3rd Stop – Capturing Magical Memories | Mickey Glow Stick Spider Classroom Gifts
• 4th Stop – The Delightful Life | Quick & Easy Halloween Crafts for All Ages
• 5th Stop – Home is Where the Mouse Is | #DisneySide Tombstones