Coastal Halloween Craft for Kids

If you’re looking for a festive, fall craft project and an opportunity for an off-season beach adventure all in one, then you’ve come to the right place. Cape Cod Moms has you covered. Try making these “Boo Sticks” with your little ones, from toddlers to pre-teens. This coastal Halloween craft is easy, fun, and the finished products make quite the spookily cute Halloween décor.

What You Need

• Driftwood
• Broken Shells
• Permanent Marker
• Hot Glue Gun
• Glitter (optional)

Getting Started: Beach Scavenger Hunt

If your kids are anything like mine, then a good scavenger hunt is always a fun activity to do outside. Start by grabbing a bucket or two and set out for your favorite beach. We opted for a walk near Craigville Beach in Hyannisport. We set out towards the jetty to a little hidden gem of a spot we’ve nicknamed “Secret Beach.” As we walked, we tasked our 5-year-old Charlotte with collecting as many broken, white colored shells as she could find. Any size and shape will work, but we had a lot of fun trying to find ones that looked the most like ghosts (or, what she thinks ghosts look like!).

Next, you’ll need some driftwood. You can get a single piece of wood, several smaller pieces or even broken parts of full branches to make a ghost tree effect. We opted for several small pieces of driftwood so that we could display our “Boo Sticks” at different locations throughout the house.

Time to Prep and Decorate

Once you bring your shells home, it’s important that you thoroughly wash them off with soap and water to avoid any unwanted smells or hiding creatures. In addition, you can take the extra step of letting them soak in a bit of bleach and water. Remember bleach can change the color of your shells, so for cleaning purposes, you only need a very small amount. Trust me when I tell you how critical it is to clean the shells before displaying them, because speaking from experience, we have accidentally brought home a few tiny critters from the beach!

Once clean, make sure you dry the shells completely. Next, lay out the shells on a mat and let your kids make the ghost eyes. Making eyes on the ghosts can be as simple or intricate as you and the kids want. While I opted just to make two black circles for eyes, Charlotte was very into the details of adding some fun eyelashes and even silly faces on a few of her ghosts.

Assembly: Adult Help Required

Once all your ghosts are completed, simply glue them on to your driftwood with a big drop or two of hot glue. We found that hot glue worked better than several other options including Gorilla Glue or Elmer’s, but feel free to use any product you want for this step. Just make sure your kids don’t touch – a tall task – as the glue dries on the wood so no ghosts fall off.

Finishing Touches for your Coastal Halloween Craft

Once your “Boo Sticks” are dry, it’s time for the finishing touches. We opted for some glitter spray to add a bit of sparkle to the project. Lastly, find the perfect place to display your coastal craft masterpieces. We even accessorized ours with some dollar store cobwebs to add an extra bit of Halloween spirit.

Good luck with your “Boo Sticks” and make sure to share your finished products by tagging @CapeCodMoms and me @Snfenlon.

Happy crafting!