Spookghetti Skeleton
Make a creepy skeletons out of uncooked pasta!
Submitted by
Braden
Braden
Looking for a fun Halloween activity but not up for carving a whole jack-o'-lantern? Involve your kid in a little anatomical fun by making a glow in the dark skeleton out of pasta. Now that's using your noodle!
- Black construction paper:About 6" x 11.5" in size.
- Noodles, noodles and more noodles:Penne, spaghetti, wagon wheel, elbows, small pasta shells, orecchiette, fusilli col buco, angel hair pasta and so on. (Never heard of anything but spaghetti? Check out this great guide to nearly every shape of pasta.)
- White glue
- Glow in the dark paint and small paint brush:Pick up this non-toxic paint at your local craft store or online at Star Magic.
Study a picture of a skeleton with your child to get an idea of what bones you need to recreate. (Why not sneak in an anatomy lesson while you're at it? Point out the symmetry of the human body. Tell him the names of all of the different bones and show him where they are on his body. Your kid won't even know he's learning something!)
Visit your local supermarket (or your local pantry…) to pick out all sorts of different pasta shapes. These will be the skeleton's bones. Help your child choose which kind of pasta will work best for each bone. You may want to bring a picture of a skeleton along with you to help your kid select his "bones." Need a few ideas? Check out the "Do Note" below for suggestions!
Work with your child to lay out the all of the pasta in a skeleton shape. Once you're set on what noodles you're going to use, paint the bones with the glow in the dark paint. Paint a few extra just in case….
When the paint's dry, have your kid line up all of his bones on one of the pieces of black construction paper to ensure that the final masterpiece fits on the page.
Then, have him carefully lift each piece, one by one, and glue it back down onto the black construction paper to create his skeleton. Let it dry.
Have your child come up with a name for his bony creation, like Sam the Skeleton, Mr. Bones… Nicole Richie, Renee Zellweger…. Paint the name on the bottom of the construction paper with the glow in the dark paint.
When he's finished, have your child hang it up on the front door to scare away any spooky souls (or nosy neighbors).
- Stuck for which pasta shapes to pick? Try a wagon wheel skull, long fusilli femurs and tibias or spaghetti arm bones. Broken up pieces of angel hair (capellini) could work well for fingers and toes, and small pasta shells might be great as joints and kneecaps. Use elbow pasta for ribs, penne pasta for the spine and orecchiette for a pelvis. Remember, these are just suggestions. If your kid wants his skeleton to have a bowtie hand, so be it!
- While your kid is creating his masterpiece, crack a few skeleton jokes! These won't get you on The Tonight Show, but they may make your kid smile.
When does a skeleton laugh? When something tickles his funny bone.
Why didn't the skeleton cross the road? He didn't have the guts.
What do you call a young skeleton? A skeleteen.
What kind of school does a skeleteen go to? High Skull.
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