Halloween Spooktacular Art Club Online: Ghosts in the Machine!
Halloween online – looking for creative and interactive things for the kids to do (and you too!)?
Join us for spooky virtual creative fun for Halloween online!
Download the printable A4 PDF line-up here – all available after the 30th on Facebook.
Further resources on our Pinterest.
We didn’t want to miss out on our annual Spooktacular completely, so we’ve planned a spooky all-dayer like nothing we’ve ever done before! We’ll be showing you how to write spooky stories, create animations, do creepy collage using your own face and even spooky loop music making, plus much more! See the full schedule and materials to get ready below.
As it’s half term and we want you to be able to tune in for as long as possible, we decided to have this Saturday Art Club… on a Friday! Can’t make it on the 30th? No problem! You and/or the kids will be able to access the content from 10:00-19:00 on our Facebook Page or on demand afterwards. Visit all day on Halloween online on Facebook (and a select few on YouTube) too.
We are really pleased to finally be able to run some events for you, we’ve not had much chance before now because we’ve been moving our mental health programmes online and postal. All the activities are free to access but if you enjoy them and you can afford even a pound or two towards our appeal, we’ll use it to support vulnerable people shielding in Greater Manchester at www.justgiving.com/campaign/keeping-us-together-appeal
The majority of the creative activities are designed to be suitable and enjoyable for adults as well as children. Why not dress up in your spookiest outfit, put on a Halloween playlist and get creative with us?!
See you there… IF YOU DARE!!!
Spooky Schedule
Ages ranges are for guidance only and obviously some children are more advanced than others – you know best if participants are able to partake in certain activites! Some activities suitable for younger children may still require set up assistance. All are suitable for adults, it’s just a matter of commitment 🙂
Creepy Colouring Sheets (All ages) – Post
Spooky colouring fun for all ages!
Get Animating! (Ages 8+) – Premiered Video
Calling all budding Spielbergs! Make a spooky paper puppet and bring it to life using a printed background and a smartphone to create a simple stop motion animation. Take inspiration from the Spooktacular Art Club animation that you made in 2017, and instructions on our Keeping Us Together activity website. Make it Halloweeny and create your short film to share with friends, and us! Get ready to try on the day by getting together the materials and equipment at www.keepingustogether.org.uk/activity09.php
Howlin’ Cat Painting – LIVE! (Ages 4+)
A follow-along activity for children of all ages to draw a Spooky Cat. A simple drawing activity that uses basic shapes but always turns out super and colourful! It uses the technique of wax resist (unless using pencils or markers).
You’ll need these materials:
- White A3 or A4 paper or card (or the inside card of an empty cereal box)
- A black oil pastel or wax crayon (desirable)
- Watercolour paints (desirable) (Alternatively, watered-down acrylic or poster paint can be used)
- If you choose to draw and colour your picture in with pencils or markers then A4 paper is recommended
Spookify Your Screenshot (All ages)
Spookify your favourite teddy, pet, celebrity or bubble member and share it with us! The only limit is your twisted imagination! Why not create a monster or put them on a different planet?!
Phantom Flash Fiction (Ages 11+) – Premiered How-To Video
Create a piece of spooky Flash Fiction! Write a short tale of horror in 50 words or less, also known as a Dribble!, on themes of Halloween, ghosts and strange happenings…. All you’ll need is a pen, paper and your imagination – if you have any questions please pop them in the comments and we hope you enjoy the stream! This activity is for ages 11+ due to its potential spookyness!
Spooky-Song-Dance-Along! – Premiered Music Video
Get ready to dance at RoBoTaLiEn’s Spooky-Song Dance-Along! The songs are PG as one of them is “This is Halloween” from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Halloween Portrait Painting (Ages 7+) – Post
Paint your own spooky portrait! This frightful activity is by local artist, writer and Arc volunteer David Milligan Croft, follow the instructions and the link to see all the steps to create a face inspired by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.
You’ll need these materials:
- Pre-acrylic painted background sheets of paper or card – step 1, step 2 & step 3. These need time to dry so perhaps do them in advance of the 30th.
- Acrylic paint – whichever colours you like, black, purple, green, orange and white look good for a halloween theme
- Paint brushes
- Credit / store card
- Jar of tap water
- Pencil
- Paper
The Addams’ Family Quiz – (All ages)
Join us for a family quiz with a range of spooky questions for all ages (though perhaps try to give the littler ones a go first if you find one quite easy!) Play the quiz all half term and the The Top Three Teams will win a spot on the podium – certificates to be won!
Splattermonsters! (Ages 3+) – Premiered How-To Video
Create a tribe of splattermonsters! Create a splat and turn it into a monster – it can be scary or friendly or funny! The monster can be as simple or as complicated as your imagination can take you, inspired by the splat’s shape… Don’t worry if you don’t have loads of art equipment, you can substitute ink or watercolours for coffee!
For this activity you will need:
- Pen
- Paper
- Coffee / strong tea
- Water
- Paintbrush
- Optional: Watercolours or ink, coloured paper, scissors, glue, Googly Eyes
Further inspiration and resources at www.pinterest.co.uk/redgatefarmart1/splatter-monsters
Creepy Collage Portraits (Ages 6+) – Premiered How-To Video
Use photos of your own face to collage your own self-portrait and even make a mask!
For this creative activity you will need:
- Digital self-portrait photo A3 or A4 printouts (or printed photos of family or friends!) (desirable)
- Collageable material – coloured papers, card, tissue paper, old books or magazines (essential)
- 2D craft items such as feathers, pipe cleaners googly eyes (desirable)
- Scissors (essential), glue stuck or PVA & spatula (essential)
- Felt tips and fineliners (desirable)
Why not share a photo of your creation in the comments? Advanced Inspiration Board www.pinterest.co.uk/PH156261_arccentre/collage-portraiture
Spooky Loops (Music App) (Ages 8+) – Premiered How-To Video
Create your own song using a Music app with musician and Arc volunteer RoBoTaLiEn! He’s talking us through using the Looper app to create your own song of recorded loops on your smartphone or tablet. This activity is well-suited to older and tech-savvy children or adults, but if it is set up and ready to play with without many expectations about the finished product, it’s great fun for younger kids too!
For this creative activity you will need:
- To watch the how-to video on a PC or other device, plus use an Android smartphone with the Looper app downloaded (Apple may have similar loop apps) to see/try it while the app is being explained. Download the app here if you can before the session starts on the 30th https://apkpure.com/looper-loop-recorder/com.appotica.loopr
- Internet access
- Headphones (for later when doing the proper recording)
- Objects & toys to record
If you have any questions please pop them in the comments for RoBoTaLiEn and we hope you enjoy the stream! Further info about creating a song with your loop can be found in this worksheet.
Post your song on a music site, YouTube or TikTok and share it in the comments or on Instagram and tag us @PH156261_arccentre. You could even email it to info@arc-centre.org
Spooky Bedtime Stories (Ages 7+) – Premiered Video
Join us for some suitably scary bedtime stories – a collection of short ghost stories written for children including classics such as Sleepy Hollow. Suitable for all those brave enough over 7!
We’ll be reading from a few children’s books including ‘Dust and Bones: Ten Ghost Stories’ by Chris Mould and ‘Half-Minute Horrors’ featuring a collection of well known writers.
