Creepy Halloween 'Gum Ball' Spiders!

Ugh. Gum balls. Generally detested by those unfortunate enough to have a Gum tree in their yard. But last night these annoying little seed carriers got a creepy Halloween makeover at our Cub Scout den meeting!

Halloween means many things to many people, and some parents may not appreciate crafts involving witches, skeletons or monsters, so this creepy looking spider is something that can be universally enjoyed by all the boys and parents. After all, what boy doens't like bugs and spiders?

I can't take full credit for this craft idea, I did see it somewhere else but for the life of me can't remember where. Just something that stuck with me in one of my many late night web surfing marathons. Without the ring they are a neat decoration to put on a table or in those fake cobwebs that are so popular for spooky home decorating. But I decided that this craft would make an awesome Halloween themed neckerchief slide, and I think it went over quite well with the boys!

New! Scroll to bottom for printable directions...

Step One: Go to your backyard or local park and spend 30 minutes bent over with a plastic bag looking for the narliest, spikiest gum balls you can find. You will need 2 balls for each child or decoration you are making. Add three bonus points if you get your kids to help on the hunt, add two bonus points if your kids are outside playing while you are hunting, add 5 bonus points if you stay outside to enjoy the fall weather even after you've collected enough gum balls for your craft. Oh, you didn't know we were playing a game? Silly me, perhaps you should be...

Step Two: Use hot glue to glue two balls together. Because of the spikes, this may take a lot of glue. Let set before going to next step.

Step Three: This is optional, but I liked the effect. Take the glued sets of gum balls outside and spray paint them black or whatever color you are making your decorations. Other fun choices would be a spooky purple, ugly green, or Halloween orange. Take a short walk around the neighborhood to look at the chaning leaves while you wait for the paint to dry.

Step Four: This is the remaining prep work to do before the meeting if you are making a Cub craft. You'll need a bunch of chenille stems, the type that has four puffy sections per stem. For my craft I used black so we'd all look the same, but feel free to use other festive colors. These you will cut up between each fluffy section. You will need 6-8 of these pieces per spider, so plan your purchase accordingly. If you are turning the decorations into a Cub neckerchief slide, you will also need some regular straight chenille stems (pipe cleaners). Cut those in half and make into circles about the size of two fingers by twisting the ends together.

Step Five: Give each boy a set of glued gum balls, 6-8 cut chenille fluffy pieces (we used six to save money and supplies, even though its not authenticly arachnid), and a circle shaped piece if you are making slides. Also put out a container of assorted googly eyes. I used two on mine but some of the boy's spiders ended up with odd numbers of eyes and look all the better for it!

Step Six: Let the boys figure out which way their spider will look best, then find holes on the sides of the balls where the seeds were. Put a dot of craft glue in the hole and push in a puffy stem to form a spider leg. Do this a few more times on each side. Bend the legs so they look spider-ish. Glue on eyes towards the top and the chenille ring to the back (if using). We found the craft glue didn't work so well on this part, so each kid brought their creation up to an adult who was manning a hot glue gun and instructed her where to put the pieces.

Let dry and they're ready to wear! Since this was one of our early Wolf den meetings, we left the spiders on the tables and went outside to practice flag folding and flag ceremonies. The boys being boys, they got a big kick out of trying to creep out their parents and friends with their spooky creations. The craft goes very fast (you really do most of the work at home, the boys stuff is very easy), so its perfect for fitting into a busy fall meeting schedule. I can't wait for our boys to show up at the end of the month Pack meeting wearing their creepy six-legged pets on their necks!

Below is the supply list for 10 spider creature slides. If you make this creation yourself, please let me know how it turns out or send me a picture! I'd love to see other scary critters!



Spider Slides (makes 10)


20 large prickly gum balls
5 regular chenille stems (pipe cleaners), black or color of your choice
15 chenille stems with the four fluffy parts (or 20 if doing 8 legs)
Package of assorted small googly eyes
Hot glue
Craft ("Tacky") glue
Spray paint - OPTIONAL

Download printable directions here!

(Free Adobe Acrobat Reader required for viewing)

Happy Halloween!

Book Review: National Parks With Kids

Get Kids Outdoors Book Review:

Open Road's Best National Parks With Kids
Paris Permenter & John Bigley



Let me just start by saying that I have recently become a National Park Nut. Yup. Certifiably crazy for them. That being the case, any book with the words "National Parks" in the title is probably going to get a good review from my brainwashed, um, I mean, well saturated brain.

If you're a National Park freak and outdoorsy science-minded mom like me, then you need to have your fingers rush to the nearest online book seller and order this book up, stat. If, however, you are a casual outdoor family or perhaps only have plans to visit one or two parks any time in the forseeable future, then I still highly recommend this book, but instead you may want to actually get in your car and visit your nearest library. Be warned though, once you pick up this book, you may find yourself making a bucket list for your 6-year-old!

It was our family's trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons this summer that really sealed the deal on me becoming a National Park fanatic. At both parks the kids had an incredible experience seeing the sights and the animals and earning Junior Ranger patches. Plus, I picked up a National Parks Passport book and so far it has far too few stamps for my taste. So now I find myself buying books titled "National Parks with Kids" and trying to figure out when our next big trip will be.

The family at the Gardiner entrance of Yellowstone National Park, July 2010

But enough about my fantasies, on to the book...

This is not a huge in-depth volume on every detail of every National Park. More like an overview, the book highlights 21 of the best parks to do with a family that includes young-ish children. Though not specifically geared toward any particular age, I would say that it is especially good if you have children between the ages of 4-12. Obviously younger and older kids will still have lots to do at these parks, but the types of activities mentioned in the book lend themselves best to this mostly elementary school age group. I had to concur with most of the author's choices of parks for kids. If you are able to visit every park in the book, your kids would get to experience a world of alligators, glaciers, caves, coral reefs, gushing geysers, dinosaurs, volcanoes, Native American culture and American history, just to name a few.

Each park section includes a general map of the park and subsections with titles like "Are We There Yet?" for directions and "What's There To Do Here?" for a list of kid-friendly tours, drives, hikes and activities. The latter section also lists special ranger programs or Junior Ranger projects that may be available at that park. A wonderful piece of information to have if you're patch-happy like my boys and I are. When applicable, the writers also feature a "Where Are We Going Next" section for the parks to mention other nearby noteable destinations that your kids will also enjoy, some of them even being other NPS destinations! The authors, who have been to most if not all these parks with their own families, also can't help but point out which parks they have special personal ties to, a nice touch for those who might be on information overload and need help choosing just one or two vacation spots.

Information on the major sights, how long you'll need to see them, and how to get the best experience for your time and money buck are all well covered in this travel guide. Many of the kid-friendly activities list base prices as well so you have an idea of how expensive the trip may get. A "Where to Stay" reference is also included for each park, noting when and how many camping sites are located within park boundries (and if they have running water!) and where and how far other hotel, motel and cabin rentals are for those that enjoy the creature comforts.

This is a great book to pick up if you're interested in travelling to some National Parks and are either making a list, like me, or just trying to figure out which one would be your best best for the family. With 21 parks to cover, it is not a comprehensive guide to any of them. I'd consider it light reading and easy to flip through to get to the places that most interest you. Throw it in your tote bag and bring it out whenever you have a few boring minutes to fill and start dreaming about your next family vacation.

As far as travel guides go, this is a good entry-level book to have on the shelf. The photos are small and somewhat sparse throughout the book, but the ones included are beautiful and often show kids enjoying the experience. My advice would be use this book as a starting point to plan an adventure or two, then go out an buy a detailed book on the park(s) you plan to visit. For around $11-$13 bucks though, this is an excellent resource to start your own National Park mania or fuel your existing addiction. Maybe I'll run into you at one of the MANY parks on my list one day. Happy travelling!

Sunset Over Pamlico Sound

One of the best beach sunsets I've ever witnessed, and we happened to have an incredible built in view. Taken Sept 4, 2009 in the village of Avon on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. One of our favorite family destinations. And yes, this is my laptop's background walpaper.