10 Minute Crafts for Halloween: (Not So) Scary Toilet Roll Cat Lanterns

Today is Jumpy’s 3^rd birthday, so I wanted to share something the two of us made earlier this week. Our little crafts session was quite short but it made my little lady really happy.

My lovely friend Steph at ‘Misplaced Brit’ introduced me to Susan a couple of weeks ago. Susan and her husband created Coocoolo Roll, an app that combines the essence of toilet roll crafts with digital play. I said to Steph she could pass on my postal address to Susan and forgot about it (baby brain?), so I was surprised when a house-shaped parcel arrived at home last week.

Susan had sent me this baby as well as a link for her app: she made our day and our fisherman has been played with a lot and is now taking centre place on our mantelpiece. Beanie and Jumpy love the app where they dress up toilet paper rolls and perform fun tasks. You should check their website; they have great tutorials to make quick, easy and cute toilet paper roll characters.

Their Halloween Toilet Roll Cats were the inspiration behind our own cats, but Jumpy is only little and Wriggly has short naps so we simplified the activity.

Did you know that in the Netherlands, children go through their neighbourhood with lanterns for St Maarten, on 11^th November? They sing a special St Maarten song and get sweets in return. Susan thinks that most parents in Holland still celebrate this instead of Halloween.

I love the idea of the lanterns!

What you need:

Toilet paper rolls
‘Disco Fingers’ from Tiger (LED tea lights)
String
Twigs
Sharp scissors (nail scissors are ideal)
Black pen
PVA glue
Tissue paper

What to do:

Start by drawing the cat and cutting the eyes.

Using PVA glue, tick tissue paper on the inside of the toilet paper roll, to give the eyes an eerie glow later.

Fold the top of the toilet paper roll to make cat’s ears and draw a ‘haircut’ in black pen.

Attach string to a twig, and a ‘disco finger’ or LED tea light on the other side. Open the cat’s ‘hair’ again, place the light inside and stick the top of the ‘cat’s hair’ so your lantern does not fall apart.

Have fun!

If you are looking for quick and easy activities to do on a rainy day with your children, why not try our washi tape cards, toilet paper roll bunnies, reindeer lanterns, cute button card, paper cup dragon, finger painting, bath painting, thumbprint art, heart-themed crafts, an embroidered canvas, activities to learn numbers, a stained-glass picture or even make your own play dough?

Disclosure: Bostik sent us a selection of crafting supplies free of charge as part of the Tots100/Bostik Craft Bloggers’ Club. Susan from Coocoolo sent us a toilet paper roll fisherman as well as free access to her app but did not ask me to mention her or her app. All photos and opinions are my own.