fbpx

Easy Ideas for Halloween Costumes


Wednesday, October 4th, 2017

Spiderman and his Witch Friends in IFSC

Halloween is just around the corner and it’s time to prepare! Whether you’re invited to a party, you’re planning on going trick or treating, or whether you’ll just be hanging out at home, kids just love to dress up for this special occasion. Here are some ideas for easy homemade costumes that won’t break the bank:

1. Ghost

It’s true, dressing up as a ghost or ghoul really can be as simple as finding an old white or cream bed sheet and cutting out some eyeholes for your little phantom to peak through! Make sure the sheet isn’t too long so that there is no risk of tripping over it, and if your child is quite young, then she might appreciate some armholes too. So as to not spoil the effect, wear light coloured clothes underneath, including white trainers or shoes. Finally, paint large black circles around your child’s eyes, so when they peep out from the eyeholes, they look extra spooky.

2. Monster

For a cute cut-price monster outfit, you’re definitely going to have to break open the face paints. Keep the clothing simple ג€“ all black, all green or all red would be particularly effective ג€“ then it’s time to get creative. A white or green base with black lips and dark eyes is a good start, then why not add bushy eyebrows, drawn in fangs, pointed horns, a third eye and authentically aged face creases? One visually striking method is only to paint half of your child’s face, perhaps with a spider web or skeleton design ג€“ scour the Internet for inspiration and practice ahead of time for the best results.

3. Witch or wizard

Witches and wizards generally need three things: a long black dress or robe, a pointed hat and a broomstick. If your child doesn’t have anything suitable in her dressing up box already, a long dark tunic and stripy leggings is perfect. A hat can easily be fashioned by rolling a sheet of thin black card into a cone and securing it with tape. Next, trim the base so the hat will stand upright. Finally, on another sheet of black card, trace a larger circle by drawing round a bowl. Cut this out, measure it against your child’s head and the bottom of the cone, and use it to form the brim of your hat. Finally construct a broomstick from twigs, twine and a wooden pole.

4. Cat

No witch would be complete without a cat, so why not dress your child up like a cat? She needs tight fitting black clothing, a tail, ears and painted on whiskers. To make the tail, roll up a length of black material into a tube and sew up the edge and one end. Then stuff the tube with cotton wool, sew up the opposite end and carefully pin it to the back of your child’s costume. For the ears, cut out two diamond shapes of black card, then fold them in half round a plain black Alice band to form triangular ear shapes and glue into position. Your cat is ready to party!

Our handy guide to pumpkin carving! 


Gardening Fun with Children

Spring is here!

Wednesday, March 22nd, 2023

Read More

Caring for children when they are sick

We are often asked by parents when is it appropriate for their children to return to creche after an illness.

Wednesday, January 25th, 2023

Read More

Christmas fun with the family

Christmas is a fun time of year for children and their families.

Tuesday, December 6th, 2022

Read More

Have a spook-tastic weekend!

It is that wonderful time of year again where the witches and goblins are out on show and there are magnificent displays of pumpkins everywhere.  

Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

Read More

Halloween 2018

We love Halloween in Giraffe! The children and staff alike love decorating the centres and dressing up and really getting into the spirit of the spooky season! Each centre held a Halloween party and the children were delighted to dress up and see their carers dress up! For some of the younger children,  it was […]

Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

Read More

Easter Fun @ Giraffe

All of our centres were full of creativity and inspiration last week leading up to the festivities of Easter. The centres took part in our annual Easter project where they were all provided with an Easter pack of art supplies to allow the children explore and express their own creativity. As part of our Reach […]

Wednesday, April 4th, 2018

Read More

Supporting your child’s emotional well-being

Mindfulness for children is about awareness of their thoughts, well-being and feelings.

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

Read More

St. Patrick’s Day Celebrations 2018

Lá fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh go Léir! ☘️ Celebrating our national day makes us all feel proud to be Irish, and it allows the children to gain a better understanding of Irish culture and traditions (Aistear themes, Identity & Belonging).St. Patrick’s Day is an exciting time for all children! In the run up to the day, […]

Friday, March 23rd, 2018

Read More

Spring has Sprung!

While the seasons are slowly changing from winter to spring, and the days continue to get a little bit brighter, the children in Giraffe have enjoyed a wide range of spring time activities. Below are just some of the wonderful events that have taken place over the last few weeks in our centres: Pyjama Day […]

Friday, March 16th, 2018

Read More

Fabulous February

February has been an exciting month in Giraffe! With so many wonderful ‘early spring’ activities taking place over the past few weeks, we want to share some of the magical photos with you here. Fun in the Snow! Some of our centres enjoyed playing outside in the snow on a couple of occasions this month. The […]

Friday, February 23rd, 2018

Read More

November Developmental Evenings

Learning to Learn Every Day All of our centres are currently hosting parent developmental evenings. The parent evenings are an excellent opportunity for parents to discuss these records with their child’s key carers, and to look at their child’s holistic development linked to the Aistear curriculum themes : ·         Exploring and Thinking ·         Well Being ·        […]

Tuesday, December 5th, 2017

Read More

Halloween @ Giraffe

Halloween is the time when scary skeletons, spooky ghosts and wicked witches roam the world. All of the Giraffe centres enjoyed the build up to Halloween last week, and the children and staff certainly got into the spirit of the festivities! The children were delighted to dress up for the whole day for their Halloween parties. For […]

Monday, November 6th, 2017

Read More

Giraffe Training Academy – Preschool carers Seminar

A team Workshop focusing on the Preschool learning environment.

Wednesday, October 11th, 2017

Read More

Making a plan to stay calm

Keeping calm…

Monday, October 9th, 2017

Read More

A History of Halloween Costumes

Starting way back in the 8th century, dressing up and playing tricks is a Halloween tradition!

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

Read More

Summertime Fun @ Giraffe

Here are the highlights from our Summer Festivals in 2017!

Monday, August 28th, 2017

Read More

Our Wonderful Giraffe Graduates

Congratulations to the 2017 Preschool Graduates! Here are some photos that capture the excitement of the most recent celebrations.

Thursday, July 13th, 2017

Read More

Risky Play – Teaching our children to trust themselves

Learning through play

Wednesday, July 5th, 2017

Read More

Staying fit as a Family

Staying fit as a Family

Wednesday, February 15th, 2017

Read More

Witches, Goblins, and Ghosts – Oh my!

Halloween is the time when scary skeletons, spooky ghosts and wicked witches roam the world. All of the Giraffe centres enjoyed the build up to Halloween last week, and the children and staff certainly got into the spirit of the festivities! The children were delighted to dress up for the whole day for their Halloween parties. For […]

Thursday, November 3rd, 2016

Read More

How to Carve a Pumpkin

Our step by step guide to pumpkin Carving with the family!

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016

Read More

Affordable Childcare Schemes

The Affordable Childcare Scheme is currently available for ‘FIS’,  Medical Card holders and One-Parent families. It is also available to Adult Learners enrolled in VTOS or ETB courses.

Wednesday, October 12th, 2016

Read More

Beating the winter bugs

Tips for preventing cold and flus this winter

Wednesday, October 5th, 2016

Read More

Parent Night with Aoife Lee

We recently held a special informational evening with our Parent Coach, Aoife Lee of Parent Support. The topic of the parent discussion was “Managing Change Together -Settling into Crèche, Moving Rooms and Preparation for School”. Our parents had provided feedback over the last few months on what they found were some of the more challenging aspects of parenting. […]

Monday, September 19th, 2016

Read More

Summer festival Fun at Giraffe

Summer is festival time in Giraffe! The children look forward to the Summer Festivals every year, and every Giraffe Centre hosts different events through the summer months. This year, we saw Teddy Bear Picnics, Jungle Days, Magic Shows & Magicians, Beach days, Family BBQs and much much more! We have as many fun outdoor activities […]

Monday, August 29th, 2016

Read More

Managing Sibling Rivalry over the Christmas season

If you really want to break the cycle of rivalry and children clashing with one another, allow them to pick activities that they can do together.

Thursday, December 17th, 2015

Read More

Pumpkin Muffins

Here’s a great idea to make use of the pumpkin flesh after carving your pumpkin. These are a lovely treat for a Halloween party too. You will need: Pumpkin puree (from one large pumpkin) 250g Self Raising Flour 150g Caster Sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp all spice […]

Tuesday, October 27th, 2015

Read More

13 preschoolers | 2 teachers | 2 rugby coaches|1 bodhrán player and a whole lot of fun

The children and staff at Giraffe Leopardstown host a rugby day in honour and support of the Irish Rugby team. Our Giraffe Leopardstown pre-schoolers had so much fun showing their support by preparing rugby related artwork and learning ‘Irelands Call’ assisted by their teachers, Ciara O’Reilly and Ivonne Gonzalez. Our deputy manager, Roisin Byrne, accompanied […]

Wednesday, October 14th, 2015

Read More

Planning for the Potty

Planning for the potty is all about timing… it’s when your child is ready! You will know when the time is right when your child has developed enough physical skills to be able to walk and climb the stairs, to wash their own hands, and are showing an interest in what is happening in the […]

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

Read More