A Halloween Craft the Whole Family Will Actually Want to Make

 

DIY Life-Size Chicken Wire Ghosts: A Halloween Craft the Whole Family Will Actually Want to Make

Halloween crafts aren't just for little kids!

This year, we decided to try something a little different with our outdoor Halloween decorations. We made life-size ghosts out of chicken wire, shaped them into figures wearing old-fashioned dresses, sprayed them with glow-in-the-dark paint, and placed them in a graveyard in our front yard.

And here's the surprising part: everybody got involved!

Not just the kids, either. Even my husband, Jerry, joined in.

If you're looking for a Halloween craft to make with teenagers, college-age kids, or adults, this is a fun one. There's something about working with chicken wire, creating ghostly figures, and transforming your front yard into a haunted graveyard that makes the project feel more like building a movie set than doing a typical Halloween craft.

And the finished decorations are delightfully spooky.

Meet Our Ghosts

Instead of making the usual sheet-covered ghosts, we wanted something that looked a little more mysterious.

We created two figures: a woman and a child, both wearing long, old-fashioned dresses.

The shapes are made from chicken wire, which gives them an almost transparent appearance. During the day, they're surprisingly difficult to see.

But at night, when the glow-in-the-dark paint begins to show, they take on an entirely different personality.

They glow just a little, almost like they're appearing out of the darkness.

We arranged them beside graves in our homemade front-yard cemetery. The effect is wonderfully eerie, especially because they aren't solid white figures.

They look more like ghostly visitors than ordinary Halloween decorations!

Why This Is Such a Great Halloween Craft for Teenagers and Adults

One thing I've noticed as my kids have gotten older is that it's harder to find family activities that everyone genuinely enjoys.

The cute little paper crafts and Halloween projects we used to make when they were small aren't necessarily going to interest teenagers and twenty-somethings.

But this project was different.

It's hands-on. It's creative. It's a little unusual. And everyone can contribute something.

There's shaping the wire, figuring out how to make the figures look realistic, painting, arranging the graveyard, and deciding exactly where the ghosts should stand.

It's the kind of project where different people can work on different parts, and everyone gets to see their contributions come together.

And apparently, it's even a craft that husbands enjoy!

What You'll Need to Make Chicken Wire Ghosts

The basic materials are surprisingly simple:

• Chicken wire or flexible poultry netting

• Heavy-duty work gloves

• Wire cutters or tin snips suitable for your wire

• Pliers for bending and securing the wire

• Additional wire or suitable ties for securing the shapes

• Glow-in-the-dark spray paint suitable for your intended outdoor use

• Stakes or supports to keep the figures securely in place

• Optional gravestones and other outdoor Halloween decorations

**We made the child ghost out of old chicken wire that has a wide circle pattern and it is more invisible during the day than the mother ghost, who is made of brighter new wire with smaller circle spaces. So if you want them to be more invisible during the day use darker wire with wider spaces.

You'll also want a safe, well-ventilated outdoor workspace for painting.

Chicken wire has very sharp cut edges, so sturdy gloves and adult supervision for anyone cutting or shaping it are essential.

How to Make Your Own Life-Size Chicken Wire Ghosts

Step 1: Decide Who Your Ghosts Will Be

Before cutting the wire, decide what kind of ghosts you want to create.

You could make a woman in a long Victorian-style dress, a smaller child, a pair of mysterious figures, or an entire ghostly family.

We chose a woman and child wearing old-fashioned dresses because we wanted our graveyard to feel like a scene from another time.

Think about their silhouettes before you begin. The outlines of the dresses are especially important because those shapes help people recognize the figures, even in dim light.

Step 2: Shape the Chicken Wire

Carefully bend and shape the chicken wire to create the outline of each figure.

You'll need to form the head, shoulders, torso, and the shape of the clothing.

One of the nice things about chicken wire is that it can hold a three-dimensional shape while still allowing you to see through it.

For a long dress, you can create a wider skirt-shaped structure beneath the torso, giving the ghost a recognizable old-fashioned silhouette.

Secure overlapping wire carefully and fold sharp ends inward wherever possible.

Don't worry about making everything perfectly symmetrical. A slightly uneven, flowing shape can actually make the finished ghost look more mysterious.

Step 3: Give Your Ghost Some Personality

This is where the project gets creative.

Adjust the shoulders, head position, and dress shape until your ghost looks the way you imagined.

A subtle tilt of the head or a different posture can make a surprisingly big difference.

Our two figures look like a woman and child, which adds a little story to the scene.

Who were they? Why are they standing near the graves? Are they visiting someone, or are these their own graves?

That's part of the fun of Halloween decorating!

Step 4: Apply the Glow-in-the-Dark Paint

Once your wire figures are finished, it's time to make them glow.

Use glow-in-the-dark spray paint according to the manufacturer's directions, following all instructions for application, drying, and ventilation.

Paint in a suitable outdoor location, and let each figure dry completely.

Keep in mind that glow-in-the-dark paint usually needs exposure to light before it will glow in darkness. Different paints produce different effects, and the glow may fade over time.

Our ghosts don't shine like bright lights. Instead, they have a faint glow that makes them look almost as though they're floating in the darkness.

I will admit, I was pretty disappointed with the paint. I tried two different brands and neither one were as bright as I wanted. I have to admit though, they are growing on me... I actually think the subtle effect makes them even spookier.

Step 5: Create Your Haunted Graveyard

Once the paint is dry, it's time to arrange the ghosts.

We created a graveyard in our front yard and positioned our figures near the graves.

Because the wire is difficult to see in daylight, the figures blend into their surroundings. At night, they're much more mysterious.

Be sure to anchor the figures securely so they won't tip or blow over, and keep them away from walkways where someone might accidentally run into the wire.

Then step back and admire your very own haunted cemetery.

Step 6: See What Happens After Dark

This is the best part!

Once the sun goes down, take a look at your finished display.

You may find that the ghosts seem to appear and disappear depending on the lighting and where you're standing.

Experiment with their positioning to get the effect you like best.

If your glow-in-the-dark paint doesn't remain bright for very long, remember that its performance depends on the product, how much light it receives, and the surrounding conditions.

You can also experiment with subtle outdoor lighting to improve visibility without losing that ghostly effect.

Tips for Making Your Chicken Wire Ghosts Look Extra Spooky

Choose interesting silhouettes. Long dresses and unusual poses are much more intriguing than simple cone-shaped figures.

Give the ghosts a story. A pair of figures near gravestones creates a scene that makes people curious.

Take photos at different times. Your ghosts may look completely different in daylight, at dusk, and after dark.

Make it a family project. Let everyone help decide what the final scene should look like.

And don't feel that your decorations need to be perfectly polished. Sometimes the slightly imperfect details make Halloween crafts more interesting.

Making Halloween Memories With Older Kids

I think my favorite part of this project was having everyone involved.

When your children are little, it's easy to come up with crafts and activities to do together.

But as they get older, those opportunities can become a little harder to find.

This project was a reminder that you can still make things together. The projects just get bigger, a little more complicated, and sometimes a lot spookier!

And when everyone gets involved, even the husband, you know you've found a keeper.

Whether you're decorating for Halloween, planning a family craft weekend, or just looking for something creative to do with your teenagers and grown children, chicken wire ghosts are worth trying.

Now we have a haunted graveyard in the front yard, two mysterious visitors standing beside the graves, and another family memory to add to the collection.

Happy Halloween!

Have you ever made life-size Halloween decorations? I'd love to hear what you've created!