Make Halloween Outdoor Decorations: "Ring of Ghosts" and "Flagpole Spooks"

By Patricia Jensen

Here's a favorite tradition of our family in outdoor Halloween decor:

Ring of Ghosts

Materials:

• 3 Twin-sized Sheets
  
• 3 Four foot lengths of flexible 1/2 inch PVC Piping, Wooden Stakes or Dowels
  
• 3 Small White Plastic Garbage Bags
  
• Masking Tape
  
• Newspaper
  
• String or Twist Ties
  
• Black Marker (optional)

Instructions:

1. First, determine a good location for your ghost gathering. Find a wide open area, or you may decide to group them around a tree or light pole.
   
   
2. To make the ghosts' heads, crumple up newspaper and stuff the three small plastic trash bags to the desired size.
   
   
3. Stick one of the PVC pipes into one of the bags and wrap the neck with masking tape to secure. Repeat for the other ghosts.
   
   
4. Cover each ghost head with a sheet, gathering with string or a twist tie under each head. The head should be in the middle of the sheet, so the outer edges can be attached to the neighboring ghosts. You can make taller or shorter ghosts, but you must adjust the size of the sheet you use to accommodate. Our ghosts will be just under 4 feet tall.
   
   
5. Push the PVC piping into the ground in a circular formation about 1-2 feet apart. The sheets should touch the ground and cover up the support. You can also use wooden stakes or dowels, but your ghosts won't have as much movement as they will with the PVC piping.
   
   
6. Finally, knot the ends of the sheets together to give the impression the ghosts are holding hands. Because the PVC is flexible, your ghosts will now bob and sway in the wind!
   
   
7. If desired, make Casper-like faces on the sheets with black marker.

We have 3 children, so we always make 3 ghosts, but you can connect as many ghosts as you wish! They'll look like they're playing a spooky game of "ring-around-the-rosy"!

Flagpole Spooks

These spooky decorations are easy if you have an angled flagpole attached to the front of your house.

Scary Flagpole Ghost: Hang a "Scream" style mask off the end of the flagpole. Tie a white sheet or a generous length of white tulle around and behind the mask. This scary creature will appear to be flying as his white garment flutters in the wind.

Flagpole Frankenstein: Hang a Frankenstein mask off the end of the flagpole. Tie a dark colored trash bag tied behind it. Shredding the trash bag around the edges will add to the spooky effect.

Flagpole Witch: Hang a witch mask off the end of the flagpole. Attach a witch hat to the mask, then tie a dark colored trash bag tied behind it. Shred the trash bag to make the witch's robe flap in the wind.

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