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The autumn sun shines so brightly during the day that you walk around in short sleeves, but there's a nip in the air at night, so you put your jacket back on. The trees that line your yard are just beginning to flaunt a showy display of bright colors. You get a sudden, uncontrollable urge to eat popcorn balls, and you just have to make a batch of candied apples. You dream at night of tiny ghosts and diminutive pirates that knock upon your door and demand candy . . . It must be the appropriate time of year to make a scarecrow to sit upon your porch or stand in your yard.
It's easy to make a scarecrow, and it is a fun activity that the whole family can help with. How creative can you get? Have the whole family brainstorm together, and you might be surprised with the good ideas that even the littlest member can come up with.
Basic supplies that you will need:
Pair of unmatched socks
Old pair of pants (it doesn't matter if they are ripped and torn)
Long-sleeved shirt
Old pair of pantyhose
Polyester fiberfill (pillow stuffing)
Gardening gloves
Rough Twine or black or orange ribbon
Straw hat
Old rags, straw, or newspaper to stuff the scarecrow with
Something to draw a face with (permanent marker, acrylic paints, even nail polish can be used)
Optional supplies that you will need:
Bale of hay
Pumpkins
Stuffed birds or crows
Cane or long stick
Corn stalks
Double-tie the legs of the pantyhose together directly underneath the panty part of the hose. Stuff the panty part of the pantyhose with polyester fiberfill until it is round and firm. Tie the top together (you may have to use a piece of the twine for this). Set aside.
Stuff the socks with the fiberfill and tie the tops with twine or ribbon. Do the same with the gloves, making sure to get fiberfill into the fingers. Set aside.
Stuff the pants with the stuffing you have chosen. Do the same with the shirt, until the form of the scarecrow takes shape.
Tuck the bottom of the shirt inside the top of the pants and tie together with twine.
Tie the socks inside the pant-legs with twine. Do the same with the gloves.
Draw a face on the head. Make the face as silly or as scary as you'd like. Tuck the legs of the pantyhose inside the shirt and attach the head by tying it to the shirt with the twine. Put the straw hat on the scarecrow's head.
Put the scarecrow in a chair, on a bale of hay, or tie him upright on a tree or on a pole. Put him on the porch or in the yard. Get as creative as you'd like. Put pumpkins around him, or gourds, or a stuffed crow. Give him a cane made from a stick, or lean him against a corn stalk.
Then stand back and enjoy your creation!
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