Here’s something fun to do for your Halloween party. Have a scavenger hunt using Riddle Me, and let the players collect the materials they need to trap a ghost in a jar.
Step 1: Gather all the materials for the ghost in a jar. You will need: a Mason jar, cheese cloth, fabric stiffener or liquid starch, black craft paint or black sharpie, hot glue gun, 1 ¼” wooden ball knob, 3/4” x 5/8” wooden spool and a 1/8” wood dowel. You may also need scissors or an exacto knife to cut the dowel down and a small bowl to put the liquid starch or stiffener in.
Step 2: Hot glue the wooden spool to the underside of the Mason jar lid.
Step 3: Cut the wooden dowel down to the size you want the ghost to be, using a pair of sharp scissors or an exacto knife and cutting mat. (test things here and make sure the dowel and head will fit properly inside the bottle)
Step 4: Hot glue the dowel into the spool.
Step 5: Hot glue the wooden knob onto the end of the dowel. You can also glue additional pieces of the dowel on as arms if you want.
Step 6: Fold a small piece of cheese cloth over several times until you can’t see through it. Drape it over the ghost form and measure and then cut where you want it to fall, remembering to leave a little extra length since it will shrink when stiffened.
Step 7: Pour some liquid starch or fabric softener in a small bowl. Saturate the piece of cheese cloth by either submerging it in the bowl or applying with a sponge brush.
Step 8: Squeeze out any excess starch/stiffener and lay the cheese cloth across the ghost form. Arrange the fabric until it’s laying the way you want it and let dry for 45 minutes.
Step 9: Add two black dots for the eyes using either a black Sharpie or black craft paint.
Step 10: Carefully place the jar over the ghost and screw the lid back on and you’ve trapped your ghost in a jar!