DIY Bug Halloween Costumes for Kids

BUG ZAPPER

To make the bug zapper costume, arrange pieces of black foam board in the shape of a box and duct tape them together. Attach black plastic fencing material to use as the screens. The “lights” inside are LED glow tubes zip-tied onto the screens. Use a hot glue gun to secure assorted spooky bugs (fake, of course) onto a white shirt and all over the zapper. Attach a metal or plastic circle hanger from a craft store (or just about any ring painted black to match). The last step is to glue a soft piece of foam to the inside of the top of the box where it comes into contact with your little one's head. To go the extra mile, record a bug zapper sound effect on your phone so your trick-or-treater can replay the zapper noise at will!

BUTTERFLY

As far as bug costumes go, bright and beautiful is always nice, but fast and easy are also just as lovely (especially if Halloween tends to sneak up on you). Use black felt as the base and any other colors you like for the shapes. Cut them out and arrange them on top of the wings. Once you get them where you want them, use fabric spray glue to adhere them to the fabric. Save some of the shapes to glue to the underside of the wings. Stitch ribbons to the end of the wings and neck of the costume so they can be tied around the wrists and neck (like a cape) and voila!  

FIREFLY

The body of this firefly costume consists of a black sleeveless dress worn over a green tutu and black tights. The tail is made from a 2-liter bottle covered in Lycra and wrapped in black electrical tape with glow sticks inside to illuminate it. The headpiece is a crocheted beanie with pipe cleaners and ping-pong balls added for the antennae. The eyes are fabric softener bottle lids painted black and glued onto the hat. And the wings are made from wire covered with nylon stockings and then painted with diluted acrylic paint (add glitter to taste). Lastly, add elastic loops for wearing the wings over the shoulders.

LAWN WITH BUGS

For this bug costume, begin with heavy-duty hair gel. Once you get the hair styled and spiked the way you want it, spray it liberally with hairspray. Then spray all of that with green hair color. A blow dryer can speed up the drying process. Add the plastic bugs using a hot glue gun. Yes, a hot glue gun. During a test run, the bugs came off easily because they’re actually glued to all that gel and hairspray. They can also be attached using fishing line or you can glue the bugs to hair clips/bobby pins. Some insect face painting can even be added for a little extra oomph.

BEES & BEEKEEPER

Bees:

In a cylindrical pattern, sew black and yellow fuzzy strips together horizontally for the body. Then sew on a black liner and stuff batting in between them. Put a drawstring at the neck. Make the antennae out of plastic headbands with black pipe cleaners wrapped around fuzzy yellow balls that you can find in any craft store. For the wings, bend h angers into the desired shape and cover with extra netting from the beekeeper costume and use hot glue to secure it. Gluing felt around the edge makes for a cleaner look. Tie the black string in the middle of the wings and attach them to your child by putting the strings on their arms like a backpack and tightening them with the plastic drawstring. Add cute red cheeks with face paint and you're ready to buzz off!

Note: Have black shirts, black tights and black shoes.

Beekeeper:

Buy a cheap painter's suit (less than $10) from your local hardware store and paint a bee on the front pocket a nd one or two on the back. Then staple the netting, purchased from a fabric store, to a hat such as a yard work hat you already have. Slip on gloves and work boots and start chasing after those adorable bees!