Fill jars with “crocodile brains,” “eyes of fish,” “bat bones,” and “bullfrog blood” for a Halloween display that looks straight out of a mad scientist’s lab. The secret? Every spooky specimen is made from ordinary kitchen items.
Materials
Supplies:
- Clear glass or plastic jars with lids (various sizes, cleaned with labels removed)
- Craft paint (for the lids)
- Creepy labels (printable PDF, or make your own)
- Household items for filling (see the specimen guide below)
Tools:
- Scissors
- Glue
Steps
- Collect jars. Gather clear jars of different sizes. Pasta sauce jars, pickle jars, mason jars, and baby food jars all work. Remove all product labels and clean thoroughly.
- Fill the jars. Choose your specimens from the guide below, or invent your own. Pack them in and seal the lids.
- Paint the lids. Use craft paint to give each lid a different color. Black, dark green, and rusty red look the creepiest.
- Add labels. Print the downloadable labels or design your own on strips of paper. Glue them to the front of each jar. Use your best spooky handwriting for a “found in an old laboratory” effect.
Specimen Guide:
- Crocodile Brains = painted walnuts
- Fish Eyes = small rubber balls
- Bat Bones = cotton swabs
- Bullfrog Blood = water dyed with red food coloring
- Werewolf Fur = brown craft pom-poms
- Rat Intestines = cooked spaghetti
- Bone Dust = salt or sugar
- Venom = water dyed with yellow food coloring
