Bean Mosaic Ghosts and Bats Craft

Looking for a fun and easy Halloween craft that uses simple, household items? Try making bean mosaic ghosts and bats! This eco-friendly project is great for both adults and kids, offering a creative way to use up beans and cardboard. Plus, it’s an excellent opportunity to create unique decorations for the spooky season without needing to buy new materials.

This bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft is an especially fantastic activity to do with kids. It combines the fun of crafting with the fine motor skill practice of arranging and gluing beans, making it not just a Halloween decoration project but also an engaging educational activity. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make these charmingly eerie bats and ghosts!

Materials Needed:

• Cardboard (from old boxes or packaging)
• Dried beans (black beans, white beans)
• Scissors
• Pencil or Pen
• Craft Glue

Alternative Materials

Beans: If you don’t have exactly black and white beans you can easily complete this craft with any other kind of bean or seed or other small collection of objects. You can have a colorful pompom ghost if you like! There are no rules here. If you want it to follow the traditional color scheme you can always paint your ghosts and bats at the end!

Glue: I like to use simple kids craft glue here because it is something I always have on hand and I can easily flood the cardboard to make bean placement easy. You could also use hot glue or most other kinds of glue.

Step 1: Draw Your Bat and Ghost Shapes

Start by cutting out simple bat and ghost shapes from cardboard. If freehand drawing isn’t your strong suit, you can find templates online, print them out, and trace them onto the cardboard. I used one of the paper bats I hang on my walls during the holiday season. I have them available in my freebies library, which is open to all email subscribers.

For ghosts, a rounded shape with a flowing “tail” at the bottom works perfectly. You can keep these shapes as simple or detailed as you like. Remember that the beans will create texture, so don’t worry about making the outlines too intricate.

Step 2: Cut out Your Shapes

Use a pair of scissors to cut out your ghosts and bats. I sometimes find it hard to cut the small wavy lines into thicker cardboard. If you’re also having trouble I suggest cutting straight lines perpendicular to the cut line so the cardboard can easily bend while cutting. I also like cutting from both directions if I’m in a tight spot.

Step 3: Choose and Glue the Beans

For bats, black beans work best to create that classic spooky look. For ghosts, you can use white beans like navy beans or even large white lima beans. If you want a colorful or quirky version of your bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft, feel free to mix bean types.

Using craft glue or hot glue, begin attaching the beans to your cardboard shapes. I like to flood the entire ghost or bat at the beginning so I can then just focus on applying the beans.

I like to add the eyes and optional mouth in a contrasting bean first and then filling in the rest of the cardboard.

This part of the bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft is perfect for kids to help with, placing the beans is a great fine motor activity!

Step 4: Add Details (Optional)

Once your beans are glued down and dried, you can add finishing details to your bats and ghosts.

• Bats: If you want a darker look, you can lightly paint over the black beans with a thin coat of black paint or use a marker to fill in any small gaps in the cardboard.
• Ghosts: For an extra spooky effect, add a light wash of white paint over the beans or leave them as is for a rustic, natural look.

To give your characters eyes, glue on small googly eyes or paint tiny dots for the bats. If you want, you can also draw on faces with a marker. It could also be fun to dress up the ghosts a little. Maybe cut out a paper hat or paper pumpkin to hold.

Step 5: Display Your Creations

Once your bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft creations are dry, you can decide how to display them!

• Hanging Decorations: If you want to hang them, punch a small hole at the top of each shape and thread some twine or string through. These make adorable additions to doorways, windows, or mantelpieces.
• Tabletop or Wall Decor: You can also simply prop them up on shelves, lean them against a wall, or use them as part of a Halloween centerpiece.

Why This Craft is Eco-Friendly

One of the best things about this project is how resourceful and environmentally friendly it is. Instead of purchasing new decorations, you’re repurposing old cardboard and using dried beans—items that are probably already in your pantry. It’s a great opportunity to teach kids about sustainability and the importance of using what you already have for crafting.

A Fun and Educational Activity for Kids

This bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft is not only a great Halloween decoration idea but also a fun hands-on project for kids. Sorting and gluing the beans encourages focus and fine motor skills, and kids love seeing the transformation from basic materials to festive decorations. It’s a perfect way to bond while crafting and makes for a memorable Halloween tradition.

You can take this kind of craft and apply it to other times of the year. Maybe you use some leftover white beans to make snowflakes or snowmen. Maybe hearts for Valentine’s Day? Or flowers during the summer? There are so many possibilities!

Final Thoughts

Making bats and ghosts with dried beans glued onto cardboard is a fun, easy, and eco-friendly project that anyone can enjoy. Whether you’re decorating your home for Halloween or looking for a crafty way to entertain your kids, this bean mosaic ghosts and bats craft is sure to add a little spooky charm to your space. Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity to use up materials you already have, making it both budget-friendly and sustainable.

Give it a try, and let your imagination run wild as you create your own unique Halloween decor!

Want More Fall & Halloween Fun?

If you’re looking for other sustainable ways to decorate for fall, check out my blog post here!

Or maybe you’re focusing on decorating for Halloween, I have a blog post on that too! (Including my bat print outs)

Or if you want a quick fun fall activity, maybe try preserving gorgeous maple leaves with wax.