Workshop #8
10.26.24
Halloween Candy Bag Craft
Pumpkin candy bag made by one of our participants during the workshop.
Halloween season is back this year! The craft session for Halloween holiday is especially meaningful for Dreamers’ Palette since our first-ever workshop hosted at RMHD was a Halloween gum ball machine craft. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about ways to celebrate Halloween is trick-or-treating and eating candies with your friends and families. For this year’s Halloween season craft, Dreamers’ Palette presents pumpkin candy bags made out of paper bowls! Children made their own candy bags and got candies after the workshop!
Material list:
Two paper bowls
Pipe cleaners
Paint and brushes
Cutter or scissor
Production steps:
Use a cutter to cut out big circle hole on the bottom of one bowl.
Glue two bowls’ top parts together.
Use a cutter to make two small holes for a handle.
Paint the candy bag and draw pumpkin faces.
Decorate and finish your craft!
Workshop Flyer!
My reflection after the workshop:
Today’s date is October 26th. Last year, when I hosted the first-ever workshop at RMHD, it was October 27th in 2023. About one year has passed ever since I first came to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas and met those children to give out diverse arts experiences. The first-ever workshop I hosted also occurred around Halloween season, and today’s workshop was also meant to celebrate Halloween holiday by creating a candy bag. Based on my past experiences of all the workshops I’ve hosted at RMHD, workshops occurring around holiday seasons are the busiest ones. And today, I was able to meet a lot of new kids, marking a great start for another year of Dreamers’ Palette project journey.
The first person who showed up to the workshop was a 14-year-old girl. I usually expect kids more than teenagers, and I was very impressed at her deep focus and patience when doing her art project in the craft room. She seemed to be healing through the tranquil beauty and power of art. Next, I was greeted by a 4-year-old girl with her mom. They gave by far the most warmhearted energy during their craft time. Her mom gave me a question that I haven’t gotten before: Can I paint one as well? The way she engaged with her daughter as well as giving herself the moment to relax through art project was extra meaningful for me as I wanted my workshop to also be a moment of bonding between children and parents by giving them activities to do together. This little girl and her mom were both talented artists. I watched them putting a lot of effort and time to decorate their pumpkin candy bags.
There was one kid whom seemed to not want to do the workshop craft even as his parents kept calming him down from screaming and asked him constantly if he would want to do the craft. Unfortunately, his dad had to take him outside and go to another place to calm him down; however, his mom was able to stay and do the craft instead. I was a little surprised that his mom would be interested in doing the craft, but it was very touching for me how she seemed to have a relaxing moment and pursue her craft hobby.
What I noticed today is that I’m not just doing this workshop for kids in the house solely. I also aim to spread hope and resilience to their parents as well. All the parents I’ve met today were not only engaged with their children for their projects but also were able to do the craft by themselves as well to relax and enjoy the power of art. I hope not only kids but also their parents to be able to experience the healing power of art and bring smiles across their faces or even help relieve their mental and physical stress as well.
