Welcome Guests with a Fabulous Scarecrow

Create a fantastic fall atmosphere for your guests before they even enter you home—put a scarecrow in the yard! Use the scarecrow to not only scare away crows from your garden, but decorate and welcome guests to your home.

You can easily learn how to make a scarecrow. Just follow these steps for how to make scarecrows in time for Halloween and other fall parties:

  • Step 1: Frame the Scarecrow. When making a scarecrow, gather two poles (either broomsticks or large branches) and cross them to create the body and arms. Hold the two poles together with wire from your local craft store. You’ll probably want the pole or stick you use for the arms to be shorter than the one you use for the body so that your scarecrow is proportional.
  • Step 2: Dress the Scarecrow. Dress scarecrows however you choose, as they are not gender specific. A traditional scarecrow is clothed in overalls and a flannel shirt. However, you can use your creativity to have fun with different scarecrow ideas. For example, dress him up in your favorite team’s jersey.
  • Step 3: Make the Head. Fill a pillow case with hay or stuffing to make the scarecrow’s head. Draw the scarecrow’s eyes, nose and mouth with permanent marker. For another option, use buttons for the eyes and nose on the face. If you want to make a female scarecrow, add hay or straw for the hair. Separate the hair down the middle and hold it in place with two ribbons to make pigtails. Place a straw hat over the top of the head, and tie or staple it to keep it in place on windy days. To make a male scarecrow, add a bowtie to the scarecrow’s neck.
  • Step 4: Finalize the Arms. Make the scarecrow’s arms and hands with hay. Stick the hay out of the shirt sleeves, and make it look like the scarecrow’s arms. For another option, place gloves at the ends of the poles to create the hands.

When you’re done using the scarecrow for the season, store your homemade scarecrow in a dry place so that you can use it again next year!

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