Spider Invasion: Halloween 2020

Different Rules, Same Fun?

Of all holidays, Halloween decorating is my favorite! My usual ghost theme is fun and not too scary for neighborhood kids, mostly under eight. This year's pandemic had our city requiring masks and social distancing, but I was determined to keep the fun (and scares) safely.

I considered a flying ghost delivering a basket with treats, but kids still had to touch the basket. Candy slides from the front porch seemed like a fun choice, but our long, narrow sidewalk wouldn't let the steady stream of kids stay distanced. What if that slide could go from my second story window down to my wide driveway? And what about the fright element? Then it hit me: spider legs!

Trick or Treat

How kids get the candy is the biggest trick this year. I devised a way to drop candy from upstairs, through a PVC pipe, and straight into their bags and buckets, under guise of a giant spider. My garage door had instructions reading "Hold bag under spider sack, Yell trick or treat, 2 pieces of candy will fall out" and reminding kids to stay safe. My spider created mystery, surprise, fun, and followed safety guidelines!

Safety First

To help with distancing, I added "IN" and "OUT" balloons to different sides of the driveway. I also taped properly spaced arrows on the drive. An adult-sized "body" wearing a Spiderman costume was wrapped in webbing to divide the flow of traffic in the driveway.

The Results Are In

The spider was a huge success! I sat comfortably and safely in my second story window dropping candy through the tubing all evening. Moms cheered on from their cars, "That is so cool!" Boys ages ten through fifty sleuthed out the mechanics and yelled, "I see someone in the window!" Smaller kids needed Dad to come up to the egg sack with them. One girl insisted Spiderman was dead, not asleep. The best was a mom that brought her two pajamaed toddlers way past bedtime. "You insisted I bring you to see the spider, now go up and get your candy." Unwilling to wait below, they settled on running over to get the candy after it fell out. The spider brought magic and joy to me and countless families during a time when we could all use more of both.

DIY Spider Construction 101

The first rule of spider construction: use what you have! Your supply list doesn't have to look just like mine

From around the house (make what you have work):

exercise ball
blow-up beach ball
black leaf bags
zip ties
slotted bowl / colander
black spray paint
bubble wrap

From the store:

2x 10' PVC pipes: two-inch diameter
45 degree PVC coupling
2x straight PVC couplings
9x 4' black pool noodles
black duct tape

stretch spider web
2x tea lights
150 foot of rope for the spider web (Don't waste money on the glow in the dark rope - it didn't work!)

First, tie and nail a rope spider web to the roof (1" nails). Then make the legs, using the slotted bowl as a center. Cut three noodles in half. Zip tie a 2' section to each end of an intact 4' noodle and then to the bowl. Repeated this for the other five legs. For legs seven and eight, cut both 10' PVC pipes into an 8' piece and a 2' piece, then paint black. To attach to the window, drill a small hole near the end and zip tie an 8' leg to the window. Connect the other end to the second 8' leg with a straight coupling. Use a 45-degree coupling to connect the second PVC leg to a 2' piece, completing the spiders eight legs. With them all zip tied to the bowl, tie the bowl to the rope. The hard part is done! For the body of the spider, put the leaf bags over the balls and zip tie them together on top of the leg bowl. Add two tea lights on the smaller ball for the eyes. From the ground, add the final 2' PVC pipe to the leg hanging down with a straight coupling so that the youngest princesses or ghouls can reach it. Wrap it with bubble wrap and spider webbing (and plastic spiders) to add some protection and make it easy to see the "egg sack" where the candy will fall out.