Munchkin scarecrows are coming to our town soon!
Old things will become new again as Keep Liberty Beautiful hosts a ‘scarecrow construction site’ Oct. 25 at the annual community fall festival at the YMCA. This year, we are working with the Teen Achievers and Prevent Child Abuse Liberty to put on a child-size scarecrow contest. The assistance from Teen Achievers and PCAL is greatly appreciated as KLCB already is holding a Rivers Alive waterway cleanup that morning.
Scarecrows have been a fixture around the world for centuries. They’re the ultimate recycled creation as they are traditionally made from any items that happen to be on hand.
If you have never made a scarecrow, I am going to share some ideas, but don’t let a lack of experience prevent you from participating in the contest. All it takes is a little creativity mixed with a dose of fun. Building scarecrows is a great educational activity for families and an easy way to show children, teens and even adults that old things can be re-used instead of trashed.
Here are some simple steps for perfecting a scarecrow.
• Backbone: The first thing a scarecrow needs is a backbone. A broom, mop, or wooden dowel would make a good start. We will have a limited number of dowel sticks available or you can bring your own.
• Arms: Use another shorter pole or dowel and tie or wire it against the backbone pole to form a cross. If you choose to use a plastic container base, you can cut out arm holes and use soda bottles for chubby baby arms.
• Head: Many items will work well when it comes to building your scarecrow’s head. A canvas bag stuffed with straw, a small pumpkin, a gourd or even a plastic container such as a laundry detergent bottle or milk jug can be secured to the broom or pole. Even an old pillow case would do the trick. Try using an old pair of tights with straw stuffed in the waist to give the head fullness. Tie the legs off and tucked them into the scarecrow’s shirt to keep the body securely pulled together.
• Face: The facial features can be added with permanent markers, paint pens or glued-on felt eyes. Craft items like wiggly eyes will work and Halloween masks will give a scarecrow some personality.
• Body: Scarecrows can be stuffed or ‘casual,’meaning little or no stuffing is used so the clothing hangs freely from the pole body. The choice is up to you. Add a shirt, pants or a dress and and fill it with stuffing — straw works well — for a full look. String or wire can be used to tie off arms, legs and waists to keep stuffing in place. Gloves can be stuffed and tied on to the arms of the shirt.
• Clothing: It is true — clothes make the scarecrow, so think outside of the box. Traditional scarecrows with plaid shirts and jeans are nice, but your options are limitless. How about making a scary ghost scarecrow with a long white sheet, or a formal scarecrow wearing a tux and top hat? Old Halloween costumes can make your scarecrow one of a kind.
Let your ’crow be a reflection of your personality and favorite things. You could have Georgia Dawg ’crow or — heaven help us — a Gator ’crow. Fashion a mini scarecrow using your own child’s outgrown clothes.
One of last year’s winners, Laura Troutman and her daughter, Eva, made a scarecrow that I call “little straw Eva.”
• Accessories: Once you decide who your scarecrow will be, the clothes and accessories, such as hats, hair, gloves and shoes, will make your creation come to life.
There are lots of Web sites scarecrow builders can check out for ideas. One of my favorite sites had Prince Charles and Camilla immortalized as scarecrows — they were extremely realistic.
Whatever you choose to do, I promise it will be fun with a purpose. We will select winners from different age groups and there will be group effort and most creative ’crow winners.
The point of this contest is to remind everyone that many everyday objects can be reused for completely different purposes if we just give it some thought rather than automatically tossing old items in the trash. We will have a number of items for use at the festival as well as supplies such as straw, dowels, wire, tape, string, markers and clothes. However, bring your special items if you want to really bring a one-of-a-kind scarecrow to life.
Congratulations to First United Methodist pre-school and kindergarten for placing 19th in the nation in the annual Return the Warmth Plastics recycling Program! Thank you to all the schools that participated this year. We are proud of all of you.
Upcoming Keep Liberty Beautiful projects that need YOUR involvement:
• Oct. 25: Rivers Alive in Liberty County. Mark the date on your calendar now and help with this annual event. Call 368-4888 or e-mail klcb@libertycountyga.
com to volunteer.
• Oct. 13: Coastal Living Holiday House. The house is loaded with ideas for holiday decorating and livng green. Tours begin Oct. 13 and proceeds will benefit our local United Way.
• Liberty County: Home of the world’s largest crayon. Help us make this Guinness Book of World Records project a reality by calling 368-4888 or e-mailing biglibertycrayon@ yahoo.com. The countdown has begun — we need all crayons by the end of October.
For more information on Keep Liberty County Beautiful programs, contact Swida at 368-4888 or e-mail klcb@libertycountyga.com.
Old things will become new again as Keep Liberty Beautiful hosts a ‘scarecrow construction site’ Oct. 25 at the annual community fall festival at the YMCA. This year, we are working with the Teen Achievers and Prevent Child Abuse Liberty to put on a child-size scarecrow contest. The assistance from Teen Achievers and PCAL is greatly appreciated as KLCB already is holding a Rivers Alive waterway cleanup that morning.
Scarecrows have been a fixture around the world for centuries. They’re the ultimate recycled creation as they are traditionally made from any items that happen to be on hand.
If you have never made a scarecrow, I am going to share some ideas, but don’t let a lack of experience prevent you from participating in the contest. All it takes is a little creativity mixed with a dose of fun. Building scarecrows is a great educational activity for families and an easy way to show children, teens and even adults that old things can be re-used instead of trashed.
Here are some simple steps for perfecting a scarecrow.
• Backbone: The first thing a scarecrow needs is a backbone. A broom, mop, or wooden dowel would make a good start. We will have a limited number of dowel sticks available or you can bring your own.
• Arms: Use another shorter pole or dowel and tie or wire it against the backbone pole to form a cross. If you choose to use a plastic container base, you can cut out arm holes and use soda bottles for chubby baby arms.
• Head: Many items will work well when it comes to building your scarecrow’s head. A canvas bag stuffed with straw, a small pumpkin, a gourd or even a plastic container such as a laundry detergent bottle or milk jug can be secured to the broom or pole. Even an old pillow case would do the trick. Try using an old pair of tights with straw stuffed in the waist to give the head fullness. Tie the legs off and tucked them into the scarecrow’s shirt to keep the body securely pulled together.
• Face: The facial features can be added with permanent markers, paint pens or glued-on felt eyes. Craft items like wiggly eyes will work and Halloween masks will give a scarecrow some personality.
• Body: Scarecrows can be stuffed or ‘casual,’meaning little or no stuffing is used so the clothing hangs freely from the pole body. The choice is up to you. Add a shirt, pants or a dress and and fill it with stuffing — straw works well — for a full look. String or wire can be used to tie off arms, legs and waists to keep stuffing in place. Gloves can be stuffed and tied on to the arms of the shirt.
• Clothing: It is true — clothes make the scarecrow, so think outside of the box. Traditional scarecrows with plaid shirts and jeans are nice, but your options are limitless. How about making a scary ghost scarecrow with a long white sheet, or a formal scarecrow wearing a tux and top hat? Old Halloween costumes can make your scarecrow one of a kind.
Let your ’crow be a reflection of your personality and favorite things. You could have Georgia Dawg ’crow or — heaven help us — a Gator ’crow. Fashion a mini scarecrow using your own child’s outgrown clothes.
One of last year’s winners, Laura Troutman and her daughter, Eva, made a scarecrow that I call “little straw Eva.”
• Accessories: Once you decide who your scarecrow will be, the clothes and accessories, such as hats, hair, gloves and shoes, will make your creation come to life.
There are lots of Web sites scarecrow builders can check out for ideas. One of my favorite sites had Prince Charles and Camilla immortalized as scarecrows — they were extremely realistic.
Whatever you choose to do, I promise it will be fun with a purpose. We will select winners from different age groups and there will be group effort and most creative ’crow winners.
The point of this contest is to remind everyone that many everyday objects can be reused for completely different purposes if we just give it some thought rather than automatically tossing old items in the trash. We will have a number of items for use at the festival as well as supplies such as straw, dowels, wire, tape, string, markers and clothes. However, bring your special items if you want to really bring a one-of-a-kind scarecrow to life.
Congratulations to First United Methodist pre-school and kindergarten for placing 19th in the nation in the annual Return the Warmth Plastics recycling Program! Thank you to all the schools that participated this year. We are proud of all of you.
Upcoming Keep Liberty Beautiful projects that need YOUR involvement:
• Oct. 25: Rivers Alive in Liberty County. Mark the date on your calendar now and help with this annual event. Call 368-4888 or e-mail klcb@libertycountyga.
com to volunteer.
• Oct. 13: Coastal Living Holiday House. The house is loaded with ideas for holiday decorating and livng green. Tours begin Oct. 13 and proceeds will benefit our local United Way.
• Liberty County: Home of the world’s largest crayon. Help us make this Guinness Book of World Records project a reality by calling 368-4888 or e-mailing biglibertycrayon@ yahoo.com. The countdown has begun — we need all crayons by the end of October.
For more information on Keep Liberty County Beautiful programs, contact Swida at 368-4888 or e-mail klcb@libertycountyga.com.