Fake Halloween eyeballs can make some great Halloween props and party favors and be a ready source for good and easy pranks. They can also be a lot of fun to make – as the following Halloween craft project demonstrates!
(Warning: This craft project involves a hot stove and boiling water. Make sure it’s run by a responsible adult.)
Craft Supplies
- 2 uncooked eggs
- 1 tbsp of unflavored gelatin powder (like Knox original gelatin)
- 1 tbsp of cornstarch (depending on the size of the eggs, more may be needed)
- Red, blue, and black food coloring (make get black food coloring by mixing red, green, and blue food color)
- A fine paintbrush (small makeup brushes work well)
- A measuring cup
- 2 egg cups (or just save the egg carton the eggs came from)
- Paper plate (or regular plate covered in saran wrap)
- Bowl of water
Making Halloween Eyeballs
- Get an adult to boil the eggs for 3 minutes and then rinse them under cold water
- Have an adult crack the top third of the shell of the pointed end of each egg and scoop out the insides. He or she may need to use a small teaspoon to get all the whites out. Make sure to rinse the eggshells. These are the eyeball molds.
- Put the eggshells into egg cups or the egg carton.
- Have an adult pour about 2 ½ ounces of boiling water into the measuring cup and add the gelatin powder. Stir for about 15 seconds until the gelatin dissolves.
- Add the cornstarch and mix well to get rid of all lumps. Mix in a little more cornstarch if the mixture is too clear – too little cornstarch will make the eyeballs come out half-white and half-clear.
- Have an adult pour equal amounts of the mixture into the eggshells and let them set in the refrigerator. (This can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours).
- Once the gelatin is firm, peel away the eggshells to reveal two cool eyeballs!
- Lay some newspaper onto a table to keep things from getting messy and put some drops of red, blue, and black food coloring onto a paper plate or saran wrapped plate to make a color palette. Keep a bowl of water handy to rinse the brush too.
- Now the fun begins! Dip the paintbrush into the blue food color and paint a circle on the rounded part of each eyeball. This will be the iris.
- When the food color is dry, paint a pupil in the middle of the blue circle with the black food coloring.
- Add fine lines of red food coloring around the eyeballs to look like broken blood vessels. Oooo! Creepy Halloween eyeballs!
Halloween Party Ideas and Tips
Because this activity uses boiling liquids and takes time to set up. If this project is used for a Halloween or party activity, it’s a good idea to let the gelatin set before the party begins. This will let the kids have the fun of peeling away the eggshells and painting their fake eyeballs without having to wait for their eyeballs to set. (Remember: The above craft project makes only two eyeballs – adjust accordingly to the number of guests).
Depending on the size of the eggs, more or less water may be needed for the gelatin/starch mix. Get an exact measurement by filling the eggshells with cool tap water and pouring them into the measuring cup to see how much boiling water will be needed later.
Easy prank: Put the fake eyeballs side by side in the bathroom cabinet or a drawer!
More Fun Halloween Ideas
Halloween can be a great time for fun craft projects and party activities. Find more suggestions for Halloween activities and party tricks at Great Halloween Movies to Rent for Kids and Coke Sinks Diet Coke Floats.
Source:
Thomas, Lyn. 100% Pure Fake. Toronto: Kids Can Press. 2009. ISBN: 978-1-55453-290-2
Material from 1005 Pure Fake is used by permission of Kids Can Press, Toronto. Text © 2009 Lyn Thomas. Photographs by Cheryl Powers © 2009 Kids Can Press. Illustrations by Boris Zaytsev © 2009 Kids Can Press.
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