Fall is in the air! And with all the pumpkin patches and haunted houses popping up, it’s only natural to get in the decorating spirit. My eager children are ready to decorate for Halloween already, so I compromised with them a bit to take baby steps to our holiday decorating this year. So we decided to make a simple scarecrow to hang out in the front yard, and we’ll gradually add as we go.

Here are 4 simple steps to creating your own scarecrow for Halloween:

1) Clothing

Dig through the goodwill donation bags, the bottom of your closet, or maybe even just your husband’s closet to find some unused clothes perfect for your scarecrow. You’ll need some pants, long sleeve shirt (or jacket), shoes and a hat or wig. Plan on them getting ruined if it rains or snows outside.

TIP: Put a stick or cardboard tube inside the “head” bag so that it can be propped upright and not fall off your scarecrow. I used an old wrapping paper tube.

2) Stuffing

We used a combination of reusable grocery bags (which I have millions of for some reason) and old newspapers. The grocery bags work really well for the head because they are solid white and don’t have a lot of print on them. The rest is just for stuffing inside the clothes and won’t be seen.

TIP: Tie twine or some type of rope around the bottom of the legs of the pants and sleeves to keep the stuffing in. Then tuck the legs inside the shoes to hide the string, and the arms in the pockets.

3) Character

A scarecrow can be any personality you want! Scary, goofy, friendly, or even a favorite character. We even saw a Pete the Cat one at the Bates Nut Farm here in San Diego that was so creative! Since I have toddlers, we went for a “nice” scarecrow with a mustache.

TIP: We used cut paper and glue to put on the face so that all could participate in the decoration.

4) Setting

If possible, sitting your scarecrow down on a bench or chair is much easier than trying to get him to stand up. But if you have a pole and rope I’m sure you can make it happen! It all depends on where he or she is going to live in your yard.

TIP: Make your scarecrow extra friendly or scary by adding props - maybe a football in his arms, or holding a pumpkin in his or her lap. Get creative!