Intergenerational

Geode Skulls

Oct 17, 2024

$101-250

Byline

Alexis Adrianse, Programming Librarian, Dorr (Mich.) Township Library

Use plastic skulls, floral foam and crushed glass to create a Halloween treasure. These geode-style skulls are a great decor piece for Halloween or to display as a year-round treasure.

Advanced Planning

The goal of this program was to create a fun and unique Halloween craft. We begin planning our programs two to three months ahead of time. I am the primary programming librarian and do 99% of the planning and execution.

I did some research online and found different Pinterest inspirations to make these come to life in the best possible way.

Marketing

Our first means of promotion is always our newsletter which comes out every two months. The September/October newsletter hit the public around the middle of August. Then we create Facebook events for one month at a time. The October events would have hit social media on the third Monday in September and sign-ups would have started then as well. Finally, all of our programs and events are also featured on our website.

Budgeting

Skulls - $20.89 for 12 five-inch skulls. Our programs have 20 spaces so we spent around $40
Glass - Approximately $100 on crushed glass
Floral Foam - $35 on floral foam

You can cut costs on the glass. It was our first time doing this program and I wasn't sure how much glass to purchase, but we ended up with WAY too much. A few containers of multiple colors will do the job just fine.

Day-of-event Activity

I did all the setup and takedown for the day of the event. I set up the table and, at each space, put a skull and a foam block. I had a variety of box cutters, craft knives and hot glue guns on the table to share. All the glass and paint stayed on a central table for people to go up and get what they wanted.

Geode skull instructions can be found here.

Program Execution

We had a few people cancel so we ended up with 17 / 20 participants. We had a couple of younger participants which I was a little worried about because this project involves glass and sharp tools. We did recommend an age of 10+ but luckily, the parents were really good about helping the little ones get things done but I would maybe set a hard limit next time.

The feedback was positive. Everyone had a lot of fun making their skulls and even though we were all using the same base material, they all had their own unique flair to them.