How to paint some easy skeletal unicorns to use as a scavenger hunt for a haunted Halloween trail. This was so much fun to do with the kids!
I saw this idea in a craft group and HAD to make them myself. I got ten of these skeleton unicorns at the Dollar Tree. They were really easy to update with some simple supplies!
Painting Plastic Skeleton Unicorns
Supplies:
- Skeleton unicorns: This is a similar product on Amazon, but it’s more expensive.
- Paint Markers or Sharpies
- I also love the idea of using spray paints like Rustoleum 2x, but the textured paints with a stone look or glow in the dark would be amazing.
Tutorial
There’s really nothing special about painting these. I loved using the paint markers and Sharpies because it’s EASY. However, it would also be nice to start by spray painting each a different base color. Here are some tips for painting plastic. I did not seal or do anything special with these after painting them.
I suggest deciding on 10 different themes for your unicorns. I was struggling. You could also glue on flowers, add eyes in the sockets (ie. googly eyes or make tiny balls from clay), add devil horses, etc. I think I’ll go bigger next year and redo some of these.
This year, we let the kids decorate a few of them as well.
The main thing to realize is that you’ll want to layer the paint quite a bit. It took a few coats to get everything right, although paint markers tend to go on thick.
I think brushed metal type paints look really nice for these. But spray paint would likely be easier!
Haunted Trail Scavenger Hunt
We did a missing persons’ posters sign using wood, but then we added some signs for the kids to find different things on the trail too. We photographed the items that needed to be found, then put them on their own posters. That’s the last page on the template. We added scavenger hunts for both the Witch Totems and these unicorns.
You can use my SPOOKY MISSING PERSONS template on Canva (last page) for the scavenger hunt checklist. This includes pretend “Missing Children” Posters… if this is upsetting/triggering to you, please avoid this. I was torn because it was an easy project and definitely spooky, but… also… sad.
I would like to do something slightly different for next year on the board and keep the scavenger hunt, but I need to think of something less yucky.
Regardless, I yellowed the printed sheets with tea to make them look older. I stapled the dry yellowed sheets to an old piece of plywood and propped it up in the woods at the beginning of the trail. We shown a light on the board so the kids could see it as they entered then trail, then left a bin with Halloween pens and the papers. This was a FUN idea, but where it was so dark, I think next year I’ll add a light to all of the items that are there to be found. We still haven’t found 5 of the witch totems, and the joke is that they’ve become part of our forest now… haha.
Projects from the Haunted Halloween Trail:
- Witch Totems
- Fake Swinging Axe
- DIY Cardboard Guillotine
- Skeleton in Chains: Pallet Project
- Skeleton Cages from Laundry Baskets
- Pathway Lighting on an Old Log
- Creepy Doll Face Pathway Lights
Please share and pin this post! If you make this project, share it in our Stuff Mama Makes Facebook Group. We have regular giveaways for gift cards to craft stores. You can also tag me on Instagram @doityourselfdanielle; I love seeing everything you make!
