# Glowing Milk Carton Haunted Houses
> Paint empty milk cartons with black chalkboard paint, then decorate them as haunted houses with liquid chalk markers or chalk. Under a black light the bright colors glow as if the windows were lit from inside, and there's no cutting involved, so even toddlers can join in.
- URL: https://www.funlittles.com/halloween-craft-kids-glowing-milk-carton-haunted-house-craft/
- Ages: 2–8 yrs · Difficulty: easy · Mess: medium
- Time: prep 40 min, activity 45 min
- Works for: one-on-one, small group, whole class
- Skills: fine-motor, creativity, drawing, recycling
- Cautions: dairy, ingestion-risk

## Materials (one batch)
- 1 piece Empty milk cartons, washed and dried (household)
- Black chalkboard paint
- Big flat paint brushes
- 1 set Liquid chalk markers
- 1 box Dustless fluorescent chalk (optional)
- Regular chalk (optional) (household)
- 1 piece Black light (optional)
- 1 piece Small toy skeletons (optional)

## Substitutions
- Instead of liquid chalk markers: Fluorescent chalk or regular chalk (Makes the houses erasable so kids can redecorate: a Frank house one day, a friendly ghost house the next.)
- Instead of fluorescent chalk: Regular chalk (Still erasable. The post only promises the fluorescent chalk glows vibrantly under black light.)

## Safety
- Wash the milk cartons out thoroughly and let them dry. Milk residue spoils, and it matters for kids with milk allergies.
- Follow the chalkboard paint label. Paint in a ventilated area, supervise young painters, and let the cartons dry fully (overnight) before decorating.
- Small toy skeletons and chalk pieces can be a choking hazard. Keep them away from toddlers who still mouth things and supervise at all times.
- An adult sets up and plugs in the black light. Kids shouldn't stare directly into the lamp.
- Liquid chalk markers are not erasable from the painted cartons, so use chalk if you want to redecorate.

## Before you start
- Collect empty milk cartons, wash the insides thoroughly and let them dry.
- Paint the cartons with chalkboard paint at least one night before decorating, so they can dry overnight.

## Steps
1. Paint each clean, dry milk carton all over with black chalkboard paint using a big flat brush.
2. Let the cartons dry overnight.
3. Set out the liquid chalk markers and let the kids try them out and feel how they differ from regular markers.
4. Draw a haunted house on your carton: spooky doors, windows, gates and your favorite Halloween creatures.
5. Keep decorating on every side. Anything goes!
6. Perch a small toy skeleton on top if you like.
7. For an erasable house, decorate with fluorescent or regular chalk instead, then erase and redecorate another day.
8. Wait until dark, switch on the black light and watch your haunted houses glow.

## Tips
- Use a big brush for the chalkboard paint so you can cover large areas in one stroke. My 7 year old enjoyed it since it was a swift job.
- Clean the inside of the cartons thoroughly. I don't have to tell you, spoiled milk reeeeeks!
- Liquid chalk is not erasable from milk cartons. Use regular or fluorescent chalk if you want to redecorate.
- Orange, green and yellow liquid chalk shone amazingly under the black light.
- The kids didn't want a paper roof because it would cover the cat eyes and other markings they drew on top. So our houses have no roofs, just friendly skeletons dangling around.
- Under black light they really look like we cut out windows and put a tea light inside, without the multiple steps.
- The glow was so exciting that the kids wouldn't let me turn off the black light.

## The original post by TurkeyMom (2016)

Engage the kids with this simple Halloween craft using milk cartons and create glowing and erasable haunted houses. This a great toddler halloween craft as well. Since this haunted house craft does not involve intricate cutting and lighting this is a perfect craft to with a large group of students. I can see this as perfect preschool craft during the Halloween season. I have always come across gorgeous milk carton haunted house crafts on Pinterest but have steered clear of them when the kids were younger since those Halloween crafts involved using craft knives and careful cutting { It's a great craft for older kids and parents actually} Since I have always LOVED the look of lighted up haunted houses made with milk cartons, I was thinking of a way to almost recreate without so many steps so even toddlers can craft these beauties. This kids activity can serve as a low cost perfect boredom busters. The one supply that sparked this entire Halloween craft activity is these amazing **[liquid chalk markers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KWFF8ZK/?tag=blmemo-20)** {cue angels singing...} Oh BTW, this is NOT a sponsored post. I fell in love with these chalk markers since they are so versatile and almost mess free { not that we are mess averse. See our messy play category} Materials **[Liquid chalk markers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KWFF8ZK/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Chalkboard Paint](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I99S3BC/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Flat Paint Brushes](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HN3QDHK/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Dustless Fluorescent Chalk](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003SJMX78/?tag=blmemo-20)** **[Black Light](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F5544/?tag=blmemo-20)** {optional} Empty Milk Cartons

### Toddler Friendly Haunted House Craft

This method uses the liquid chalk markers I gathered 5 empty milk cartons, cleaned and dried them. Make sure you clean the inside thoroughly since I don't have to tell you - spoiled milk reeeeeks! Ugh.. Using a big flat brush paint the milk cartons with black chalkboard paint. { I used the Kid Made Modern Brand from Target} But ant brand will work. Let the milk cartons dry overnight. My 7 year old enjoyed painting the cartons with the chalkboard paint since it was a swift job with a big brush. { Make sure you use a big brush so you can cover large areas in one stroke} After you have created a chalkboard surface on your milk cartons you can ready to turn this activity into a super fun Halloween craft that kids of all ages { toddlers and above} can enjoy. Hop over here to check out all our **Halloween activities for kids**. I set out these gorgeous liquid chalk markers with super vibrant colors and generally asked the kids to check them out. They first thought they were regular markers and then soon felt the difference. The colors are very bright and the texture is amazing. It was our first experience with chalk markers and they did not disappoint.



My kids and I had a great afternoon designing these haunted houses with the chalk markers.



Anything goes! They basically created their favorite Halloween creatures, gates, spooky doors and windows. It was a fun craft and had them stretch their imagination to create a house with a recycled material.



You can use the finished haunted houses as cute Halloween decor.



Both the kids felt that their haunted houses should not be covered a paper roof like it is traditionally done since they had created cute cat eyes and other markings that will otherwise be covered if I create a roof for the house.



So our Halloween haunted houses are without roofs but do have friendly skeletons dangling around.



That's how the houses look in day light. But we were not satisfied and waited until dark and plugged in our **[Black Light](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002F5544/?tag=blmemo-20)** ! { Best $20 spent EVER!}

### Glowing Haunted House Craft

This method uses the fluorescent chalk and regular chalk

### Erasable Haunted House Halloween craft

This method is pretty cool since your haunted houses become erasable and that way you and the kids can decorate over and over. One day you will have a Frank house and the following a friendly ghost house. For this use fluorescent chalk { link in the materials section and at the end of the post} or regular chalk.



The glowing chalk is amazingly black light reactive and will glow vibrantly. This glowing activity was so exciting for the kids and they wouldn't let me turn off the black light. By using regular chalk you have the advantage of redecorating them. Please note that liquid chalk is not erasable from milk cartons.



Once we had fun with regular chalk we had the best surprise. We brought in our haunted houses which were decorated with funchalk and the orange, green and yellow colors shone amazingly. These 3 colors looks fantastic under blacklight.



I love my daughter's Halloween Kitty.



These really look like we cut out windows and placed a tea light inside them. It's great that we were able to achieve the same effect without the multiple steps.



Doesn't this look like a glowing city scape?





All our cute haunted house crafts all lined up under the black light.



Thanks for reading

Pin this for future.





Wait! Take a look at all of our [**Halloween crafts here**](https://www.funlittles.com/category/holidays/halloween-holidays/)

All our fall crafts here

[](https://www.funlittles.com/category/season/fall-season/)