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Halloween costumes are a chance for a child to act out every make-believe fantasy they've ever had, whether they want to be glamorous, brave, scary or funky. It's easy to go to the store and buy a costume, but it's much more fun and more creative to make your own Halloween costume. Here are a few clever ideas on how to come up with a do it yourself Halloween costume that is sure to wow them at the door, and take first place at the costume contest. Many of the basics can be found at thrift stores or discount stores, and the rest can be created for pennies. Also, with a homemade Halloween costume, it's a guarantee that your children will be unique, instead of one of 5 store-bought character costumes.

For Girls:

Bride or Princess: Make a long veil out of white netting, hair clips or headband, and ribbon. Pair with a silky or fluffy dress, and make a bouquet of flowers tied with a ribbon. Finish off with costume jewelry and sparkling lotion for the face and neck. A wand could be added to the princess costume as well, especially if it's decorated with the same netting and ribbons as the lovely veil. Go with a princess theme, such as the ruby princess, the rose princess, the butterfly princess, and so forth.

Beauty Pageant Queen: For this beauty pageant queen costume, find a silky or fluffy dress, add a pair of gloves, a great big tiara, some sparkly jewelry and makeup. Make a banner out of wide satin ribbon and write "Miss America" with glitter glue. Don't forget the bright red lipstick and a bouquet of silk roses. Older girls might get a kick out of making this costume funny by wearing black eye makeup that looks as if the queen has just been crowned and her mascara is running because of her happy tears.

Butterfly: Cut one solid set of butterfly shaped wings out of cardboard. Make straps for the butterfly wings by holding them to the child's back and marking just above the shoulders and just underneath each armpit. Punch a small hole where you made the marks. Then, go ahead and paint however you want and decorate with glitter, jewels, and so forth. Cut two pieces of elastic to fit from the hole under the armpit to the hole above the shoulder. Make sure to leave enough room to tie off the ends. The child should be able to slip the wings on like a backpack. For the rest of the costume, she can wear a black leotard and black tights. Add an antenna headband made with black pipe cleaners attached to a headband. For a final touch, paint the girl's face to match the wings.

Gypsy Girl: Match a peasant blouse with a twirly skirt to create a Gypsy look. Create a colorful layered look by taking a large square of satiny material, folding it into a triangle, and wrapping it around the girl's waist and tying it on the side. Add another one on the opposite side for added color and texture. Add tinkly bells and beads along the edge of the triangles so that she makes music wherever she goes. Cut a smaller triangle out of the same material for a head scarf. Gypsy's wear lost of jewelry so add lots of bracelets and necklaces to complete the outfit.

For Boys:

Frog Prince: A green sweat suit is needed for the basics of this prince costume. Make a green headband and glue super big googley eyes to it. Tie it around the boy's forehead. Paint the face green and have him carry around a disgusting plastic fly (found at many dollar stores). Your frog prince is now ready for Halloween.

Ninja Turtle: Again, the green sweat suit used for the frog prince costume works for this ninja turtle costume. Make an orange headband for the boy's forehead. Cut out two shell-shaped cardboard pieces and paint them to look like the front and back of the ninja turtles. Attach two pieces of cloth to each piece so the boy can wear them over his shoulders (sandwich board style). You may want to attach ties to the side to prevent slipping. Green face paint completes the ninja turtle look.

Scarecrow: Pair an over-sized flannel shirt with ragged blue jeans after adding lots of patches for this simple scarecrow costume. A simple rope makes a great belt, and make sure to also tie some rope at the cuffs of the jeans and sleeves. For a finishing touch, bunch little bits of straw so that they poke out of the clothing and from under the big floppy straw or felt hat. Face paint can turn your little scarecrow into a cutie, or go more scary for older boys.

Knight in Shining Armor: A black or gray sweat suit is needed for the underneath knight armor. Make a simple tunic out of a colored pillowcase by cutting a neck hole and two arm holes. Get creative and paint a coat of arms on the front of the tunic, or a dragon symbol. To make a belt for the tunic, just grab dad's leather belt and loop it around. Construct the knight's sword and shield out of cardboard, or purchase them from a dollar store.

Thomas the Tank Engine (or Lightning McQueen): Get a small box big enough to fit around your child's waist. Paint the box blue to match Thomas the Tank Engine. Make stripes, wheels and the number out of colored construction paper. On the front of the box, draw Thomas the Tank Engine's face. Attach rope, cloth or ribbon to each end of the box so your child can wear the box around him. Put a train conductor hat on him, and watch him go! For Lightning McQueen, paint the box red to match the famous cartoon car, add the details, and have the boy wear a red ball cap. The Lightning McQueen version of the costume will require more painting than the Thomas version.

15 Minute Moment
Think of three questions you would like to ask Christopher Columbus if you could meet him.