Hi there, so you decided to venture up here. Well watch out for the spiders and bats as I been cleaning out a bunch of old trunks and among the dust and cobwebs I found lots of different things that have to do with Halloween and maybe they'll come in handy for some of you. So, click on the links in the table below and check them out. All are kid safe and fun for everyone!

 

Easy Table Decorations

When it comes to decorating the table for your Halloween party natural materials such as gourds or miniature pumpkins, dried leaves, flowers or grasses make beautiful, yet inexpensive, accents. If you like, take the family on an outdoor excursion to look for colorful leaves or grasses to dry. 

 

Mommy Wrap

Here is a great game for any Halloween get-together. Divide the guests into teams of two and give each team a roll of toilet tissue. On each team, have one person wrap the other with the tissue. Whichever team gets done wrapping their mummy first winds. Remember, the entire roll of toilet tissue must be used.

 

Keep It Simple

The costumes for preschoolers don't have to be elaborate. Give your youngsters some simple ideas and let them choose what they want to be. An animal, such as a bunny, mouse or cat, is especially cute. Then start with a sweatshirt, add a few decorative touches and paint the child's face. painting kids' faces is a smart alternative to masks. Masks often frighten young children and may block their vision when they're climbing steps or crossing the street.

Creative Carving

Here are a few general hints for pumpkin carving:

1. Draw a face on the pumpkin with markers before you start to carve.
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin off at an angle, so the top won't fall through when the heat of the candle starts to shrivel up the pumpkin. Or, don't even cut the top off. Just cut out a hole in the back, scoop out the seeds and slide the candle through the hole.
3. To keep the candle standing up straight, secure it in melted wax on a jar lid.
4. If you like, carve several jack-o'-lanterns and group them together--it'll be more dramatic than just one pumpkin.
5. If carving isn't your style, pain the jack-o'-lanterns instead.

 

 

Spooky Story Time

Take a few minutes to read some Halloween stories to your children. Be sure to select stories that are age-appropriate. Make the tales even more fun by adding your own scary or silly sound affects.

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Scary Sounds

Scary noises turn an ordinary house into a haunted one. You can purchase special Halloween tapes, but it's more fun to gather the family around a tape recorder and use some ordinary household times to create your won personalized spooky soundtrack. Here are some ways to make scary sounds:

Breaking bones: Snap carrots in half.

Creaking hinge: Open and close a squeaky door or gate hinge.

Howling wind: Blow hard into the microphone.

Knocking: Knock on a piece of wood.

Rain: Pour uncooked rice into a metal pan.

Rattling bones: Shake dried elbow macaroni strung on a string.

Rattling chains: Shake a chain.

Thunder: Rolla rock around in a box.

Walking: Making clopping sounds with shoes on a table.

 

High Spirits

Let your kids help decorate the front porch with ghostly paper wind socks that come alive in the breeze. For each wind sock, draw spooky eyes and a scary mouth on an 18.6-inch piece of white construction paper. Bring the long edges of the construction paper together to form a tube and staple the ends together. Cut eight 8-foot-long strips of white crepe paper. Drape the strips over the tube with both ends hanging down to create "tails;" secure with tape. For a hanger, cut a 30-inch piece of string; staple string ends to opposite sides at the top of the wind sock.

 

Picking Pumpkins

The secret to spooky or silly jack-o'-lanterns is to choose the right pumpkin. Look for firm ones that stand upright without tipping. Select a pumpkin that fits the design you want to carve or paint. Rounded pumpkins are ideal for jolly faces, while tall, narrow pumpkins make really scary "monsters." For a face with "warts" look for a pumpkin with blotches.

 

Giggle and Grab

Kids love surprises and what better way to package them than in a piņata. You can purchase a Halloween piņata or gather the kids together and make your own. Here's how: 
Soak strips of newspaper in liquid starch and wrap them in layers around an inflated balloon. Let dry completely. Cut a hole in the top of the hardened shell. Pop the balloon and fill the piņata with goodies. Patch the hole and decorate with tissue paper and/or paints.

 

Pumpkin Fun

Play up pumpkins at your outdoor part with this version of ring toss. Pain point values (10, 20, 30, etc.) on pumpkins and arrange them with the highest value farthest from the starting line. Have players stand, one at a time, on the line and try to toss a large plastic hoop around a pumpkin. Give each participant three tries; the highest score wins!

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Paint a Pumpkin

Not every pumpkin is meant to be carved. So why not let your kids paint their pumpkins instead? This way, children won't need to use knives for carving, the uncut pumpkins will last longer and the youngsters can paint on as many small details as they like. For extra fun, add tufts of yarn or other trims to dress up the jack-o'-lanterns.
Here's how to go about it: Working outside, over a picnic table with a disposable tablecloth or newspapers. Set out washable paints, paintbrushes and plastic containers filled with water for rinsing the brushes. Draw an outline of a face on each pumpkin and let the kids fill in with the paint. Or, turn the kids loose with shaped sponges or markers and watch the fun they have creating sill, surprised or scary faces.
 

Spidery Webs

Kids will love this wicked marble-art spiderweb project. Cut circles from black construction paper so they just fit inside disposable cake pans or pie plates. Carefully roll marbles in small cups of white tempera paint. with plastic spoons, remove the marbles and drop them into the cake pans or pie plates. Have the kids rock the pans form side to side (for a more intricate web, dip the marbles a second time). While the paint is still wet, sprinkle glow-in-the-dark glitter on the webs. Once the webs are dry, head for a dark room to see the creations glow.

 

Keep It Fun

Kids love scaring the daylights out of adults on Halloween. Follow these safety tips to help your trick-or-treaters avoid giving you some real scare.

Outfit each trick-or-treater with a flashlight
Tell your kids not to walk or run across yards. Lawn ornaments, shrubs and clotheslines can be difficult to see in the dark.
Review traffic safety rules with your children.
Go trick-or-treating in a group. An adult should accompany small children and set a time for older children to return home.

 

A Little at a Time

Kids love to dig in and devour their Halloween treats. To keep them happy, yet avoid upset stomachs, have them select a few treats to enjoy as soon as they return from trick-or-treating. Then, set the remaining treats aside and let them choose a few each day.

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Take-Home-Treats

Your party guests won't want to wait to get their hands on these Halloween handouts. 
Begin by washing some new large clear plastic gloves (look for them at beauty supply stores). Stand the gloves over long-necked bottles to dry. Stick one piece of candy corn at the tip of each finger, pointed side down, for fingernails. Fill the glove with Haunted Snack Mix, Trick-or-Treat Snack Mix, popcorn or caramel corn. Tie a bow at the wrist with ribbon or yarn.

 

 

Party Favor Pizzazz

Party favors add an extra element of fun to any Halloween gathering. Favors needdn't be elaborate or costly. They can be as simple as a small plastic toy or a Halloween lollipop. Or, make individual bundles of one of the snack mixes (see kitchen.) Festively package the mix by encasing it in plastic wrap and tying each  bundle with black or orange curling ribbon. Be sure to make the bundles only a day or two ahead, so they stay fresh. If you have an instant camera, take snapshots of the costumed kids as take-home keepsakes.

 

Block Party Fun

If you're looking for a unique neighborhood party, consider getting together with a few families on your block for a scarecrow-making party. Send out invitations instructing guests to bring old clothes for their scarecrow to wear and pumpkins for the heads; you supply the straw.

 

A Case of Fright

Pillow cases make great trick-or-treat bags! Start with white or orange pillow cases, and decorate them with fabric paints, felt cutouts and glitter. Have little monsters decorate the pillow cases to match their costumes, or with traditional Halloween colors and characters.

Ghostly Grog

With marshmallow ghosts, even hot chocolate can be spooky! Flatten large marshmallows and cut out Halloween shapes with miniature cookie cutters; place in a mug of hot chocolate and serve.

 

Costume Safety

In many communities, trick-or-treating is a favorite tradition. Here are some hints to help assure that your child makes the rounds safely and happily.

Instead of a mask, which can slip down and limit a child's vision, use face paint or make-up.

Choose light and bright colors for costumes. Add glow-in-the-dark or reflective tape.

Make sure the costume fits well. Check that the sleeves and pant legs aren't so long that the child might get tangled up or trip.

Dress children in their own shoes. Wearing high heels or shoes that are too big can be dangerous and uncomfortable.

 

Abracadabra!

Youngsters can have fun providing magical entertainment at Halloween gatherings with these mom-approved tricks. The tricks are especially easy because they use items you probably have around the house.
Magic Milk: Place a few drops of food coloring in the bottom of a drinking glass. Pour white milk into the glass and watch the audience's surprise as the milk turns color.
Amazing Finger: Put a little dish soap on your index finger without anyone knowing. Fill a small bowl with water; sprinkle pepper on top. Invite an audience member to test his or her finger for magic by poking it into the bowl. (Nothing happens.) When you poke your finger into the water, the pepper shoots to the edges of the bowl. Abracadabra!

Pick-a-Theme Party

If you're hosting a Halloween party for smaller children, make it lighthearted and pleasant. Tone down the terror and go for the fantasy. Here are some party-theme ideas to try:
Barnyard Bash: Suggest your young guests dress up as their favorite barnyard animal.
Cool Cats Party: Ask your guests to come as cats. Suggest cartoon cats or let them come up with their own creations.
Circus Part: Invite the kids to come dressed as clowns or their favorite circus animal.
Wild West Party: Ask the guest to come dressed as cowboys and cowgirls or something else related to the wild west.

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