by Alden Smith
To many, Halloween is the best time of year ever. Kids dress up in funny and innovative costumes, grandparents get to see the little ones in all their finery, and belly aches abound. Halloween is a fun time of year. Here, we discuss ways to throw a great Halloween party for young and old alike.
It’s All About Fun
Halloween is all about fun – decorating your yard, house and adding spooky lighting. Because Halloween is such a popular holiday, there is no end to the materials for decorating, both online and off. Now is the time to get the kids involved. Let them make the invitations for a Halloween party. This can be a family event in itself. All that is needed is some construction paper, scissors glue and some decorative embellishments, such as sparkles pipe cleaners or bows. Researching this article, I found a lady who makes “ghost” invitations from large suckers. She cuts out two white construction paper circles the size of the sucker, prints the invitation on one side, and places the other circle on the other. The sucker is ten covered with a square of white cloth. A pipe cleaner is wrapped around the “neck” and pieces of felt glued on for eyes. Let the children pass these out to their friends they wish to have come to the party. Not only will they get a unique invitation, but a treat.
Make A Graveyard
Halloween is all about spooky. Make a graveyard in your lawn. Styrofoam blocks cut into tombstone shapes work well here. Paint them to look like old tombstones and put an epitaph on them. You can go to a large sporting goods store and find crows and owls used by sportsmen for decoys. Perch one on a tombstone. On Halloween night, be sure to place carved pumpkins strategically around these props to give a good lighting effect.
Use Sound Effects
Spooky sounds – rattling chains, moaning ghosts, witches cackling all make for a spooky Halloween. You can find tapes or CD’s just about anywhere with these sound effects and others. Pipe these into the yard with speakers for more effect.
Halloween Games
With invitations sent, decoration in place and plenty of scary cookies and treats in place, it’s time to play Halloween games. A classic game at Halloween time has always been bobbing for apples. Fill a tub with warm water, float the apples in it, and have all the little ghosts and goblins try to get an apple out with their mouth. Take the stem off to make it even harder.
Instead of pin the tail on the donkey, play pin the wart on the witch. Make a big witches head from construction paper, and ugly warts that the kids can pin on her nose. Closest one wins!
As with all holiday activities, use caution with candles or objects that can hurt children. Try using glow sticks instead of candles. Keep it safe, and keep everyone happy!
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