Hello Marsha,

I am thinking of putting together a Halloween party for my 8 and 10 year old children this year.  I want them to be able to invite friends over and have a fun yet safe time. The trouble is, I am not good at creating ideals for games and activities. I am the type of person that has to be fully prepared, and I need to start planning now for the things I will need. Is there any advice you can give me in those areas? It would greatly be appreciated.

Much Thanks,

Happy Halloween

Dear Happy Halloween,

Autumn is definetely my favorite season of the year.  The colors are so rich, it shows us just how great of an artist God really is.

I have been known to host a few Halloween parties for my children and for adults as well.  I would be glad to share with you some of the games and crafts we have had.  I will try to list several, so that you will have a variety to choose from.

BOBBING FOR APPLES GOO STYLE:

Instead of the normal Bobbing for apples from a large tub or galvanized bucket, we would GOO it up a bit.  I added dry Ramon Noodles that I broke into smaller pieces to look like worms in the pan.  I then added red food coloring to make it appear as blood.  You can also add fake plastic fly’s that float on top of the water for an extra Gooey effect.  You can make it as gross as you desire, and the kids will still enjoy bobbing for the apples.  Be sure to have towels around to wipe off their faces with, because this does get messy.

CAULDRON OF GOO:

You will need:

4 small plastic cauldron buckets. (These are usually  sold as trick or treating buckets)

Flour, Cornmeal, Ramon Noodles, Green Food Coloring, Water

Mix all of the ingredients together to form a slightly pasty Goo. Try not to make it too thick or too watery.  The consistency should be able to be picked up by the handfuls and ooze over your hand.

You place equal amounts of Green Goo into 2 cauldrons and set them along side one another about 4 feet apart (outdoors preferably).

Then place the remaining 2 empty cauldrons about 15 ft. down from each of the full cauldrons.

Divide your guests into 2 teams. Each team will race one another to grab a handful of Goo from the full cauldron, and walk it down to place into their corresponding empty cauldron.  Everyone gets one turn, using only one full hand of GOO.  The team that has the most Goo in their opposing cauldron WINS!

GHOST IN THE MANSION:

This is a fun game that even the adults love playing.  In fact, we enjoy it so much, we change the name of it to suit almost every holiday so we can play it.

You will need to get an accurate head count of every member that will participate.  You will then need to cut or tear out that exact number of small pieces of paper.  On ONE piece of paper write GHOST, on ALL of the remaining papers, write GUEST.

Allow each player to pick out one piece of paper.  They are not to share if they are a guest or a ghost with anyone.  Only they are to know what they are.

Have everyone to sit in a circle, around a campfire works great!

The GHOST is to discretely WINK at other players one at a time to Scare them away from the mansion.  If a player is winked at, he/she is to let out a scream and fall down or turn around.  All players will try to guess who the ghost is.  If someone makes an incorrect guess, that player must immediately leave the mansion.  If that player is correct, the game is over, and everyone gets to draw papers again for another round.  The more drama that is added to this game, the funner it is to play.

SCARY STORY CARRY ON:

Sitting in a circle or around your campfire, have one person begin a scary story with saying one or two lines, then the next person has to continue this scary story by adding their line or two, and it continues around the circle for as long as you wish the story to be.  It can get quite funny as well, so this makes it interesting to hear just how creative the story will become.

PUMPKIN BOWLING:

You will need 10 empty 2 litter bottles, some sand or pebbles, and small pumkins.

Spray paint the 2 litter bottles white to look and serve as your bowling pins.  You can also paint or draw faces, eyeballs, or anything you wish on each pin.

Fill the bottom section of each pin/bottle with either sand or small pebbles to make the pin stand upright.  Do not weigh it down too much as it would be nearly impossible to knock over.  Place the pins in the appropriate 10 pin locations for bowling.

Divide your guests into several groups, and allow them to use the small pumpkins as their bowling balls.  Give each player 2 trys to make a strike or a spare.  If they succeed, spares get a small prize and strikes get a larger prize.  You can award them with candy bars, containers of goo, or anything you feel appropriate.

BUILD A SCARECROW:

This game could be considered a craft.  Divide your guests into 2 or more teams.  Each team is to try to build the scariest, funniest, or silliest scarecrow they can think of by using the supplies you have laid out for them.  You will want to have a variety of clothing such as jeans, shirts, hats, scarves, gloves, shoes, etc. as well as other items to decorate their faces with such as construction paper, scissors, glue, & markers.

Give each team approximately 15 minutes to finish their scarecrow.  Then place all the scarecrows together in a line, and allow each member to cast a vote for the winning team.

I will give you a few hints here to keep down on your expenses.  I used the grass cuttings from our lawn to stuff the scarecrows.  If you rake up your cuttings for a few weeks in advance, and keep them laid out in an area to dry, this should be much cheaper than buying hay or straw for this project.

I also visit our thrift store and yard sales to buy junky clothing, or you can ask others to donate something that they may have been going to throw out in the first place.  Do not use your good clothes, for the children enjoy cutting the clothing to make it look scarier.

I am certain your Halloween party will be a lot of fun and a huge success with all of the children.

Always,

Marsha