Spider Web GameOur kids went to a Halloween party last week and this is one of the games they played. There was a spider web on the floor, made with tape. The spiders were made out of egg carton cups, with chenille stick legs, and googley eyes. The spiders were spread out around the web.
Halloween Popcorn Hand Party FavorThese favors are always a hit with children and adults too. They get a kick out of receiving the favor because of the "novelty" of the use of the glove.
Paper Spider Web Halloween CraftHere is a video of my paper spider web project, I hope you will be inspired to make this simple Halloween decoration. I took the paper snowflake technique to make these paper spider webs. These look great taped up to a window, decoupaged to a jar or used as a craft activity with kids. You can make them in different sizes and if you want to make these more precise, use an exacto knife. A little word of advice be careful when cutting through multiple layers of paper. If you decide to do this with littles consider folding the paper less times.
Halloween Dance Theme Ideas for Your Next PartyHalloween is just around the corner, which means that you need to start thinking about how you're going to celebrate this spooky holiday. Whether you're hosting a costume party, throwing a themed dance party, or simply dressing up in costume for trick-or-treating, we've got ideas to inspire you.
Day of the Dead Milk Gallon SkullHere is an easy and fun way to make a Day of the Dead, or most commonly known as Dia De Los Muertos, decorated skull. Simply use an empty and clean milk gallon jug with the handle facing forward. Use permanent markers or paint brushes and paint. You can also glue on glitter, etc. If you want to give it a cool effect at night, place a tea light on top as shown, or cut a hole at the bottom of the jug and insert it underneath. Enjoy !
Sofa Legs as PumpkinsHere is a cute and fun way to repurpose the legs off an old couch that will be discarded. Many are round shaped. Simply unscrew the legs, paint them, and put a ribbon on top. They are nice decorations for Fall, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. They can be made into personalized handmade gifts, and balloon string holders too.
Five Money Saving Tips for Halloween CandyHalloween is just around the corner, which means that many people will be buying tons of candy for visiting trick-or-treaters. There are ways to save money on this year's haul without sacrificing quality. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when shopping for Halloween treats.
Halloween Gingerbread Whoopie PiesThese little spooky whoopie pies are a real fun treat. Decorating them with candy eyes really makes these cookies look extra kooky. I did this Halloween activity with my kids. They had fun rolling the edges in sprinkles and adding the little candy eyes.
Zombie MeatloafMy friend brought this Zombie Meatloaf to our Halloween party last year. It was delicious despite being frightening. This would be the perfect dinner to make Halloween a little extra festive this year.
Having a Socially Distant HalloweenHalloween is usually a festive time, filled with parties and hordes of costumed children going door to door. This year is a little different with many kids in online schooling and avoiding visiting friends and relatives due to COVID-19. The CDC is recommending extra caution and many states and counties are discouraging trick-or-treating altogether.
Halloween Spider HuntI have been trying to think of trick-or-treating alternatives that will make the holiday still fun for the kids this year. One of my ideas is to do a spider hunt. For this Halloween game, we have been making different spiders like this Pom Pom Spider in preparation for this game.
Pumpkin Smashing after HalloweenYou can have a fun pumpkin smashing event at your house (or just with your family.) You can experiment and see what methods can smash a pumpkin the best.
Jar Mummy Halloween DecorationA fun and easy Halloween decoration is to cover different sized glass jars with gauze and sticking on googly eyes or make eyes using black and white felt. Group them together on the mantle or line your porch with them. Place an LED candle inside and enjoy this fun mummy decor. I did step by step instructions here: https://www.thriftyfun.com/How-to-Make-a-Halloween-Mummy-Jar-Decoration.html
Tween Halloween Costume IdeasTweens (ages 10-12) are generally looking for a fun or creative costume that shows off their personality. Many traditional costumes are considered too childish but they are not yet ready for grown up fare, if it is too scary or "sexy". Here is some advice to help your tween choose what to wear this Halloween.
Firefighter Costume on a BudgetA kid's firefighter Halloween costume is about $25 to $35. The costume will only be worn for a few times this month and just for a couple of hours.
My Mr.& Mrs. Ghost CoupleWith Halloween right around the corner, I wanted to create something fun for indoor and outdoor use. I used recycled bottles for this project to keep the cost down. Now it's time to put together my boo friends.
Bloody Bone & Brain Zombie DinnerMy mother bought some ingredients for me to experiment. She wanted me to cook something that could fit for Halloween dinner. So I thought of grilling some bones and made some red sauce and cooked pasta. The pasta looks like scattered brains with cheese looking like tiny white worms on it and the bone looked bloody yummy.
Hand Out Water for HalloweenI want to do something different this year for Halloween. Besides the regular candy treats, I am giving water to the trick or treaters. I purchased some treat bags and inserted the small size water bottle, and tied it on top with strips of a plastic tablecloth that I bought from the Dollar General for a dollar.
Monster Jack-o'-LanternsI love to see what other people do when they carve Jack-o'-lanterns. Here are some of the ones our family did, if you are looking for inspiration. :)
Kitty Jack-o'-LanternMy 2 year old son picked out an adorably small pumpkin at the pumpkin patch this weekend. I prefer to freehand whatever I carve on my pumpkins and needed a simple idea that I could fit on a small pumpkin. I decided to make his pumpkin into a kitty, since he loves kitties!
Pill Bottle Watercolor StampWhen a foam pumpkin sticker meets a clean pill bottle, there is watercolor fun to be had. All you do is stick the foam sticker to the top of the pill bottle and paint it generously with water color, and it becomes a seasonal stamp.
Cheese Spreaders as Stick PuppetsI keep all the little cheese spreaders that come with the crackers and cheese sets. The little plastic spreaders can be used for plant labels, for digging holes for seeds, or for cutting Playdoh. I used mine to make little seasonal puppets.
Halloween Candy CraftThis treat is a piece of candy, preferably square in shape, wrapped and decorated. These can be used as favors for a Halloween or fall harvest party.
Minion PumpkinsMy friend's sister had these on her porch for Halloween! I am so in love with them! They have so much character and because they aren't carved they will last a lot longer than traditional jack-o-lanterns.
Keep Your Pumpkin from SpoilingIt is Jack-o-Lantern time! I always wait until the last minute to carve my pumpkin because it seems like it starts to rot the next day. I saw a special on TV where they immerse the cut pumpkin in a solution of water and bleach.
Comic Book Couple for HalloweenHere is a photo of my husband and I this Halloween. I turned us into cheeky comic book characters. It all cost a few dollars using just makeup, markers (for outlining old clothes), and paper for talk bubbles.
Spooky Halloween LunchMy daughter requested that her dad make her a spooky lunch so he happily obliged. While maybe not the healthiest lunch ever made, it was really fun and a perfect treat for Halloween!
Halloween Pizza CutoutsMy husband recently made our daughter a spooky lunch. One of the things he did was use Halloween cookie cutters to turn some leftover pizza into fun shapes. They turned out really cute!
Save on Halloween CandyThis will be the 3rd - 4th year we'll be giving out candy canes, using last year's after Christmas sale candy. The expiration dates on the boxes are late October 2015 - 2017.
Painting Mini PumpkinsPainting mini pumpkins is a great activity to keep kids busy at their Halloween party. The mini pumpkins work well for keeping the project quick and they are inexpensive. We provided paints and glitter.
Playing Poke-A-PumpkinI made this game after seeing one on Pinterest. Not only did it turn out super cute, it was a lot of fun...even for my daughter's 5th grade class! It would obviously be great for younger kids too.
Mandarin Orange Jack-O'-LanternsI recently helped organize a classroom party for my daughter. We need to have multiple activity stations to keep the kids busy. One of the stations was a table where kids could pick a mandarin orange and use markers....
String Cheese Witch BroomsIn an effort to offer multiple healthy treats at my daughter's Halloween party, we set up a station to make string cheese witch brooms. We set out a bowl of stick pretzels, a plate of string cheese and plastic knives for them to cut the broom bristles. These are easy enough for even younger kids to make. :)
Caramel Apple DippersWe had a caramel apple dipper station at my daughter's Halloween party. We put pre-cut apple slices onto cookie sticks, then the kids could dip the apples into tubs of caramel and decorate them with sprinkles. It was a fun alternative to a them eating a full caramel apple, but just as yummy!
Making Your Jack-O'-Lanterns 3-DWhen carving that face into your pumpkin this year, why not give it a 3-D effect. Use the pieces that you remove to create a tongue, ears, or even a ponytail.
The Teal Pumpkin Project for Food...FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education) is promoting the use of a Teal Pumpkin to identify your house as somewhere that kids with food allergies can get non-food treats. This lets kids with food allergies, lactose intolerance, or other reasons they can't eat traditional candy treats know that they can safely trick-or-treat at your home.
Mandarin Orange PumpkinPeel a Cutie mandarin orange, then stick a sprig of cilantro (or parsley) into the center. It's an instant pumpkin. :) My daughter made this at dinner the other night and I think it would be perfect around Halloween as a non-sugary treat or as a decoration for a meal in the fall.
Hole Punch for Opening Candy BagsTonight I was putting little packages of candy for the little children on Halloween. I punched a hole in the corner of the candy bag, after the seal on the top.
Journalist Costume for PhotographerThis Halloween, my photographer husband and I attended two costume parties. He wanted to be able to take pictures at both events so we needed to find a costume that allowed him to incorporate his camera.
Cheese Ball Pumpkin JarA quick way to dress up your snack table at a Halloween party is to make a cheese ball pumpkin jar.
Jack-O'-Lantern OrangesThese jack-o'-lantern oranges are the perfect healthy treat for Halloween. They are easy to make and super cute!
Krispy Kreme Monster DoughnutsThese monster doughnuts make a great treat to bring to a school Halloween party. Grab as many dozen doughnuts as you need, some plastic vampire teeth, and some chocolate chips.
Jack-O'-Lantern Snack BagsThese jack-o'-lantern snack bags are quick to make and would be great for a party or packed in school lunches.
Jack-O'-Lantern Fruit CupsDress up those mandarin orange fruit cups by turning them into jack-o-lanterns.
Dora Homemade CostumeMy daughter loves Dora, so for Halloween she is going to dress up as her. I got a pink t-shirt from Old Navy that has Boots on the front and the backpack on the back.
Spider Ring Ice CubesPlace a spider ring into each space in the ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze until solid. Add to your favorite beverage. They are sure to scare your Halloween party guests.
Cracked Porcelain Doll CostumeI had the opportunity to dress up two days in a row for costume parties this year. I chose to be a cracked porcelain doll out of items I already had in my closet. Here are pictures of my makeup both nights.
Warning: Lights in a Damp PumpkinI felt a shock when touching a neighbor's pumpkin which used lights in the pumpkin. Caution is advised.
Use Clear Light String in Decorative PumpkinAs we are nearing Halloween the little light bulb in the pumpkin is sure to burn out before the big event. Rather than run all over town to find a replacement for just a few days, I just thread a string of clear Christmas tree lights through the back/bottom of the pumpkin for the remainder of the season. It is safe and easy.
Vampire Teeth Napkin RingsThese napkin rings are perfect for your Halloween party. Simply roll up a napkin and slip a pair of plastic vampire teeth onto the napkin.
Plywood Halloween TombstonesFor making graveyard tombstones, instead of buying them at the dollar stores, I made mine out of old pieces of plywood. My husband had some old pieces of plywood laying around. So I spray painted the outline of the tombstone on the plywood and my husband used his saw and cut them out, then I spray painted them with black paint.
Pippy Longstocking WigI had to laugh when I saw this category. Years ago I dressed like Pippy Longstockings for Halloween. I took a mop head and colored it red with food coloring and used a bent coat hanger to braid the hair around so it would stick out straight.
Halloween: Girl PirateThis is a girl pirate costume. I used nearly all things I had in my closet or Halloween trunk, except for the striped tights (new) and the off white blouse (Goodwill). It's more fun to make a costume instead of buying one
Broken Glass CupcakesHere is an idea for making some creepy cupcakes topped with sugar "glass" shards and covered in red "blood".
Halloween Costume: Wolverine (X-Men)This is a costume of Wolverine from X-Men. This is the Hugh Jackman version, not the comic book blue/yellow version. Total materials cost about $36.
Halloween Costume: Big Little RanchersSince crafting has always been a huge part of my life, making our sons' Halloween costumes was a huge event. The boys enjoyed it as much as I did and really had some good ideas.
Halloween Treats from the GardenWe don't have Halloween trick-or-treaters where I live, and this year, no candy, just in case.
Halloween Costume: Carmen MirandaAs soon as I found an old photo of Carmen Miranda, I knew her colorful style and punchy attitude would make a perfect Halloween costume project. I had the photo up in my bedroom for months and built the costume piece by piece for just as long.
Embellishing Dollar Store Costume ItemsMy husband is a viking for Halloween, because a few years ago we found him a marvellous plastic viking hat complete with horns. This year, we added other plastic elements from the Dollar store.
Preventing Halloween Candy OverdoseI have been hearing about Halloween for weeks now. Today I actually heard something that was wise. How do you allow your children to have fun and NOT eat too many sweets?
Halloween Costume: A Man and His DogOne Halloween, I dressed the older boy in a dress shirt, vest, bow tie and dress trousers with leather Sunday shoes. The younger one wore a black sweatshirt and sweatpants, with a simple black woolen cap to which I had sewed stuffed black socks for "hang dog ears".
Decorating for HalloweenWe try to make a fun Halloween experience. Walking through to get their candy is a lot of fun to watch. My husband and I made simple grave stones, coffin, and lots of body parts for the giant spider I made.
Halloween Costume: Rainbow BriteI made this costume in the 1980's for my daughter who was a big fan of Rainbow Brite. In those days $40.00 was a lot to spend on a homemade costume. But it was worth the smile on my daughter's face.
"Severed" HeadWhen we were younger, we had a table out front with a plywood on top. We had cut a hole in it so our teenage son could put his head through. We put black and white makeup on his face and I fashioned a "silver platter" around his neck, out of foil.
Simple Halloween GamesPass The Bone Please: Two teams pass skeleton bones over under and around to the next player.
Halloween Ghost TreatsBuy a bag of Tootsie Pops and one of Blo Pops. Take a box of Kleenex and cover each pop and tie with black or orange yarn into a bow. Use a magic marker to put on a face. Two dots for the eyes, one dot for the nose, and one dot for the mouth.
Halloween Costume: Half Man - Half WomanOne half of my body looked like a man, and the other looked like a women. Very inexpensive. Go to a used clothing store to get the clothes.
Halloween Costume: The Incredible HulkThis is my costume for the Incredible Hulk. It consisted of ripping up a white T-shirt, tearing some jeans and dying them purple, wearing green contact lenses, and spending nearly 3 hours getting airbrushed and detailed with green and purple paint.
Halloween: Spooky "Laboratory" DisplayPainted and decorated jars create a cute Halloween display. To create the dripping black look, spray heavily and allow to run down the sides of the jar. Spray orange, white, and gold for a candy corn look. Have fun, you can't "mess" these up.
Link: Mummies On A StickIt's a page you can print out for them to color with crayons or colored pencils. The bonus is that the coloring page also has the recipe for the mummies they're coloring that they can prepare to eat.
Link: Free Printable Pumpkin Carving StencilsI just came across this website a minute ago and I wanted to share it with all of you! It's www.pumpkinpile.com. They offer hundreds of downloads of pumpkin carving stencils and patterns for free!
Halloween Costume: Hickory, Dickory, DockChild becomes the grandfather clock in the nursery rhyme, Hickory, Dickory, Dock.
Check Thrift Store For Halloween CostumesI do volunteer work in a local thrift shop. Do check in your local shop for Halloween costumes. As they are a one time a year item, there is no sense in paying a lot for the children's outfit.
Halloween: Attention ALL WitchesHere is how I have our home decorated for Halloween. The sign reads "Attention all Witches, please leave your brooms by the front door."
Mummy Juice BoxesMake your kids mummy juice boxes for Halloween. Easy to create and great for a kid's party or to send to school.
Halloween: Bat and Skull CupcakesI used to make a batch of these every year for my now 20-year old daughter to take to school. She still asks for them, to share with her friends.
Pattern for Dracula CapeI have made capes out of twin size black flat bed sheets. They're $5 at Wal-Mart. Just find the middle of 1 edge of the sheet, and cut straight to the opposite corner on the bottom. Do the same on the other side.
Shop the Week After HalloweenThe best solution we found was to shop the week *after* Halloween for the following year. For instance, my daughter wanted us all to be characters from the Wizard of Oz. We could not afford the costumes in time for Halloween 2010, but they were 75% off the first week of November!
Visit Thrift Stores for HalloweenWhen my daughter was young, we'd go to the local Salvation Army Store and get her a prom dress or some old outfit that she could tear and make look all ragged. Paying a couple of dollars was the best way to go for something she'd only wear once.
Halloween Costume: Plants Vs. ZombiesMy sons love the game, Plants Vs. Zombies so they decided to use it as the basis for last year's costume. I think it turned out super cute, except that when my older son got tired of his Peashooter mask and took it off, he looked more like a frog.
Halloween Costume: Mad ScientistI put this homemade mad scientist costume together so I could play "Host" to my son's Halloween themed birthday party.
Goodwill Outlet Center For Halloween...We needed to get several costumes worth of clothing and extras but didn't have the budget to get store bought costumes or buy them new. So we found a Goodwill sorting and donation center near us.
Keeping the Jack O' Lantern FreshCombine equal parts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, shake and spray all cut areas of your pumpkins and they will not get soft, rot, or shrink for a long time.
Using Jack O'Lanterns After HalloweenOne way we save at Halloween is simple. We either wait until the day of to carve our pumpkins OR, we paint on the face with non toxic paint. Then the day after, we cut up the pumpkin, boil in salt water, then peel and mash when cool.
Halloween Costume: Black Eye PeaTake a shirt and put a P on it. Then get the black stuff that the football players wear and put it under your eyes. Tell everyone you are a "black eye pea".
Clothespin BatsThis is an easy, cute craft! Just cut a bat shape out of black construction paper, glue on some googly eyes and a red mouth. Glue a clothespin to the back and let dry. You can make tons and clip them anywhere and everywhere!
Halloween Costume: Lunch Lady Land!My company allows us to dress up at Halloween, but it's difficult to find costumes that are family-appropriate and don't hinder movement. One year I made a big splash for less than $10!
Halloween Costumes from the Dollar StoreNo need to spend a lot of money on Halloween costumes. The Dollar Store has a lot of children's toys and things that you can make a costume with. For girls, fairy wings and a wand, play jewelry, and gloves can make a cute fairy.
Check Fire Code Before Holiday DecoratingI just finished decorating for Halloween. The VA Fire Marshall showed up for a routine inspection. All the decorations on the walls such as spider webs and hanging ghosts and witches had to be taken down because they are not fire retardant.
Spooky Tree Door DecorationOne year for Halloween I made a "Spooky Tree" door decoration that was a huge hit with everyone who saw it, and it barely cost me anything! I wish I had a photo to show you, but hopefully you can picture it in your head.
Halloween Costume: Dog the Bounty HunterMy daughter thought this up for her daughter, who is my grand daughter.
Halloween Costume: A Bunch Of GrapesI started with a sweatshirt that had plenty of space. I blew up a bunch of balloons, and used safety pins to pin them to the sweatshirt (through the part on the other side of the knot, obviously), in the shape of a bunch of grapes.
Buy Used Halloween CostumesUse websites like eBay to find and save money on Halloween costumes for your children. You can buy last year's costumes for much less than a new one.
Halloween Pencil Toppers As "Treats"I always make plastic canvas treats for my grandchildren and their classmates. I make 25 of these for grade school parties for under $5.00 total. All the children and teachers love them.
Find Your Halloween Costume in Someone Else's ClosetCreating or coming up with a homemade Halloween costume is easily done by searching through someone else's closet! Simply ask a friend or sibling if you can pick a costume from their closet.
Homemade Face PaintTo make face paint mix 1 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. cold cream, 1/2 tsp. cold water and add food coloring. Mix the ingredients well and paint away! This will wash off with cold cream.
