5 Ways to Make 2019 Halloween Jealous
I love a good holiday, but Halloween isn’t exactly the top of my list. The creative costume pressure, the inevitable cold drizzly weather, and the moral erosion as I tell my kids I have no idea where all their candy went with the scent of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups on my breath.
Trick or treating with my little ones is pretty cute, but that only lasts so long, and it’s definitely not happening this year (for us). Depending on where you live, you might be making the call to shut down the typical Halloween shenanigans, but you’re asking yourself- what now?
Read on for some fun ways to celebrate that are less risky than making contact with half your neighborhood.
See original post HERE at Activities For Kids
Halloween Themed Easter Egg Hunt
Regardless of your religion, going on hunts in your yard or house to find brightly colored plastic orbs filled with fun/delicious treats is a pretty great way to feel festive. So feel free to reuse that stroke of genius for Halloween. I’m definitely doing this with my kids, and have been deftly side stepping their questions about trick-or-treating and redirecting them by hyping the EPIC HALLOWEEN EASTER EGG HUNT they’re going to have. I think we can make a whole new tradition here and rebrand it as the Halloween Candy Hunt. Look kids- No COVID!
Trunk-or-Treat
I have a bunch of friends who are doing this, and it’s a great idea for a small group or your quarantine crew. Grab an empty school parking lot or line up down the street and pop those trunks! Extend the fun with some Halloween themed treats and 90s beats for the parents.
Themed games + activities
Adding some games and activities to the trunk-or-treat or just doing them on their own will keep this holiday from being the stuff emotional trauma is made of. I’m planning to have a couple kids over from our inner circle and ply them with messy and energy busting fun to distract from 2020.
Here are a few ideas I found around the ‘net:
Pumpkin ring toss – toss glow necklaces onto pumpkin stems, winner gets all the candy
Items Needed:
Pumpkins with longish stem
Glow necklaces
Fluffy Pumpkin Slime - https://www.iheartartsncrafts.com/fluffy-pumpkin-slime/
Items Needed:
Elmer’s glue
Unscented shaving cream
Mason jar
Saline solution
Baking soda
Apple Stamping - https://www.madetobeamomma.com/apple-stamping-pumpkin-craft/
Items Needed:
Apples
Orange paint
Googly eyes
Brown + green pipe cleaners
Pumpkin Art Salt Painting - https://rhythmsofplay.com/halloween-pumpkin-salt-painting-for-kids/
Items Needed:
Black cardstock
White pencil
White glue
Salt
Liquid watercolors or solid watercolor pallet
Paintbrush or pipette
Themed Food
If you’re not eating something pumpkin flavored, orange or involving fake blood, are you really making the most of your Halloween? Way back in 2018, I threw a Halloween party for a bunch of toddlers and preschoolers and came up with a dinner and snack menu that was thematic but not overly complex. Popcorn in individual paper bags. Roast carrots and broccoli. Pumpkin cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. Apples with caramel, chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds. Of course, if you want to take it to the next level you could
For my family’s Halloween 2020 menu I’ll be making pumpkin pancakes, butternut squash fritters, candy corn party mix, pumpkin shaped cookies, and homemade pumpkin shaped pizza (check out my favorite dough recipe) throughout the day. If my kids don’t wake up orange on November 1, I haven’t done my job.
Toilet Paper your own house
If you want to surprise and delight your children this holiday season, might I suggest this “bad idea” idea. Choose outside if you love cleaning up wet toilet TP, or take a tip from a wizened professional who’s seen a thing or two, and keep those messy bursts of delight indoors. I will tell you from experience (that EPIC bash from 2018 that everyone’s still talking about) that handing a bunch of toilet paper to kids whose parents have worked hard to instill calm and politeness in their offspring is like unleashing pure sunshine. Witnessing the joy and delight that radiates out of these little bodies during their reign of terror, is worth the clean up once the party is over.
And I think we’re over the toilet paper shortage now, so let it fly!
So how about you? How are you celebrating? And who are you celebrating with? If you’re still stuck or looking for more ideas- hit me up in the comments or send an email. Leave your comments below, and I’ll post a list of all the best ideas on Instagram @moreandmerrierlife .
With love,
Steph
