12 Tips For A Terrific Halloween
Remember the fantastic company motto in the film Monsters Inc - ‘We scare because we care'? Well, this Halloween, seems we all need to take a bit more care with our scaring. But have no fear (so to speak) there’s still loads of socially distanced fun to be had.
1. BIG UP THE PUMPKIN CARVING
Pumpkin carving's almost an Olympic sport these days, so there's loads of inspo out there. Buy one for every family member and have a competition. (For smaller kids, drawing a scary face in black marker on a mini pumpkin can look really cute - and is a lot less effort!)
2. WATCH A (NOT TOO) SCARY FILM
You’ll know what their ‘scare tolerance' is, but good picks include: Casper, Frankenweenie, Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit, Monsters Inc. and Spooky Buddies.
3. GO BATTY & GET DECORATING
Get some black and white card and wool, string or ribbons and use these cool templates to make a whole load of ghosts, bats and cats to transform the house.
4. MAKE A TRICK-OR-TREAT TREE
If you have a tree or big shrub in your front garden, hang individually wrapped bundles of sweets, so people can take one without touching others. This takes a bit of supervision, though, so best done in smaller neighbourhoods when you’re likely to know your visitors.
5. GET CREEPY CRAFTING
As well as checking out our range of craft kits, why not have a go at making an origami ghost garland or a Day of the Dead puppet, courtesy of brilliant crafting resource RedTedArt, or these fab spooky shadow puppets by Mini Eco.
6. TELL GHOST STORIES
Turn off the lights, or get under the covers, hold torches under your chins, and tell (age appropriate) chilling tales.
7. WALK LIKE A ZOMBIE
Have a competition to see who’s best at walking like the undead. And zombie noises too, of course! You can make a mummy-style dress-up easily, using bandages or a torn up old sheet. Even a loo roll aided by some sticky tape will do.
FUN FACT:
The collective name for bats is a cauldron.
8. HAVE A TRICK-OR-TREAT TREASURE HUNT
Hide mini bags of sweets round the house, then give the kids a sheet of clues - could be pictures, could be riddles. Or hang bat decos to signpost where the goodies are stowed.
9. MAKE FIENDISH FOOD
We have lots of fun baking kits you can use to make spooky bakes and there are great recipes and inspo out there, either for a slap-up Halloween supper, or just a few fun treats. Here are a few of our faves.
Meringue Ghosts - easy to whip up and they look cute even if they go wonky. (That's the kind of cooking we love.)
Eyeball pasta - tasty and wholesome and VERY scary-looking.
Spider soup and mummy toasties - a delicious recipe we would actually eat all year round.
Monsters' fingers - Just hotdogs in a bun with ketchup, with knuckles and nails made with some clever knifework - but they're always a hit in our house.
10. GO ON A PUMPKIN TRAIL
Trick-or-treating might not be on the cards but you can still go for a stroll in your neighbourhood and look out for pumpkins or exciting decorations. Hit The Great Neighbourhood Pumpkin Trail on Facebook for inspo and a downloadable poster you can stick in your window. To incentivise their pumpkin-spotting, why not bring your own stash of goodies and give them a treat for every pumpkin they spy? Take a flask of hot chocolate along too.
11. DRESS UP THEIR TEDDIES & DOLLS
Of course, dressing up is a huge part of the fun and we've got amazing, quality costumes and face paints that'll be great additions to the dressing up box all year. With a bit of imagination, some fabric scraps and stickers, their cuddly bears and friendly dolls can also become vampires and demons - make them a cape and some stick on fangs or devil's horns. (Use triangles cut from stick-on address labels.) You might discover a whole different side to their personalities!
12. COUNT THE SPIDER WEBS IN THE PARK OR YOUR BACK GARDEN
This is the season for marveling at all the incredible arachnids out there and their super natural spidey powers. We love how beautiful webs are when covered in raindrops too.
AND DON'T FORGET
If you're looking for costume, craft or baking inspo we have an whole Halloween section to tempt and terrify you. Whatever you get up to, have a great time!