St Aidens ~ Trick or Treat - Fun Ideas for Halloween

Home About Contact Audio Books Lit Arts Language Pre-K Free ESL Resources Online Games Book of the Day Maths Gallery

Activity colour Concept & Colours Fine Motor Skills concepts & Puzzles Cut&Paste Colour Books Dot to Dot

Alphabet Animals Colour & Concepts Family Numbers Nursery Rhymes Story Time Puzzles Scrapbooking Crafts Disney

Trick or Treat!
Fun Ideas for Halloween
By Jan K., The Proofer

Halloween can be fun and not just a chore of handing out candy to kids who
are dressed in pre-made, off-the-rack costumes.

Put the TRICK Back Into the TREAT

Every year, I find three things that are definitely not treats and I put them in re-
sealable plastic bags (I use Ziploc® bags). I use these for “tricks” and attempt
to hand them out to the kids. I use things like a squashed up soda can, a
handful of dryer lint, crumbled newspaper, chicken fat (I put that in a sealed
bag inside of a sealed bag---believe me, it looked really gross!---and I save it
for older kids), a couple of broken crayons, old Birthday Cake candles that
were half-burned, expired cents-off coupons, and a variety of other junk. I put
these “tricks” in a “cauldron” (one of those black, plastic “witch’s cauldron”
buckets that you can pick up at any variety store), and wait for the knock on
the door.

Depending on the age of the trick-or-treater, I have the black cauldron in my
hand, and I select a trick. Very seriously, I ask, “How about a nice crushed
can?” I usually get a very puzzled look from Spiderman or KimPossible. Then I
select another trick and ask, “Well, how about some dryer lint?” This time, I
generally get a giggle. I’ll pick up one more trick and say, “OK, here’s some old
crayons.” Now, I usually get some kind of response like “NO!” or “I want candy!”

Finally, I’ll reach for my other black cauldron, and pull out a bag of candy and I’
ll fill everyone’s trick-or-treat bag.

It’s fun and it makes the routine of answering the door and handing out candy
a lot of fun! It is especially fun with the older kids, and you can play it up a little
more (and use “gross” but harmless tricks).

Put On a Costume!

Come on, admit it---you like to dress up as a witch (my personal favorite), or a
fairy queen (wear your wedding dress---and get some fun use out of it!), or
some character that suits your style (be a character from Harry Potter or Lord
of the Rings).

Years ago, I made myself a really great witch’s costume, complete with high-
necked floor-length black dress, an overskirt of long strips of black see-through
chiffon sewed on at odd angles, long cape, and high-peaked hat that I crush
and crumple so that the point of the hat hangs over at an odd angle. I do the
make-up, spray my hair green, pull on black lacy stockings, and strap on black
tap shoes (with no taps).

Most little kids are just a little afraid of me at first, and with the really little kids I
don’t talk like a witch. Sometimes if I can tell whether it’s a boy or girl, I’ll ask
them if they are Hansel or Gretel (some kids know the fairy tale, and some don’
t, but it’s worth a try!) For the children and then older kids, I get more “into
character” (especially when I can hand out chicken fat as a trick!).

Just remember that Halloween can be fun. Don’t let it be a chore. If you’ve
made the decision to buy candy and hand it out to kids, then don’t let it be
“just a job” that you do every October 31st!

For some fun Halloween free clipart and other Halloween-related free
printables, ideas, and products, please see Mom's Break at: http://halloween.
momsbreak.com/Halloween_CLIPART.html

Jan K., The Proofer is a freelance copyeditor and proofreader. Visit http://www.
jansportal.com for more information about Jan's free crafts, recipes, tutorials,
other resource sites, and free content articles, as well as Jan’s business
services. Be sure to visit Mom's Break (http://www.momsbreak.com/) for free
printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005 to present. All rights reserved.

246 pges absolutely
jam-packed with Family
Fun Activities & Teaching
Resources
Click this link to preview