hauntedtub
Haunted bath

Apologies that this post isn’t more timely, (i.e. October 1st). The little Sk8ers have been home sick on and off all month, so I’m playing catch-up. But, if you’re like our family you enjoy a good ghost story all year. Hopefully, this round-up of ideas that get our little ghouls in the Halloween spirit can be referenced for a haunting-fun, family-time, anytime.

Movie night:

  • Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest – The Legend of No Noggin, the scarecrow who appears on Halloween is scary enough for my five-year-old, but not too scary for my little three-year-old. My guys could watch this every week, all year round.
  • Hotel Transylvania – Monsters afraid of humans? My boys can’t stop laughing.

Story time: 

  • The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat, by Stan and Jan Berenstain – As Brother and Sister Bear don their costumes to go trick-or-treating by themselves for the first time, they plan to avoid Miz McGrizz’s spooky home. But during their Halloween outing, the cubs discover that appearances can be deceiving.
  • The Berenstain Bears Ghost of the Forest, by Stan and Jan Berenstain – When the Bear Scouts head out for an overnight camping trip without him, Papa decides to have a little fun by scaring the cubs with a scary ghost costume (Scholastic).

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Food: 

  • Cheese stick and pretzel brooms – I borrowed this idea from the web and they were a hit. They also make a healthy Halloween party addition at school functions.
  • We love decorating roll-out sugar cookies. Jenny Hobick at Everyday Occasions has a great recipe. My cookies are NEVER that pretty, but we have a good time making a big mess.
  • I like simple pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. I substitute apple sauce for the oil in this recipe (you can’t even tell!). I congratulate myself on sneaking a vegetable AND fruit into my sons’ belly without them even knowing it. Bonus for me!

Speaking of healthy, have you heard of the Switch Witch? Some of the Moms in my neighborhood have implemented this tool that tricks kids into handing over their trick-or-treat (or trunk-or-treat) loot for a book, toy or fun activity. I’m old fashioned and think that Halloween is only once a year – let them devour until they are green as a goblin.

Friends, family and fun: 

  • Grams & Gramps Skateboard sent the boys a cute Halloween package with silly string, colored hair spray, vampire teeth and the biggest hit of all, glow-stick swords.
  • I like to bulk-up on glow sticks this time of year and throw them in the bath for a spooky haunted bath (see above).
  • A friend told me that her apartment building gathers for a big pizza party before the kiddos head out trick-or-treating. What a great community activity.
  • Another friend has adopted the idea from Gretchen Rubin’s book, The Happiness Project. She created a Halloween photo gallery made of pictures of her kids in their costumes from the years past. I must admit, I love this idea, but haven’t done it…yet (it could be because one of my boys refused to wear his costume last year). Maybe this is the year.

How do you boo in your home?