Category — Halloween & Fall Activities

This is the 9th year of my annual Chili Fest but the problem is the last 3 years we haven’t had chili. It got too complicated when everyone had a different idea about what kind of chili they wanted – no meat but beans, no beans but meat, meat and beans, or no chili at all. I decided to fix something that I knew everyone would be happy with and it wasn’t chili. So, we need a new name for the annual event. If you have any suggestions please share them.

Highlights from this year.

The kids table.

There was a treasure hunt to find the goodie bags then they were dumped all over the floor.

Always a favorite, see how much candy you can pile on one sugar cookie!

Here’s a fun and easy treat that you and your grandchildren can make. It can be used as a favor for an October party or given to someone special for a spooky treat.
You will need:
Lollipops, white tissues (Kleenex), yarn or string, and markers.
1. Cover a lollipop with a white tissue and tie with yarn, ribbon or string.
2. Using markers draw eyes on the ghost.
3. To display as a favor or give to a special friend, turn a styrofoam cup upside down and stick the ghost in. You can also use an egg carton turned upside down.

This is a Halloween family activity that everyone will love. When you have your grandchildren over to carve pumpkins plan to roast the seeds and enjoy them at the same time. After you have cut the top off of a pumpkin let your grandchildren remove all the seeds from inside. You can make it a math game by predicting how many seeds are in the pumpkin then counting them. In a colander, rinse the seeds thoroughly with water. If your grandkids are like mine they’ll love playing in the water. Place the rinsed seeds in a bowl, with a little vegetable oil (about 1 teaspoon of oil per cup of seeds) and mix well. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake at 300° F for about 30-40 minutes, until they are golden brown. Let the seeds cool before eating them! This can become a fun family tradition.

Children love to help make things for a party so if you’re having a Halloween or Autumn party let your grandchildren help make this candy corn centerpiece. When it’s time for everyone to go they’ll have a fun treat to take home.

You’ll need:
1 container (I used a clay pot and painted it like a candy corn but you can use any container.)
syrofoam
skewers
candy corn
plastic wrap
curling ribbon

Directions:
Wrap candy corn in small pieces of plastic wrap and tie with ribbon.
Curl the ribbon and slide a skewer under the ribbon. (I had to put a piece of tape so it would stay.)
Put Styrofoam in the container and stick skewer inside to make an arrangement.
Make as many candy corn bundles as you need.

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Have your children or grandchildren decorate pumpkins with these pumpkin face stickers. Download them on sticker paper or do what I did and use hot glue. It’s an easy and safe way to have youngsters decorate their pumpkins. GET FREE PRINTABLES

GET DIRECTIONS from Little Nummies.

Easy to make.
1. Use any size can and take off the lids on both ends with a can opener that doesn’t leave sharp edges.
2.With a hammer, pound the bottom of one end so it comes together.
3.Use a screwdriver to make the holes for the handle.
4.Paint and decorate.
5.For the handle use a pipe cleaner or wire.

This is a fun fall activity to do with your children and you’re helping the birds.
Directions:
1. Gather various sizes of milk cartons.
2. Cut out an opening.
3. Decorate with paint or permanent markers.
4. Make a small hole to push a dowel through so the bird can perch.
5. Secure a wire or heavy string at the top for hanging.
6. Fill with bird seed and hang.
You can also have an opening on opposite sides and push the dowel through so birds can perch on either side.

In acrostic poems, the first letters of each line are aligned vertically to form a word. The word often is the subject of the poem. Write your own Halloween acrostic poem. Here is an example:

Grayish white in color
Hiding, ready to scare
Often floating in air
Scaring is what they like to do
Terrifying