Friday, October 23, 2009

Halloween Food Ideas


Mousse filled wtiches hats, bat wing soup, and jack-o-lantern pancakes are just a few of the fun Halloween recipes you will find HERE.

There are many other spooky and yummy looking Halloween treats found at Super Punch.


I think the Invisible Pops look like a fun and creative treat for a Halloween scare!

A page full of Halloween recipes at Britta. Including:

Brittle (Meringue) Bones

The Food Network has plenty of great food ideas too!

Check out Delish for even more spooky dishes.

A site for sore eyes, and other ideas are at Wilton's.


Here is a Frankenmallow idea, where the kids can help make these spooky creations. More Halloween ideas can be found at Family Corner, including crafts, coloring pages and more!


I am sure there are many more great ideas out there. If you have something to share, let me know. Otherwise...happy baking!

Witch's Brew


This eerie green brew is best made by mixing a yellow beverage with a blue beverage. Try using Mountain Dew, Gatorade, or Lemonade for the yellow beverage. Blue Kool-Aid or blue sports drinks work well for the blue liquid. Your goal is a radioactive shade of green, so keep adding a little bit of each colored drink until you get the right mix. Pour the punch into a plastic witch's cauldron (available at discount and holiday stores). To keep the punch cold, try any of these ice ideas:
* Wash and fill a plastic latex glove with ginger ale, tie it at the wrist and freeze it. Remove the frozen "hand" from the glove and float it in the punch.
* Place small plastic spider rings into ice cube trays, and fill the trays with water. That way, every drink will contain a small party favor, too.
* Place a gummy worm in each cell of an ice cube tray, add ginger ale, and freeze the tray to create tasty, creepy-crawly ice cubes.

OR, here is another recipe for BAT'S BREW:

Make "Bat Brew" by filling 7-up and grape juice in a punch bowl and putting in scoops of green sherbet. This looks awful when the sherbet starts to melt but even the parents go back for seconds because it tastes so yummy. Serve it with a gummy worm hanging off the side of the cup.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Pumpkin Poop


I came across this funny Halloween poem on Teaching Heart and thought others could maybe use it as a cute/funny Halloween gift. There are other cute saying found there too, along with ideas for popcorn, hot chocolate and more.

Spider Pops


Need a treat for a Halloween party? Check out these cute Spider Pops. You could either have the kids make these treats or just send them home with the kids as a fun treat.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Graphing Activities for Halloween


I just came across this FABULOUS site that has all kinds of graphs that can be used during the month of October. Just to name a few, there are graphs for Dem Bones candy, Ghostmallows, and Lucky Charms with Spooky Marshmallows. If you are a teacher, you don't want to miss this site!!

There are more great Halloween ideas from this site (Teaching Heart), including glyphs, writing prompts,centers, crafts, writing and more. Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of the page so that you won't miss anything!

Pumpkin Treat Bags How-To


Fill orange mini craft bags with candy. Twist the top of the bag up into a stem. Pull floral tape off roll and stretch it so it becomes sticky. Wrap floral tape around stem, starting at the top and moving downward. Rip off take, leaving 3 to 4 extra inches hanging on the bottom. Twist extra tape into tendril, wrapping it around finger until it curls.

Idea from Martha Stewart

Tomb of Gloom

As part of some of my Halloween parties in the past, I use to have what I called the Tomb of Gloom. I put a table in the hall with a sheet over the items so the kids couldn't see what was on the table. I then had a parent volunteer supervise the table. One at a time, the kids would stick their hand under the sheet and feel around. For example, one item they were to touch were "eyeballs", but they were really peeled grapes. The kids always had a good time with this and it was funny to watch their reactions and hear their guesses on what the items really were. If you are interested in incorporating The Tomb of Gloom into your party this year, here are some ideas that have been used before...

Eyeballs - Peeled Grapes
Fingers - Carrots/Baby Carrots
Teeth - Dried Beans
Ears - Dried Apricots
Intestines - Cooked Spaghetti Noodles
Stomach/Fat - Jell-O

The Tomb of Gloom always ended with a bowl or pot of warm soap water (to rinse their hands off). The kids were told it was a pot of acid or witch's brew (for the added effect.) Be creative and I am sure you can think of more items to add!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Spook-tacular Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels


Dipped in melted chocolate chips and decorated with a variety of spookalicious candies, these festive treats are a frightfully fun way to celebrate the haunting night ahead.

Wax paper
1 1/3 to 2 cups NESTLÉ TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, melted according to package directions in 8- or 9-inch microwave-safe dish
1 bag (10 ounces) pretzel rods
A few NESTLÉ CRUNCH and BUTTERFINGER Fun Size Candy Bars, chopped
WONKA Halloween Candies such as Spooky NERDS, NERDS Giant Chewy Bumpy Warts and SweeTARTS Skulls n' Bones *
Line baking sheet with wax paper. Place each candy on separate sheets of wax paper.
Dip pretzel rods halfway into chocolate; shake off excess. Roll rods in candies (one candy type per pretzel rod); place on prepared baking sheet.
Place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to harden. Once hardened, remove from baking sheets and store, covered, in cool place with wax paper between layers.
Makes 30 pretzels.

Estimated Times
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooling Time: 30 mins refrigerating

*found in bags of WONKA Halloween Assorted Candies.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/30 of recipe): Calories: 130 Calories from Fat: 35 Total Fat: 4 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 130 mg Carbohydrates: 23 g Dietary Fiber: 1 g Sugars: 14 g Protein: 2 g

(Recipe and photograph are the property of Nestlé® and Meals.com, used with permission. Recipe found HERE. )


*I have also seen a variation to this idea. Same concept, but dip the pretzel rods in green Wiltons candy melts (or white and add green food coloring) and add a almond slice to the tip of the pretzel. This makes a great witch finger! Or you can view HERE at allrecipes for a cookie recipe with the same concept.

Change up the color of the chocolate and add candy/sprinkles according to the season and these work for every holiday!

**Wilton's candy melts can be found at JoAnn Crafts, Wal-Mart, Robert's Crafts, Michaels, online, and I am sure many other places. These are just the places that I have found them before.

Math Halloween Games

Here are a few more Halloween games, focused on math. These would probably work best for older kids (2nd grade and up).

PUMPKIN WEIGHT – Purchase a 6-7 pound pumpkin, weigh it on your bathroom scale, and record the weight. Ask the children to pick up the pumpkin, guess the weight, and write down their estimates. The child who comes the closest to guessing the actual weight can take home the pumpkin or a mini pumpkin as a prize. (You may want to have a few favors on hand in case more than one child makes a close guess.)
PUMPKIN CIRCUMFERENCE - Modify the above guessing game by having the children guess the circumference of the pumpkin using pieces of string. (You'll need a ball of string and scissors to do this.) One at a time, ask each child to cut a length of string that they believe is the distance around the pumpkin. After everyone has cut a piece of string from the ball, wrap a length of string around the pumpkin and cut it to get the exact circumference. Ask each child to measure his or her string against the string representing the actual circumference, and determine the winner(s).
HALLOWEEN GUESSING JAR - Fill small jar(s) (mayo jar, baby food jar, etc.) with candy corn, plastic spider rings, or other Halloween items. Ask the children to write down the number of pieces they believe to be in the jar. As a group, count the pieces of candy corn in the jar. The child who's guess is closest to the actual number gets to take home the jar of candy.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Candy Corn Dessert

...without the candy corn taste. I'm not sure how you feel about candy corn. It seems it's one of those treats that people either love or hate. My sister LOVES it and can't wait for fall every year so she can stock up. I, on the other hand, could live without the stuff. I found this cute candy corn recipe that layers butterscotch pudding, banana cream pudding and whipped cream to give that candy corn look. What a cute and yummy looking treat!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Halloween Games

Here are a few Halloween games you can try out at your Halloween party this year. These ideas can be used for a class party, birthday party or a Halloween bash.

WITCH'S BREW – Cut about ten pieces of paper in Halloween related shapes, such as ghosts, bats, pumpkins, or spiders. The shapes need to be about the size of a Ritz™ cracker. Place the shapes in a pile beside a small bowl or witch's cauldron. Have straws available for each player, along with a stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand. Using the straw as a vacuum, have each child try to pick up the shapes and drop them into the cauldron. The player with the fastest time wins. (Ages 6-12)

PIN THE WART ON THE WITCH – Instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, try Pin the Wart on the Witch (or Pin the nose on the Jack-o-lantern). Draw a witch's face on a piece of poster board. Use little balls of green Play-Doh ™ or paper cutouts as the warts. Blindfold each child as his/her turn arrives, spin, point in the right direction, and watch your wicked witch become even more wartful! (All ages)

EYEBALL RELAY – Before the party, buy about 12 Ping-Pong balls. Using permanent markers, draw irises, pupils, and bloodshot veins on the balls. Divide your group into two teams and give one spoon to each team. The kids are to try to carry the "eyeball" from one side of the room to the other without dropping it. If they drop the "eyeball", they should return to the starting point and try again. (Ages 7 & up)

HALLOWEEN BINGO - You might be able to find Halloween Bingo games at stores during this time of the year. (Try Wal-Mart but I think I got mine at A Teacher's Closet). If you don't want to buy the game, you can make it or download/make a blank template and have the kids write in their own Halloween words. Use Smarties candy or other candy pieces as the markers.

There are other great Halloween games at Family Fun. Check it out!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Salt Dough Ghosts

The other day my daughter came home from a friend's house with a plate full of ghosts. They were all labeled on the back with the names of our family members and they have made a cute addition to our Halloween decor (minus the plate of course ;). Check out Family Fun for the directions and materials needed.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Halloween Spider



I have made these spiders for several 3rd grade class parties, but I am sure they would work for a variety of ages. The kids enjoy the activity and they turn out pretty cute. Once they are made, treats can be put inside the pocket and sent home with the kids.

Items Needed:
black spray paint
paper plates (1/child)
pipe cleaners (about 4"/leg)
puffy paint (mouth)
scrap paper (eyes and teeth)

Spray paint the bottom side of the paper plates(not where you would put food). When the plates are dry, cut them in half. Put 2 halves together (paint side facing out) and staple. Make sure that you staple the pipe cleaners in too! Yes, I know that spiders have 8 legs, so you might want to change yours a little from mine! :) Have items ready to decorate the spider and let the kids be creative.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Halloween Ideas...First of Many

Holy cow! A whole month has past since I have done anything with this blog. So sorry...life has been hectic with me returning to work and with the time devoted to recently running my first marathon. Anyway, I have noticed all of the Halloween decorations starting to come out and thought that I should suggest some Halloween ideas to anyone in search, so here it goes...
Festive Halloween Sugar Cookies from Good Housekeeping:

Glittered Pumpkins from Martha Stewart:

All kinds of ideas from Tip Junkie...too many to mention just one. If you click on the link, it will take you to all the Halloween ideas she has!

These darling candy corn cookies from Tidy Mom:

A caramel apple kit for anyone looking to give a gift. Thanks Mish Mash!

Skip To My Lou has plenty of great ideas too, including her paper witch shoe. Think of how fun this would be to give as a party favor!

I am excited that fall is here! Time to get ready for all the upcoming holidays. I will have more Halloween ideas to come...