Halloween History

Spooky Fun

Want to teach your kids the real story behind Halloween and make it fun? Try these fun and educational crafts.

• Pumpkin Carving: Don't forget to let your younger children join in the fun! Adults should take care of the actual carving, but young children will love scooping out the pulp (and eating the roasted seeds). Kids of all ages like to get messy! There are many pre-made designs for pumpkin carving, but you can also let your kids come up with a scary face for you to cut out. Take this time to tell your kids about jack-o-lanterns and where they come from.
• Worms in Dirt: This is a fun treat to make that's super tasty! To make it, you'll need chocolate cookies, chocolate pudding, gummy worms, and some paper cups.
  Dump the pudding into a bowl. Take the chocolate cookies and crunch them up until they're crumbs. Next, combine the cookie crumbs with the pudding until the mixture is evenly lumpy. Pour your "dirt" mixture into the cups, hiding some worms in it as you do so. Talk with your children about Halloween and its connection to all things that go bump in the night.
• Halloween Masks: Gather up some construction paper, paper plates, scissors, and glue sticks. Have each child design his or her own Halloween mask by drawing a scary face on the paper plate. Decorate the plate with cut-outs from the construction paper such as eyes, a mouth, and scary fangs. Next, glue these shapes onto the paper plate face. Voila! A mask for some frightening fun.
• Scary Scarecrow: This activity is more involved, and you'll need a broom handle and a piece of two-by-four lumber to start. First, pound one end of the lumber into the ground where you want to set up your scarecrow. Then, nail the broom handle or smaller piece of lumber sideways to form a "T" for your scarecrow's arms.
  Once you have your scarecrow's "skeleton," it is time to decorate! Have your children help find old clothes with which to dress your scarecrow. Stuff the clothing with newspapers and tie off the ends of the shirt and pants with string. Next, stuff a dark paper bag with paper and tie it to the top of the wooden frame for your scarecrow's head and face. Draw on a big eyes, nose, and mouth, and add a straw hat and you'll have the ultimate scarecrow this Halloween!

Happy Halloween!