Halloween 2011 Boredom Busters

10 Halloween-Themed Boredom Busters

Provided by Sarah Morris on behalf of Primrose Schools- choose the best in preschools!

 

The air outside has turned crisp and the tableau of fall colors is coming alive in the trees. The new season brings so many things to be enjoyed as a family- like Halloween. In lieu of going straight to TV and video games when the weather gets chilly, get their attention with themed activities and banish the Ghost of Halloween Boredom before he makes an appearance. Try a few of the following activities to keep your young ones entertained, and have fun together!

1.) Pumpkin Carving

In the fall, pumpkin carving is a time honored tradition for many families. If your kids are old enough to safely use a cutting tool, it can be great fun for them. Don't go for the same old grinning face you've seen on a thousand other pumpkins. Do a quick online search for "pumpkin carving templates", and find a unique one that your kids can easily follow. Supervise them as they complete the task, and voila, you have a beautiful outdoor decoration that's perfectly in season. As a bonus, you can salt and roast the seeds for a healthy, kid friendly snack.

2.)"Flying" Bats

This quick, easy craft will make a great addition to your Halloween decor. First, find a template of a bat online( BHG.com and kid's educational sites are a good place to start your search). You're looking for a silhouette, not a full color photo. Once you've got the template, you and your kids can cut out several bats from black card stock. Once that's done, punch a small hole in each bat. Using fishing line or filament, hang the bats from the ceiling. The nearly invisible strings will make it look as if a flock of bats have descended on your home. It's a creepy good look!

3.)Pasta Skeleton

This is a good craft for the younger children, who aren't quite as adept as you'd like with scissors. All you'll need is black construction paper, white glue, a white crayon, and a cup or so of pasta in a variety of shapes. Using these supplies, help your child build a skeleton, and glue it to the paper. For example, macaroni is good for the ribs, and a wagon wheel makes a perfect head. When it dries, your child can sign it with the crayon, and you can proudly display it. (It's also a good opportunity to help your child learn about the skeletal system.) This idea came from the good folks at enchantedlearning.com.


4.) "Scary" Baking

Most folks love sweets, so you can't go wrong with this. Make a basic sugar cookie dough, and gather several colors of food coloring, an assortment of candies, and let your kids do the decorating. Or bake a few cupcakes and let your kids turn them into frightening creatures. You should be in charge of the baking part, of course, but they'll love making a mess and expressing their creativity. A clever hint from Better Homes and Gardens: to make an edible, three dimensional witches' hat, flatten 1/2 of a regular Tootsie Roll into a small circle, and top it with a Hershey's Kiss.

5.)Costume Making

If you've recently seen the price of a flimsy store bought costume, then you'll immediately appreciate the value of this craft. In most cases, you can use things you already have around the house to make the costume your kid wants. With a dose of creativity, and the addition of a few purchased supplies like face paint, you can whip up the perfect costume at a fraction of the cost. Let you child participate in making it, and they'll also get the satisfaction that comes with making something "cool".

6.)Dirt and Worms

As gross as this may sound, kids find it both fun and tasty. Help your child a small paper cup about halfway with chocolate pudding. On top of that, add a layer of crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, to resemble "dirt". Last, take a few gummy worms and insert them through the top layer, into the pudding core below. Leave a bit of each worm visible. After that, let your kids feast on their sweet, yet slimy creation.

7.)Visit a Local Pumpkin Patch

The orange gourds are in season this time of year, and depending on where you live, you may be able to take your kids to a pumpkin patch for a visit. In most cases, the cost of admission is low, or free, and some patches will let kids take a small pumpkin home as a souvenir. A quick internet search can help you discover if there are any pumpkin patches in your neck of the woods.

8.)Take a Nighttime Nature Walk

Your kids may not think this is scary enough at first, but if you take them out after dusk they may quickly change their minds. Explore your neighborhood, taking note of all the nocturnal critters scurrying around. Who knows what lurks in your neighbor's bushes after dark? After this walk, you will!

9.)Rent a Scary Movie

You can judge which movies are appropriate for your kids, based on their ages and personalities. Once you've agreed on a movie, zap some popcorn, turn down the lights, and enjoy a frighteningly good time. If you chose your film wisely, you won't have to worry about being on nightmare patrol later.

10.) Raking Leaves

Not everything surrounding Halloween has to be exciting, right? If you've got a yard full of fallen leaves, and a house full of kids whining about having nothing to do, this could be the perfect solution. Let them use up some of that boundless energy to rake up the leaves while you supervise. It's probably best to go into this expecting the kids to make a big pile of leaves and jump in in, though.

               
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Thank you Sarah for your great ideas!