Halloween in April: Dry Ice Bubble?

My boyfriend sent me this link.  Pretty cool, eh?

Activities Tuesdays: Customize your Duck, Duck, Goose!

Such a fun game and so overrated!  Duck, duck, goose is one of those games that you can play on a whim and is completely customizable to your occasion.  For example:

• Brain, Brain, Zombie
• Witch, Witch, Warlock
• Dracula, Dracula, Frankenstein
• Trick, Trick, Treat

Or for Christmas:

• Candy, Candy, Cane
• Snowman, Snowman, Heat Miser
• Santa, Santa, Rudolph

And I'm not even talking about just for kids.  I see this as the perfect (or awesomely bad) idea for an adult holiday party, about halfway through the booze.  The biggest competition would be who can make it around the circle?  Or, who remembers where they were initially sitting?  Big fun for everyone!

If you're drawing a complete blank on this one, here's the Wiki page for the game.  They offer some of their own alternatives there as well.

Have fun!

Submit your best alternative names in the comments!

Activities Tuesdays: JibJab your life!

JibJab is brilliant fun and someone recently reminded me about the Halloween "sendables" they have!

The site consists of pre-created visuals (involving dancing or short stories) where the user can upload their own photos to the characters.  I can't quite explain it to do it justice, but it's HILARIOUS!! I suggest you try it out.

Here's a sample that I created with myself and a few of my very close friends...:

You can either create your own heads to use or use ones offered by JibJab.  Aside from the Monster Mash, they also have Night of the Living Dead'ish, Ghoulblasters, Zombie Party, and much, MUCH more!  (Some require a purchase in order to save.)

Send me your best and I'll post them!

Activities Tuesdays: Get cozy and jump on the Kaboose!

The days are getting colder as we drift farther and farther from the Halloween that's passed.  But no matter how freezing/raining/gross it gets outside, games never get old inside!  Kaboose.com has a great section of Halloween theme games to play online with your kids or by yourself (like me.)

Halloween Activity Center

Play "Whack O Wheen" and help save the pumpkin patch from the evil lingering ghosts!

Defend your castle in Transylmania and Transylmania 2 from "pesky villagers."

I love spot the difference games! Try Kaboose's version in Spooky Differences.

Also try:

    

I don't know about you, but I'm going to be on this site for a while...

Activities Tuesdays: How safe are you?

I found this little "game" online about Halloween safety.  It would be really good for your kids to take if you're letting them go out for the first time.  For me?  It was a little funny...  The old man looked nice to me!

Play the Halloween Safety Game!

How well did you do? OR How inappropriately funny did you find something?

Now here's why I fail:

• I always went up to the dark houses.  How dare you not be home to give me candy on Halloween!
• Flashlights get in the way of me carrying my gigantic sack of goodies/costume props.
• Kittens are cute.
• Cool decorations! Where?  I'm always game for badass decorating!  And, my planned route consists of the general district/county border... Anything to maximize my candy-getting.
• Hardcore trick-or-treating works up an appetite.  I always snack on the run.
• Corner crossing takes too much work and potentially takes time away from candy-getting.
• But...

CONGRATULATIONS!

Jennifer

has demonstrated knowledge of
Halloween Safety and Common Sense
by successfully completing:

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Activities Tuesdays: Are you the Halloween Trivia Master?

Get your quiz on!

Can you beat my scores?

Who's the Ultimate Halloween Buff?

16/22 or 174 points

Halloween Trivia Quiz - Baltimore Sun

40%... Although I think one of their answers is wrong.

Halloween Trivia Quiz - About.com, Expert level!

9/11

Quiz on Halloween

Got about 4 wrong, half of those turned out to be "all of the above" anyway

Don't forget to post your results!

Or ask your own trivia and see how I do ;)

Activities Tuesdays: Paper Bag Scarecrows

Now is the time to mention that much of what I'll be posting here between seasons is usable (or easily converted to be used) all throughout the year!  Today's activity is an easy favorite of mine from  my time working in childcare that we would do to last the whole fall season.

What you'll need:

• 1 brown paper bag
• raffia/straw/cut yellow paper
• construction paper-full sheets and scraps
• crayons/markers
• hot glue gun
• glue stick
• ribbon/string/twine
• newspaper
• optional: buttons

What to do:

1. Place your bag in front of you, flap at the top but facing down.
2. Assemble your face.  I suggest using construction paper triangles for the nose, buttons for eyes (use hot glue gun here), and draw the mouth.  Embellish with your crayons!
3. **Wait for any glue to completely dry and set!**
4. Ball up newspaper and stuff your head (from the bottom).  Before tying off with string/ribbon/twine/etc., add your "straw" so that it's visibly hanging out of the head.  After you tie off the bottom of the bag, add a little hot glue to the space where the straw is just starting to come out to make sure that it doesn't pull out.
5. Create a cone out of your full piece of construction for the hat.  Add any embellishments to the paper before you make the cone.
6. Hot glue some straw either to the head or the hat to get that kind of blonde bangs look that scarecrows get... Then use your hot glue to attach the hat to the head, part or brim-side front, whichever you prefer.
7. TADA!  Hang your man by a string or shove a pole up his neck and display him for all to see!

In the childcare setting, we have a wall above the [cubbies] that we use for bulletin board displays.  We created a simple cornfield scene by stapling the heads just above the bottom ledge to make it seem like they were peering over the fence!

Other versions:

• Kaboose
• All Kids Network
• Busy Bee Kids Crafts
• FunRoom (with body!)
• eHow

I wish I had a picture to share with you, but I do not!  I couldn't find anything online that quite fits my version...  If you attempt this craft, send me a picture and I'll post it!  (Appropriately accredited, of course ;)

Activities Tuesdays: Carve your own...Funkin?

If you're looking for a less-gooey alternative to carving pumpkins, (I know, why would anyone want that?) then the answer has finally arrived!  Now you can create everlasting Jack-o'-Lanterns to use for every Halloween to come.

The first place I saw one of these "pumpkins" was at a Joann Fabric and Craft store.  They're called Funkins.  The description provided by Joann.com for the above pictured Funkin:

This 10'' carvable funkin will last all season long. Funkins are resistant to all kinds of weather. Funkins are already hollow, making them just as easy to carve as a real pumpkin without the mess.

 Funkins also have their own site if you're interested!  Complete with examples...

...And an option to buy them straight from the site.  They also have luminas, gourds, and pumpkins all different sizes!

I'm curious as to how these carve, but I've yet to even carve my real pumpkin this year.  Let me know if you've tried out the Funkin!

Activities Tuesday: Double Bubble, Toil and Trouble!

Don't get too excited!  I've really just had a long day and needed to throw something together for today's post.  Forgive me ;)

Your elementary school school science project, the lovely erupting volcano, can easily be converted into a great Halloween Trick!  Whether it be a bubbling cauldron, a mad scientist's lab, or a Harry Potter potions class...

All you need is two ingredients: vinegar and baking soda.  I find it's also good to grab some other kitchen ingredients to make your potion more involved.  (Pepper for ground flies, Cayenne for powdered dragon's blood, and so on.  Get creative!)  Don't forget to add the food coloring for that extra visual!

The set up is entirely up to you and your occasion.  You can either have the children mix the concoction, while you add the final "magic" ingredient, or simply mix together the basics to have an oozing brew ready to go.

Activities Tuesdays: Do you remember Ghost in the Graveyard?

I had to rack my brains a bit to remember this one, but I finally got there.

Assuming it was traditionally played in a graveyard , "Ghost in the Graveyard" is a kid's game now used to burn some energy and creep the hell out of everybody! I can remember playing this some ten years ago... Memories. These days, the game is usually played in a backyard or park at night time. The darker out, the better!

Think tag meets bad horror movie scenario. A bunch of kids, out at night, playing a seemingly harmless game... Okay, it really is harmless. I think.

Here are the instructions according to WikiHow.com:

1. Find some friends to play with. The more people you can round up, the better.

2. Designate one house's yard or another area in the neighborhood for the playing field. You will need a home base on which everyone can stand or all touch at the same time such as a large tree, front stoop, or back patio.

3. Choose one person to be the "ghost". You can do this any way you like: picking a number, asking for a volunteer, rock, paper, scissors, etc.

4. Have everyone but the ghost stand at the home base while the ghost runs off to hide somewhere outside.

5. Chant slowly as a group, "One o'clock... two o'clock... three o'clock..." and so on, up to twelve o'clock. Then shout, "Midnight! I hope I don't see the ghost tonight!" Alternatively, "Starlight, star bright, I hope to see a ghost tonight!"

6. Leave the home base and search for the ghost in the yard. The ghost's job is to jump out, surprise, and tag a player. When anyone encounters the ghost they should yell, "Ghost in the graveyard!" and try to run away. When the ghost catches someone, they become a ghost too. Anyone who is able to run back to home base is safe.

7. Have all the people who were caught go and hide with (or close to) the original ghost. The people on the home base start again with the chant, "One o'clock... two o'clock..."

8. Continue the game like this until everyone is caught. The last person caught becomes the ghost for the next round.

Tips from WikiHow:

-Be sure and wait until after dark to play.

-In some variations of the game, the "ghost" counts to twelve o'clock and then everyone else shouts "Midnight!" but this has the disadvantage of potentially giving the ghost's hiding spot away.

-The ghost may also be called, in some variations of the game, a "witch" or "bloody murderer".

-Another variation of the game includes the home base players holding hands while they search for the ghost. When the ghost is spotted you break hands and dash back to home.

-You can choose a different place to play, such as a grass field.

-In another variation of the game, multiple ghosts can play. This works well with a lot of people playing.

-Another version has all those on home base actually go and seek out the ghost, who remains hiding. The person who finds the ghost yells out, and all must then flee from the ghost and return to base.

-Another alternative is having the ghost start at the base while the other players hide on the field. To add a humorous spin to the game, the players can bring "gifts" to the ghost and make up a a story of something that happened to them while they were still alive. The gifts can be things like toys or other random objects around the house and be used as things one would possibly bring to a grave of a deceased family member.

Being in college now, and always looking for the spook-effect, it's awfully tempting to revive this game! I also happen to live behind one of the largest cemeteries in the area...

If you're an adult, and think like I do, then remember a few things:

• Bring flashlights: our eyes are not nearly as good as when we were kids
• First aid: gravestones + running = bloody knees. We're also not as resilient as we were as kids!
• Be respectful. I have this strange conflicting interest with the spirtual world vs the generally macabre. I feel like older graves would be more forgiving... Or maybe just do it in the woods.

Who's in? Does anyone else remember playing this as a kid? Share your stories!

Activities Tuesdays: Monster Lab!

There are many variations to this gruesome activity, but I think I've come up with the cleanest! The general idea is to have your guest "monster doctors" blindly feel foods that are turned into creature organs by the imagination.

It's easy to get creative with this activity, but here are a few ideas:

• Spaghetti = Intestines
• Grapes = Eyeballs
• Cocktail Wieners = Toes
• Almond Slivers = Finger/Toe nails
• Chicken Breast = Heart
• Ground Beef = Brain

Instead of putting the items in bowls, I used balloons. This gives the food/"body parts" a longer life and keeps the germ passing to a minimum. To make the activity a center that doesn't necessarily need supervision or explanations, make a monster! Using some cardboard, paint, and a plastic tablecloth, I created a fun display for the Monster Lab. To do this:

1. Draw your monster out on a large piece of cardboard. This can be anywhere from 3ft to 6ft long, depending on your skill and available space and time.
2. Decide where your "monster parts" will be. Cut squares big enough to allow a hand through wherever a part will be.
3. Use leftover cardboard to create cubbies for the parts where the square holes are. Use tape, staples, etc... whatever seems to work for you!
4. Paint your monster!
5. Use pieces of plastic tablecloth to create curtains for your parts' cubbies.

Other variations of the Monster Lab include scents, which involves some more cooperation and supervision than my version.

Links to other Monster Lab ideas:

• Disney Family Fun: The Monster Lab Game