Wondering what to do this Halloween within the current Covid-19 restrictions? Well spook no further!
Each family will obviously make their own decision about how they wish to enjoy Halloween. But for those that are remaining cautious like us, we have come up with some ideas so that your Halloween at home can be safe and still ghoulishly good!
Bobbing for apples has always been one of our favourites at Halloween parties, you can keep it simple with just a bucket of water or change it up to make it extra special.
James and friends enjoying apple bobbing last year. Image Credit: my own
Go for it and make edible goo, pop the apples in and get monstrously messy! All youāll need is:
Kool-Aid mix packet (sold on Amazon)
Youāll need equal quantities, so 1 cup of corn starch to one cup of water and 1 packet of Kool-Aid mix. Pop all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until you get a runny but goopy consistency. Scale up depending on the amount of goo you need. And get that plastic tablecloth out!
Too messy?
Then swap the apples out for a treat and ābobā for doughnuts instead, lose the water and hang them up at varying heights. Extra points if you decorate the doughnuts beforehand, look at these fab examples!
Get your fangs into these!
Get creative and make your doughnuts part of your decorations!
Obviously this requires close parental supervision to make sure that each participant only sinks their teeth into their own doughnut, so you might as well join in too!!
Any panic buyers amongst us? Do you still have plenty of toilet rolls knocking about from lockdown? Perfect, pumpkin bowling it is then!
This is such an easy activity, all you need is a pack of 6 gold nuggets ā oops, I mean toilet rolls! A sharpie marker and a small pumpkin which can be real or fake as long as itās got a little weight to it.
Draw your ghostly faces or Halloween messages onto the toilet rolls and stack them up into a pyramid. Then use your pumpkin as a bowling ball. Players get 1 point for every toilet roll they knock over. Please only discard the sheets with marker on and use up the rest of the roll so as not to waste it!
Ghostly Glowing Skeletons
This is one we personally had a lot of fun with over lockdown and all you need is a large packet of glow sticks!
For best results dress totally in black. Crack the glow sticks and sellotape them to your clothing in the shape of a skeleton. Donāt forget to connect some together to go around your face to make the head or alternatively use glow in the dark face paint.
Next step is to turn off all the lights, and pop on some ghoulishly good music and get throwing some spooky shapes.
My two little skeletons! Image credit: my own
To add to the atmosphere, you could cut out eye shapes into empty toilet rolls and pop in a glow stick, you will then have some spooky eyes watching you dance, or alternatively hang up some fearsome faces by drawing a face onto a balloon then popping a glowstick inside once inflated.
Every graveyard boogie needs a playlist check out these Halloween favourites:
Monster Mash ā Bobby Pickett
Thriller ā Michael Jackson
Ghostbusters ā Ray Parker Jr
Time Warp ā Rocky Horror Picture Show
Get your Freak on ā Missy Elliot
Set up a scavenger hunt around your home, hiding treats for your children to find along the way.
This is a great one that can easily be used for different age groups:
Or you could make a ghoulish ghost hunt ā make lollipops into ghosts and hang them around the house and garden. Fabric squares, coffee filters or even our beloved toilet roll can be used to make these!
We practically decorate the house for any occasion, I really donāt need much of an excuse but if we are all spending more time in the house this Halloween then why not decorate and give the kids something to smile about too! I tend to go for more of a general pumpkin/autumn theme rather than overly spooky, but I start adding bits to our home from October 1st, so yes Iāve already started, with a door wreath and a couple of mini pumpkins!
If youāre stuck for ideas or donāt want to splash out on decorations to only use them this year then there are some great DIY ideas on Pinterest, here are a few of my favourites.
Use string, a balloon and PVA to create the web then add a few plastic spiders.
There are some AMAZING patterns and templates online to create a very professional looking pumpkin.
If you are keen for the younger ones to get involved, and they want to do more than just scoop the insides out then why not let them decorate a pumpkin with paints or pens?
If art is not your thing then there are some very on trend pumpkin stickers available. You could paint the pumpkins with chalk paint first before adding the stickers if you want to match to your decor.
Remember the rainbow windows during lockdown? We loved spotting them on our walks around our local area. Halloween themed windows will help your house look suitably haunted and will also bring a bit of seasonal magic to other families passing by.
Image credit: The Bear and the Fox
Th example above uses tissue paper but you can use poster paint or just get the kids to draw a picture a pop it up. Not an artist? Then adding a window vinyl will get the same results in a second.
Create a Halloween at home cinema experience. You could all be in fancy dress and enjoy some spooky snacks whilst watching something gruesome.
Family film options include:
But nothing stops us parents continuing after the kids go to bed, what better film to watch than Halloween?
My boys love a āparty teaā. Even without friends over it just feels a bit special for them if itās buffet style or themed! You can easily adapt some recipes to make them fit the Halloween theme, it doesnāt need to just be sweets either, thereās plenty of healthier options or just spook up their usual meal.
We had spooky sausages and monster mash for Eliās birthday tea last year. I just used food colouring to make the mash green and added a few little plastic spiders for effect ā just remember to remove them before they tuck in!
Spooky sausages and monster mash! Image Credit: my own
Hereās some ideas for a monster munchā¦
Halloween shaped biscuits
Banana ghosts & satsuma pumpkins
If you do still wish to go trick or treating, there are some ways in which to reduce risk including:
Arranging with friends/family to visit them e.g. classmates who are already in your ābubbleā therefore reducing new contacts.
Stick to the ārule of 6ā
Adults could wear a facemask (disposable ones could easily be decorated)
Donāt encourage sharing of Halloween props/accessories etc.
Leave a bowl of individually wrapped sweets outside therefore no touching of the doorbell/door is required.
Use lots of alcohol gel as you go, and reinforce handwashing as soon as you get home.
Respect other peopleās concerns regarding covid safety and only go to houses you know will be participating.
Whatever you decide to do, have fun and enjoy!
If youāve enjoyed this post, Iāve created a Pinterest board full of ideas that caught my eye for you to explore. Make sure you share your photos to our Facebook group. There might be a prize in it for the most creative!
Images for this post were pulled from Pinterest, no specific credit could be found.
Halloween at Home: Our Trick or Treat Alternatives Wondering what to do this Halloween within the current Covid-19 restrictions? Well spook no further! Each family will obviously make their own decision about how they wish to enjoy Halloween.
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