As much as we love carving pumpkins, candy and cute costumes, Halloween fun can be a little more creative. There are some ghoulishly great Halloween crafts out there – from STEM-inspired slime experiments to sensory play for toddlers. So if you’ve already done the annual trip to the local pumpkin patch and are looking for some ideas to keep your little monsters busy, we’ve got you covered.
We had a chat with our friends over at Learning Resources to pull together five fun ideas for the kids this Halloween.
Slime Time!
If there’s a time for slime, it’s got to be Halloween. And what would be cooler than slime that glows?! Beaker Creatures® is where cool science meets fun collectibles. Uncover the secrets and the science behind the glow with Monsterglow Lab. This real working children’s experiment lab set lets curious young scientists build STEM skills with experiments inspired by biology, chemistry, and astronomy. Learn about bioluminescence, make your own glowing slime and cobwebs, and drop a Reactor Pod into water to discover the ghoulish collectible hiding inside. (And don’t forget, we’re giving away a FAB bundle from Learning Resources over on Instagram. You can enter here).
Create a spooky-sensory tray
You’ll need:
- A tray
- The Learning Resources Helping Hands Fine Motor Tool Set or something similar
- Mini buckets or cups
- Halloween-themed loose parts – try buttons, pom poms, spiders, googly eyes and more
Do this activity:
Step 1: Fill a tray with small, Halloween-themed objects.
Step 2: Set out mini buckets and fine motor tools.
Step 3: Encourage your child to use the Gator Grabber Tweezers or Handy Scooper to pick up and transfer the items to the buckets one at a time. As an alternative, you could use an ice cream scoop and kitchen tongs to grab and pick.
Step 4: Build more preschool skills by varying the sorting activities. Sort by colour and object.
Put on a Halloween comedy show
Tickle that funny bone and make each other howl with laughter this Halloween. Get your little ones to come up with jokes of their own and enjoy a family comedy show. Here’s some examples to start:
- What type of footwear do ghosts wear? Boo-oots!
- What’s the best dessert to eat on Halloween? I-scream!
- Who won the skeleton beauty contest? No-body!
- What position do ghosts play in football? Ghoul-keeper!
Or why not grab some black crayons and pencils and create this fun Halloween masks from old boxes!
Make some super (natural) snacks
Halloween is often associated with sugary treats — but there are plenty of mouth-watering, healthier recipes you can try. For example, clementines look fab as mini pumpkins. Add a small piece of celery on top as a stalk and serve as a fun mid-afternoon snack. How great do these baked potatoes look – a really fun and delicious dinner idea!
And although they do require some chocolate or toffee, making candy apples can be super enjoyable. Plus, you can control the amount of sugar! Use chopped nuts, dried fruit, and seeds instead of sprinkles and let your kids get creative as they make their own.
Pimp up Claudi & Fin to make Witchy Froyo Lollies
No tricks, just (froyo) treat this Halloween. How incredible are these Witchy Froyo lollies from Punita who has created some amazing Halloween food ideas for little ones over on Instagram (pop over and give her a follow!) Here she shares with us how to pimp up your lollies for Halloween.
What you need:
Milk choc writer for the hat
Edible eyes
Sprinkles
Yellow icing writer for the buckle
Draw the witches hat outline and use the yellow icing writer for the buckle. Add the eyes and some sprinkles! It really is that simple but they look great, don’t they?