Halloween Activities

Cool Spiders spider

Turn cupcake upside down and frost.
Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles.
Insert black or chocolate licorice to create legs and top with candy for eyes.

Halloween Party
Since Halloween after school involves so much candy, I try to make the day as sugar-free as possible. I always serve pretzels, cheese and crackers, popcorn, and Witches' Brew at the party.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee, FL

Monster Mash Hot Potato
This is a great way to pass some time. I place a Halloween sticker inside balloons and blow them up to use as "hot potatoes". We sit in a circle and pass the balloons to the song "Monster Mash". When the music stops, the person holding the balloon has to sit on it to pop it and get the sticker. I usually keep a pin handy to help pop the balloons. This can be done in small groups or one large one.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee FL

Witches' Brew
We sing the song 'Witches Brew" by Hap Palmer for a few weeks before the Halloween Party. Then, on the day of the party, we collect things from all around the school to make a Witches' Brew from. We usually visit the principal and ask for something from his/her garbage can and so on. We sit outside the classroom. I have a witch puppet and we say a magic spell over the bowl and then I send it in the room with a parent. When the kids walk in the door, the brew is sitting on the table
ready to drink. I have two similar bowls and the first one goes secretly in the closet. The parents have been getting the second one ready for us. We use orange soda , lemon-lime soda, and rainbow sherbet on the top. The kids really believe that their garbage and stuff turned into brew. Many will not drink it at first.
Chris Gulotta
Tallahassee, FL

Arthropods: Spiders and Scorpions
Materials: Internet access PowerPoint or HyperStudio software
Directions: This is an on-line webquest that contains all the resources and activites needed for students to complete a HyperStudio or PowerPoint presentation. Students just access the quest and follow the directions. A Teacher and Student section is included. This webquest is located at http://www.itrc.ucf.edu/webcamp/final_projects/eastman/INDEX.HTM. Enjoy! What child doesn't love spiders!
Janet Eastman
Cocoa, Florida

Cheesecloth Ghosts
To make a cheesecloth ghost, I spread out two long pieces of wax paper so that they're slightly overlapping and I tape them to a counter so they won't move. I spread out the same number of toilet paper tubes on the wax paper as I have children and I place a gourd upside down inside of each tube. I use four yards of cheesecloth to make the ghosts which I cut into 14"x14" squares - one for each child. I pour lots of glue into a large rectangular foil pan so that the glue covers the whole bottom and I add a 1/4 cup of water. My children soak the cheesecloth in the glue until it's completely saturated. Together, we open the cloth as much as it will stretch out so that it remains square. We drape the cheesecloth carefully over the gourd so that the cloth is in the center. The children write their names on the wax paper next to their project and let it dry for twenty-four hours. When they're dry, the students squeeze the gourd away from the cloth and it keeps its shape. The children glue on plastic eyeballs and an insect. It looks just like a ghost!
Marie Hlavin
Perry, Ohio

Gluey Ghosts
On a large piece of wax paper, kids shape a piece of black yarn into a ghost. Squirt Elmer's Glue onto the wax paper to fill in ghost. You need to make it very thick. Add google eyes and a yarn mouth. Let dry for a few days. When dry, poke a hole in top with a paper clip and hang with fishing line.
Chris Minch
Port St. Lucie, FL

Chocolate Pretzel Spider
Stick two Oreo cookies together with chocolate frosting. Make 8 curved legs by breaking bow-tied pretzels, and attach them around the middle of the spider by sticking them into the chocolate frosting. Use M & M's for eyes on the front, 'glued' with frosting. As a variation, use sandwich crackers, instead of sandwich cookies, stuck together with peanut butter.
A. Teecher

Pumpkin Apple
First get one apple and put it down on wax paper. Then get chopsticks and put them in the apple. Next get orange and black colored frosting. Cover the apple in orange frosting. Put it in the freezer for 24hours. The next day get the black frosting out and make a spooky pumpkin face on it.
Gread17

Popcorn Hands
You will need to find clear plastic gloves for this activity. You might be able to get some from your local deli. Have kids put a candy corn in each finger for nails. Fill with popcorn and tie closed. You can add spider rings to the fingers. Too cute!

Pumpkin Jugs
At Halloween I do pumpkin jugs. Each child brings in an empty well cleaned gallon milk jug with the lid. I put some orange tempera paint in the container and they shake it up. We let the orange milk jugs sit for a day or so to dry. The children enjoy cutting construction paper for the eyes, nose and mouth. Some even put ears on their jack-o-lanterns. We use green curly ribbon as the stem. Once the jugs are complete, each child writes a short story about his/her jack-o-lantern.

Ghost Cookies
Nutter Butter Cookies by Nabisco
White Chocolate (melted)
Dip & cover cookies with white chocolate
Use 2 mini chocolate chips for the eyes
Paula Wilson