Year after year, I’m asked how to have a Pumpkin Painting event with a group. With a little preparation, painting pumpkins in a group setting like Girl Scouts or Halloween party is fun, easy and quick. It’s worth re-posting my thoughts and how-to’s on Pumpkin Painting in a group setting.
I’ve taught individuals, but I had never taught Pumpkin Painting to a group. When I asked why, she told me that she would love to have me come to our then first grader’s Brownie meeting to paint pumpkins with the girls. I said “of course” thinking to myself, “how am I going to paint pumpkins with 15 six-year-olds?”
Here’s how I did it. I purchased pumpkins in bulk at a local Trader Joe’s store. The size of the pumpkins were perfect, probably 6 – 9in diameter. I washed and prepared them for painting prior to the meeting.
I brought styrofoam plates and purchased two bulk packs of ten paintbrushes for $1.00 each. I covered the tables with newspaper and placed the plate containing puddles of the paint colors we would use for the day.
I had one fully painted pumpkin to use as an example. The others had the design outlined on each pumpkin. At that point, the Brownies simply “painted by numbers”. Most of them added their own painted embellishments, but even with the same exact design, every pumpkin looked different.
I took each finished pumpkin outside to seal it and when the Brownie meeting was over, each girl took her completed pumpkin home proudly.
The whole process took less than an hour and it was a great, memorable Pumpkin Painting experience for everyone, especially me! If you want to start painting on pumpkins then check this out!
With Halloween right around the corner it seems like the prefect time to start planning for your Halloween Party. The Next two weekends are perfect for having a Halloween Party but you don’t want to wait until the last minute to start planning. And planning a party is crucial to well your party will go.
At the request of her readers, my friend, Chris Yates, at Kid-Party-Ideas.com put together this awesome Party Planner that you can use for any type of party any time of year… birthday, Halloween, Christmas, etc.
Take a look at this Party Planner and use it keep yourself sane during this upcoming party-giving season!
Toddlers want to be just like their big brothers or sisters or even their parents. So dressing up for Halloween is a must-do for little goblins.
There’s no benefit in dressing a toddler up as a ghoulish ghost or scary mummy. The sweeter the costume, the more ooh’s and aah’s your toddler will receive.
Almost all toddlers have a favorite TV show. Toddlers will get a kick out of dressing up as their favorite character.
You can buy most of these character costumes at a local store or you may even be able to rent them from a costume shop. The quality will vary from low grade plastic to expensively detailed costumes. With toddlers and all kids for that matter, safety comes first. Make sure you avoid things like flammable clothing and masks that can impair vision.
You could also make your toddler’s costume inexpensively. Using a single color sweatsuit, animals are the cutest costumes to make. Add a tails, ears, nose, a little face paint and ta-da, you have a fun animal costume for your toddler.
The most important thing to remember is have fun and make sure you toddler is having a great (and safe!) time as well.
As soon as October 1st hits, children can’t wait for the Halloween activities to begin, especially Halloween class parties.
Here are a few games that will get even the littlest goblin in the mood!
The Brain Game
The object of the game is to pick through a “rubber brain” to figure out what is inside. It’s easy to create this game at home. Start with some Jell-O and fill it with gummy candies such as worms, bears, small candies or little trinkets. When the children stick their hands into the Brain (bowl full of Jell-O) they have to guess what is inside. It is goopy and messy and exactly what kids want on Halloween!
The Spaghetti Game
It’s a good idea to have some smocks or aprons handy since this one can be messy. Make a large bowl of spaghetti and fill it with items such as small plastic bugs, gummy worms, and other small strange feeling toys. Like the Brain Game, the kids feel around in the bowl of spaghetti to try to identify the items inside. After each gets a chance to feel around, each child will make a list of all the items they felt in the bowl and whoever has the most right wins.
Less Messy Than The Spaghetti Game
Same premise as the spaghetti game but a lot less messy. Paint a cardboard box black on the inside as well as the outside. Cut a small hole in the top. The hole should be large enough for the kids to get their hand into. Fill the box with all sorts of items such as small pumpkin, plastic snake, plastic spiders, and other great items. Have the children guess what is in the box and who ever gets the most right gets the box and all the items inside.
Halloween Word Search and Coloring Pages
Word searches are always popular for holidays and they are a great way to get the children to settle down after an active game or activity. The word “Halloween” is perfect to see how many words the kids can create out of that one word.
Most of your Halloween party decorations will include all of the standard items. But there are some simple tricks you can use to add a scary surprise for your guests.
Of course, you’ll have jack-o-lanters glowing in the moonlight. Hang images of ghouls, ghosts and goblins around the room. Created a haunted house feel with a gossamer cloth or fake spider webs hung all around.
A fun great idea is to hang small thin threads from the ceiling in different places around the house. Hang them low so guests who walk by will feel them and think there are creepy crawlies all over!
A few lamps set on timers will go on and off without warning. Coordinate the timers with scary sounds and it can cause a real fright.
A fog machine offers great special effects when used proper lighting. Try setting up a couple tombstones in the area of the fog machine to make a scary cemetery scene.
The obvious horror movies can be playing on the televisions around the house. Outdoor speakers can carry scary music that guests will hear as they enter.
These are just a few of the ideas you can use to create a fun, eerie, scary and Fun Halloween Party.
Making your child’s Halloween costume can not only be fun for you but for your child too! Nine times out of ten, it will be less expensive, more creative and more memorable to make your own.
There are simple ways to shortcut the process so you don’t end up slaving over a sewing machine that you use once a year. Start the costume with clothing from your own closet or a neighborhood thrift store. By beginning with basic clothing, more of your time can be utilized adding the accessories to the costume and giving it your own touch.
Here are a few quick and easy ideas for Homemade Halloween Costumes.
A scarecrow is super easy. Start with some old ragged jeans and a worn-out shirt. You may have a straw hat somewhere in your house. Glue some straw to the hat, shirt cuffs, and around bottoms of the jeans. Buy a feather bird and hot glue it to the top of the hat or to the shoulder of the shirt. The costume will really come together when you add some amazing face paint.
A pirate costume is simple using an old shirt and jeans or black sweat pants. Cut the legs of the pants in triangular shapes. Add a bandana for the head, an eye patch, sword and face paint. Temporary tattoos will complete the look.
With sweatpants and a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt, you can create many different costumes like a witch, or even some animals … just add ears, a tail, and some face paint. Costume shops and party stores will carry noses, ears, and tails and are less expensive then purchasing the entire costume.
By using these ideas or a little creativity, you’ll spend less time making a costume from scratch and more time on accessorizing a fun costume you and your child will love.