Helllloooooo! Happy Fall, Lovely!!!
OK, so I wasn’t as happy about a week ago. In fact — I was a little perturbed to see it was turning all Fall on us. The cold weather, the lawns turning from green to brown, the cold weather, the…cold…weather! It certainly didn’t sound fun to me. However, that all changed TODAY!
Why?
Because I co-hosted a Kid’s Halloween Party, and that ROCKS!
I get giddy about parties. When planning, I think grandios: What kind of decorations can I make? What kind of themed-food can I work up? What kind of activities can I plan? What else? What else? I love hosting them, preparing a ton of food, making all of the decorations, and planning all sorts of fun activities. Now, if I started planning 2 months ahead of time, this all might be doable…
So, maybe my mind goes a little overboard, but I think this time I really tailored it down! This time, I spent time on things I needed to and I bought the things that would likely be less expensive to buy, save me a ton of time, and wouldn’t affect the look all that much. Two of the most awesome differences from my usual parties was that 1) someone else held the party at their home, and 2) the hostesses (April and Sherstin), another co-host (Tiffany), and I all split the responsibilities of making this party 100% fantastic. Phew!!!
Before the kiddos arrived, we decorated the house with some simple and inexpensive store-bought decorations. Now, this is completely different than the route I usually take, but I was happy to save the time and still loved the outcome! We used streamers, cardboard pumpkin table toppers, spiderweb table covers, a spiderweb wall decoration and white balloons strewn around.
The Day Of…
Into the house buzzed kids dressed as Elsa, Spiderman, a dog, and other characters that I didn’t recognize (goodness, how kid shows have changed these days)! They were all bustling around the house excited to get into everything we had planned for them.
First, we all ate… and ate… and ate! When was it that you went to a party and people actually dove 100% into the spread of food, not caring about anything else? I don’t know if that’s ever been the case for me. Maybe it was because of the fun Halloween-themed snacks, or maybe it was because the party started at 3:30pm, but our guests were STEEEEERVIN’!
It was a potluck-style, as each guest was asked to bring something to share. Even if you love to make food, I suggest this! Why not save yourself a little time and invest that time in the activities? If you’re anything like me, you’ll also need that time to finish cleaning your house, because it never seems to be complete!
Here were some of the selections:
Fruity Ghouls
Anna made Ghost Bananas and Pumpkin Clementines, tutorial can be found at:
One Little Project
Savory Faces
Lauren made Ritz Cracker, Pepper, Veggie Dip and Olive Spooky Faces
Have a Sweet Tooth?
Jamie made Halloween Cupcakes, courtesy of a cupcake mix found in your local grocery aisle!
Jello Worms/Brain
EWWWW, right?! These are jello worms, but since I made mine early and kept them in the refrigerator, they ended up molding together and almost looking like a brain. Ick! How’d I get that perfect worm and brain color? I mixed grape and lemon jello with gelatin. Check it out here.
The Game
After our long snack period, we all played Spooky Bingo. This was a game that Tiffany purchased from the store. It was easy, it created teachable moments, it was in the Halloween theme and it was fun!
The Scratchers
After the group game, we handed out the scratchers and we went for it!
Each kiddo had a scratcher card and a coin. At the same time, everyone scratched off the first circle to see which station they’d head to first. When they were finished at their station, they’d scratch off the next circle and head to the next station. Of course, the moms would check to see if there was room at the next station before moving the kiddos along.
Going off of the scratcher above, let me show you the Sensory Station first!
The Sensory Station
Here’s where things get really spooky (you know, if you’re a 3-5 year old)! Since it was a young children’s party, we let the moms decide whether to tell their kids the fun version of each item or to just let them play with the sensory piece of it. No matter how they played it, the kids all had fun! To watch a video of how I prepared the Sensory Station, head here!
Next on our scratcher is the Craft Station!
The Craft Station
Tiffany just grabbed a fun Halloween craft kit from the store, and chabang! The kids had fun making their spiders and ghosts. The effort was minimal, and the fun was high! For all of you DiY-ers (like myself), weigh the time vs. benefit and choose wisely! Spend the time on the things that will make a difference and opt for the simple solution elsewhere.
Lastly, let’s head to the Cookie Decorating Station, courtesy of another Tiffany and April.
The Cookie Station
Tiffany made all of the sugar cookies, and April supplied the icing and Halloween-themed sprinkles. Easy and simple!
Least to say, everyone had a ton of fun, and due to the combined effort from many of the moms, it was an easy evolution for all of us.
Let’s hear it!
Are you planning on putting on a Halloween party? If you are, share your experience and ideas below for all of us to see.
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