We've been doing Halloween activities all month long, but for our all day Halloween party, I wanted some new activities. I settled on a craft, games, a sensory activity, sugar, movies, and a chance to Trick or Treat (since most of the kids skipped it this year due to Covid). A great time was had by all, even the kid who fell asleep a couple of times during games! I had the kids giddy with excitement the moment they walked in the door because I had a few things simply sitting out on the table at drop off. The kids were dying to know what we would be doing with these items.
The kids helped paint this spider web the day before our party. They had no idea what it was for when they were painting and were quite excited to see their completed work out for party day.
So, I'll be honest here. I've had these Halloween masks to color since September, put them away in the basement school room cabinet, and forgot about them until I pulled the paint out for our puffy paint pumpkins. Oops! Good thing I pulled them out as soon as I re-found them because the kids spent a good 30 minutes coloring and chatting as they decorated.We played a few rounds of pumpkin toss. My favorite part was when one of the kids threw both pumpkins at the same time and two girls got upset because "that's not how you play." I always have to giggle about what seem to be deal breakers for the kids vs. what I feel is a deal breaker!
By the time we got to playing our spider web game, our spider was missing two legs and half of its face thanks to the dog. The kids had to walk on the white web, not outside, and not step on the spider. It was a challenge of balance and coordination. The younger kids loved it, the older kids had a harder time because they had to walk on tiptoes so they wouldn't be on the purple! I didn't try it, but it was hilarious to watch everyone concentrate oh-so hard.A big challenge right now is trying to find Covid safe ways to do our favorite things. Gone are the days of baking a tray of cookies, setting out an insane amount of sprinkles and frosting, and let the kids have at it. Instead, I plated every child one cookie, a spoonful of frosting, and a pile of sprinkles and let them do what they'd like with their cookie. It's mildly entertaining to watch the kids carefully decorate their cookie, then proceed to lick their plate clean of frosting and sprinkles.
The minis had their own cookie project to do. We decided for Halloween, we'd deliver treats to our family we haven't seen in way too long (also due to Covid). They made nearly all of the cookies the night before and decorated them while the daycare kids were decorating their cookies (in separate areas of the house). There was big drama when the dog ate 7 cookies off of plates, so we had to re-make and re-decorate new cookies for several people.
The pumpkin spice goop (corn starch, water, orange food coloring, and pumpkin spice) was a hit. I feared it would be difficult to clean up, but we let it dry out and it easily vacuumed out of the carpet and wiped off the tables.
I put on the Monster Mash for a quick dance party. Of course, that quick dance party turned into them asking for "more Halloween songs, " so they spent 30 minutes dancing to Thriller, Ghostbusters, Time Warp, and so many more.Our next game was super simple AND we reused the candy for trick or treating (since it was never actually opened for the games!). The kids each took turns seeing how high they could stack the chocolate bars. The kids took this game very seriously and displayed intense concentration.One furry daycare kid was not a fan of the crinkly wrappers because he was told no. He then snuck out to the dining room and ate seven decorated sugar cookies off of the table, then hid in his kennel and wouldn't look at us when he was caught.
The the highlight of our party: Trick or Treating INSIDE! I had my three minis sit behind different doors in the house and hand out the candy after each child took their turn knocking at the door. I told the kids they either had to say "trick or treat" or "Happy Halloween." The two year old opted for yelling, "candy!"
By the time rest/nap time rolled around, the littles crashed. Hard. Meanwhile, the minis made their way upstairs and got to watch Scream 2 for their afternoon horror movie viewing. The boys came downstairs several times for drinks of water when it got too scary. The youngest there never once flinched. She's a horror movie junkie (unlike her brothers).
Big and littles alike enjoyed the Halloween party. As the oldest said, "there was something for everyone at the party." Another successful holiday party for daycare was accomplished!
