Wednesday, October 31, 2012

// // 18 comments

Halloween Fun!!

It's Halloween!!  Yay!!  

I'll share some of our Halloween traditions in just a moment.  But first, I have a short Halloween story for you!  It's inspired by Susanna Leonard Hill's Halloweensie Contest.  I'm joining her challenge for bloggers to write a 100-word (or less) Halloween story with the words "witch," "bat," and "trick-or-treat" in it.  I'm calling my story:

Halloween Surprise!!
by Carla Mae Jansen

"Trick-or-treat," they rang the bell,
"Trick-or-treat," they'd nicely yell.
I filled their bags to the top
Until something scary made me stop.

Many things come knocking at my door,
But I'd never, ever, seen this before:
Two big eyes, floating high,
A broom, a cape, and two wings to fly!

When he lifted a candy bag with his broom,
I saw a bat...dressed in a witch costume!!
I filled his bag and laughed inside.
He said, "Thank-you," and smiled real wide.

I waved good-bye to what I'd seen,
And then enjoyed my Halloween!

You're welcome to share Halloween Surprise with your children or class, but if you print it please remember to include a byline.  If you share it online, please include a link back to this post.

Now, a little about our favorite Halloween traditions.  We love to visit pumpkin patches, carve pumpkins, play at festivals, and go trick-or-treating.  We also have a little Halloween party during the day with our friends each year.  This party has evolved as my oldest daughter (aka Party Planner) has grown older, but it must include a few items:

#1--A Pinata!  My daughter explained to me that this is essential to make sure all the kids get a lot of candy on Halloween.  We like to make them ourselves the week before the holiday.  Last year, we had a spider.  Click here for instructions on how to make your own! 


#2--A Witch's Brew!  In the picture below we made homemade root-beer with dry ice.  The science teacher in me loves talking about dry ice (how it is frozen carbon dioxide, sublimation, and doing a few dry ice demos like freezing marshmallows)!  This year, I think we will be trying fizzy orange juice in an attempt to be a little healthier!


#3--A Game!  Pin the Broom on the Witch, Monster Bean Bag Toss, Obstacle Course Games, or any other fun Halloween-themed activity is a great way to energize our little party!

#4--A Craft!  Sometimes, we have more than one craft.  Depending on the age of the children I have, the craft has varied from scratch art to clay activities. 

#5--Treats!  I've done cupcakes, full-sized cakes, and cracker treats (ghost crackers, spider crackers, etc.).  A pumpkin or ghost cookie cutter can make sandwiches or quesadillas into a Halloween shape.  I love these Monster Pitas from Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons!






What about you?  Do you have plans for today?  Any favorite traditions?  I'd love to hear!!




I may share at any of these parties!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your entry is so cute. I loved that the bat dressed like a witch...clever.
Thanks for telling us about you Halloween traditions. How great for your kids!

Robyn Campbell said...

Bats and witches. I have one started with this same idea. I changed mine though. Great minds?? Anyway, trying to get mine done today. I had Sandy and her snow covered winds to deal with. Great job! Good luck!!

Julie Rowan-Zoch said...

Adorable story! And great festive ideas - definitely need to make those pita-pizzas tonight! Thanks!

catherinemjohnson.com said...

Super cute entry! And i love your treats. Since my kids have pizza day at school I was going to cut snacky things up into Halloween things. I'm definitely making more witches hats from Pinterest they went down very nicely!

Susanna Leonard Hill said...

What a great idea and fun story - a bat dressed as a witch! - I love it :) Thanks so much for joining in the Halloweensie fun! :)

Anonymous said...

Wonderful story and thanks for sharing your Halloween tradition.

Can I come to your party?
Please?

I love everything about it ~ the pinata, the pitas (especially the mummy), the punch.

Well done!

Heather said...

Your house sounds like a lot of fun on Halloween! The pita monsters are a great idea, I may try them out here. Excellent story, too!

Carrie Finison said...

Great story, and I loved seeing all your Halloween traditions. Homemade root beer WOW!

Empty Nest Insider said...

Very clever poem! Loved seeing your adorable daughter in her pretty costume! Julie

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

Thanks, everyone!! Those pizzas look wonderful, don't they?! Nrhatch, the more, the merrier! ;)

Halloween is such a fun time!

Robyn, I hope you and your family are safe!!

I'm coming by everyone's blogs now!!

Anonymous said...

That's cute - a bat dressed as a witch! You never know what will be seen on Halloween :)

Charlie Eve Ryan said...

Clever little bat, great entry!

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

Thanks, Jannatwrites and Charlie! Costumes are a big deal around here, so it just makes sense that bats would be excited too! ;)

Anonymous said...

Hi Carla...it's wonderful to connect with you via Susanna's Halloweensie Contest.
I love your entry...so funny!
And I think your Halloween activities are super!
I am also a former teacher (kindergarten) who left teaching to raise my family and operated a home daycare for teachers' kids during those years.

Romelle Broas said...

A bat dressed as a witch. Now that is a surprise! Love your Halloween ideas, especially the mummy pizza. Yum.

Cathy Mealey said...

Wow! What great snack ideas and a cute story too! Filing this one away for next year. :-)

Carla at Preschool Powol Packets said...

Hi Vivian! Thanks for introducing yourself! It's an amazing experience, isn't it?!!

Thanks, Romelle and Cathy--I can't wait to read yours too!

patientdreamer said...

Hi I'm Diane, popped over from Susanna's blog. I am not in this contest but enjoying reading everyones. Loved your poem. What fun at your place, can I come?...lol.