Halloween

[VisionaryMom]

I need to start getting things together for Halloween. It seems every year I'm running around the weekend before trying to get things. DH is WAY more into it than I am, so he always wants to spend a fortune.

DS said today that he wanted to be a doctor, which is what I'd already planned for DD. I'm going to look online for good deals on doctor bags. I'll probably pick up some big white dress shirts at a thrift store and sew their names on them. Other than that, I'm not sure what to do. DD won't put anything around her head. Any ideas on how to do that cheaply?

I told DH he has to decide what he is early so I can plan for it.

I'm thinking of being an alphabet block. (I have a serious love of weird costumes.) Here's a picture of one: http://www.coolest-homemade-costumes...ildren.html#c1.

I'm also probably the person who's going to organize the church's fall harvest (cuz' you know, we don't celebrate that horrid pagan holiday...) festival. We have basically no budget for it, so I need super-cheap game ideas. So far I'm thinking we'll do the old fishing over the sheet, ringing bottles of juice to win them, a bean bag toss, and probably some type of cake walk. What else that's easy?

I'll also have to think of good (but not "spooky" or "magical") food and drink for the church event.

Now, our children's minister had a cool idea. She found some glow in the dark jack-o-lantern bags in a closet. They have our church's info printed on them. She suggested doing a "Go Green for Halloween" theme and filling them (if we get good donations from church members) with 1 CFL bulb and other greenie stuff. Obviously this would be a giveaway more for the adults who bring their kids than the kids themselves.

[tonyarn]

A couple years ago in Family Fun magazine, there was a costume which was a washing machine. I have kept that costume in the back of my head for one of my kids some day cuz I just thought it was so cute and so clever.

http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and...&craftid=11277

Do some google searches for Halloween and family fun magazine, I think they sometimes have the neatest ideas!

[MsHiss]

This is a little pricey but SO cool! The anatomy statue lights up the correct area when you press a labeled button. My Nephew loved it!

http://www.lillianvernon.com/catalog...rance=&sid=eas

[grniys]

Aww! I love Halloween. I'm wanting to do an awesome Halloween party this year since I just moved and have tons of space. Of course, I need to actually make friends here, first. LOL!

I would totally sew my son a costume, but my husband will be Iraq for Halloween, so to bring a bit of daddy to the occasion I'm going to buy a Yoda costume for ds. (DH loves all things Star Wars.)

I'll totally be stalking this thread and seeing if anyone has any frugal party ideas for the occasion. I plan to do it the weekend before Halloween, so that way people will actually come.

[spiderdust]

When I was little our church had a kind of fun game for the harvest festival. They would hang strings from the ceiling and tie donuts to them. People would then have to try to take the donuts off of the strings without using their hands.

Usually they'd use the cheap donuts that you can get in a box or bag at the grocery store, so it wouldn't blow the budget too badly. Sometimes you can find them at bakery outlets.

[hellyaellen]

for the dr costume, a clipboard with pt charts would be a good prop, popscile stick tongue depressors in the pocket, stethoscope......... maybe some drugstore face masks? bandaids to give out?

[MonkeyPrincess]

Aw, that washing machine costume is cute!

We are constantly talking about Halloween around here. Can't wait! :

Anyone having a party they care to share details about?

Two of my boys have their birthdays the week after and they both want a scary Halloween themed party. Thankfully, we can combine them AND go to the Halloween store after the holiday for super cheap decorations!

For food, I was thinking about making Monster Munch, popcorn balls, bobbing for apples, pumpkin bread and some kind of green punch in a cool Halloween themed punch bowl.

We have a Haunted House sounds CD so I plan on having that play in the background.

That's all I know so far.

[PenelopeJune]

You have to do bobbing for apples at your harvest festival! That's a tradition.

Maybe you could have the guests carve pumpkins (before hand, at home) and bring them to be judged. Or is that too Halloweeny pagany?

[VisionaryMom]

Originally Posted by PenelopeJune

Maybe you could have the guests carve pumpkins (before hand, at home) and bring them to be judged. Or is that too Halloweeny pagany?

I don't think so. Do you want to know the irony? One of the men at our church grows pumpkins. He donates a trailor-load every year, and the church sells them! It's kind of funny, really.

Anyway, these are great ideas! I'm writing them down so I can be prepared when I have the planning meeting. I'm hoping to find enough people to volunteer to do a booth/activity and that the volunteers will pay for their activity. That's why I'm trying to keep down the cost. Some I know I can help with. I'm thinking a beanbag toss. I'll make beanbags, and hubby can make some kind of plywood target so the only expense would be whatever prizes would go with it. We'll buy those in bulk, so it shouldn't be too bad.