If you are looking for something to do this week to celebrate the “ooky, spooky” Halloween (as my kindergartner says) – here are a few of my Halloween favorites. These activities are simple, traditional activities that the whole family can do together.

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Fun Recipes

Puffed-Rice Balls

One of my all-time favorite Halloween treats was made by my Grandmother. She made puffed-rice balls every year. There was something amazing about unwrapping the waxed paper surrounding the fragrant, sweet treat. There were times the rice balls were still warm when we came to Grandma’s house – which made the treat even more delightsome.  These puffed-rice balls are simple and fun to make with the family. Click here for the recipe.

Fun Activities

Halloween Movie Night

We aren’t much into horror films because of how young my children are. (Honestly, the most horrific film I’ve ever watched was “The Sixth Sense”, and that was enough to make me cry.) Our picks for Halloween movies are tame, to say the least. We like “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. A close second is “Curious George: A Halloween Boo Fest”. All my children enjoyed “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (but my youngest two ended up falling asleep part of the way through.) And for a more psychological thriller nothing tops Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”.

Whatever movie is picked, have fun with the movie night. Turn off the lights. Pop some popcorn, and enjoy the movie together.

Corn or Hay Maze

There’s just something fun about running around in a corn or hay maze – it brings out the child in any of us. We were fortunate to spend some time playing hide-and-seek in a hay maze this weekend and we had a blast. Granted the maze itself wasn’t very difficult; but, playing hide-and-seek with my kiddos in among the hay bales was a lot of fun.  During our games, my second grader found the absolute perfect hiding place – he was completely invisible – until he poked his head out.

Then we found him. My husband played hide-and-evade with the rest of us. His strategy being to stay on the opposite side of the maze from everyone else.

The maze was at the Farnsworth farm, in eastern Utah, and was only part of the activities offered. We enjoyed bouncing in the bounce house, riding on the wagon, and picking the perfect pumpkin from the patch. Find a maze near your home, and spend an afternoon lost in it – you’ll be glad you did.

“Ooky Spooky” Crafts

Halloween Wreath

Pinterest is full of fantastically spooky crafts, perfect for Halloween. This upcycled Halloween wreath is my favorite craft, so far. I made it from candy wrappers, pipe cleaners, ribbon, and a left-over tomato cage ring from the garden. The best part – it looks darling on my door. The whimsical nature of the spiders and fun ribbon accents, make it a fantastical Halloween craft that we all enjoyed making. For step by step instructions, click here.

Carving Pumpkins

I have learned there are two types of pumpkins – the kind that can be carved by hand and the kind that require power tools. Some years we have been lucky enough to pick pumpkins that have soft, thin skins. And… other years, well, it’s either break out the jig saw or forget about carving the pumpkin. I’d love to take credit for the idea of carving a pumpkin with a jig saw, but that idea belongs to my husband. We don’t let our children use our jig saw (for safety reasons).
To hear more about the first time we used power tools on pumpkins, click here.

Either way, carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds are fun ways to celebrate Halloween as a family. The creativity, messiness, and memories made from an evening spent with pumpkins and carving knives makes the holiday “ooky, spooky”, don’t you think?

There are many fantastic ways to make Halloween “ooky, spooky”, fun, and memorable. What are some of your Halloween favorites? I’d love to hear about your celebrations too.