Happy Friday!
I don’t know about you and your family, but we love Halloween in ours. We don’t love the scary, gruesome part of Halloween, though. No. We enjoy the fun, colorful part of Halloween. It’s a beautiful time of year with beautifully colored decorations and tasty treats with flavors of caramel apple, pumpkin spice, and candy corn. And, we love it!
So, to share a little of our excitement with you, I wanted to share 5 things we have done (and, you can, too) over the past few weeks to have a little family, Halloween fun on a budget!
#1 Hang Window Clings
For us, no holiday is ever complete unless we spend time hanging window clings. For two nights in a row, my youngest son and I cleaned the windows and took turns picking out our favorite characters to hang on the windows. At first, I only picked up one sheet of window clings. But, after we hung them, he decided that he wanted more. So, on the second night, we spent time, again talking, laughing, and hanging window clings.
#2 Carve a Pumpkin
Who doesn’t love spending time together carving pumpkins? Well, we do. So, a few days ago, I carved my pumpkin and later that evening my son carved his. He did a great job in my eyes because pumpkin carving can be challenging, especially if you have never done it before. Sometimes, it almost feels like you have to wrestle with the pumpkin just to get a few good shapes carved in it, especially if you don’t have the proper carving tool kit.
We actually used two sets to carve our pumpkins. We used a 3 piece set from Vita for Home and we also used a 9 piece set from Dollar Tree. Frankly, both of the kits worked well. I was a little hesitant about using the one from Dollar Tree, but to my surprise, it worked great! The carving knife was actually a little bit longer than the one from Vita for Home which made it easier to cut all the way through the pumpkin. However, I don’t feel the carving scoop from Dollar Tree scooped as well and as clean as the carving scoop from Vita for Home.
Either way, if you are seeking a heavy duty carving set to last a few years, I would recommend the Vita for Home 3 piece set. However, if you are looking to have several people carve pumpkins at once such as for an event or family gathering, I would highly recommend the 9 piece kit from Dollar Tree.
#3 Halloween Excavation Fun Kit
Last week while at Target, I was browsing through their Dollar Spot with my son and he noticed the Halloween Excavation Kits. We’ve done this before in the past when I returned from the Discovery of King Tut Exhibit is Kansas City. I actually purchased them as a way to teach the boys about Egypt. At that time, I found the kits at Dollar Tree.
These are simple excavation activities that cost $1 and include everything you need to do to have an interesting time. Each kit comes with a shape made of plaster of paris with a hidden toy. The objective is to dig out the toy using the two plastic tools provided; usually a small chisel and excavation brush.
The boys each picked the kit they wanted and spent time digging at the dining room table while I cooked dinner. It was a great way to keep them entertained to pass the time.
Additional excavation kits can be found on Amazon.
#4 Read a Halloween Book
Reading is a big deal for us, especially with the boys and their Accelerated Reading program at school. So, I try to look for books that fit the points and level that they need. However, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes, we just cuddle up and read fun books like Monster Trucks by Joy Keller and illustrated by Misa Saburi.
The story is a hilarious, fun Halloween read for young children that imagines monsters in their off-season in between Halloween. Monster trucks include a snow plow, street cleaner, cherry picker, bulldozer, etc. So, if you are looking for fun, Halloween reads, check out Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
#5 Watch a Halloween Movie
Who doesn’t love to curl up with some popcorn and watch a good movie? We sure do! So, scroll through Netflix or walk through your local video store to find a few great Halloween movies and have a laid back Halloween marathon!
Bonus**
Send a Halloween 3D Love Pop card to a loved one!
Below are 5 family friendly suggestions…
- It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1966
- Halloween is Grinch Night, 1977
- Casper Meets Wendy, 1998
- The Addams Family, 1991
- Hocus Pocus, 1993
Well, there you have it! 5 amazing low cost things to do to have fun at home with your family for Halloween, as well as 5 family-friendly movies to watch for your Halloween marathon!
Cheers!
This post contains affiliate links to products mentioned.
