Halloween at home

With Halloween just hiding around the corner, we’ve rounded up some creative Halloween decorations for you and the kids to make (with surprising objects), along with some delicious and nutritious trick-or-treat snacks to be devoured by all.

Spooky DIY Decorations

1. Toilet Roll Bats

What you’ll need:

  • Empty toilet rolls (as many as you want or have)
  • Black and/or coloured paint and paint brush
  • OR 2-3 sheets of black, white and/or coloured paper (try to use recycled paper or what you already have around the house)
  • Pencil
  • Googly eyes (if you don’t have these, paint the eyes or use paper to cut some out)
  • Kid friendly scissors
  • Sticky tape
  • String
  • Glue

Let’s get going!

  1. Either paint your toilet rolls in any colour, stand, and let dry completely, or cover your toilet rolls in black or coloured paper. Stick down with glue or sticky tape.
  2. With a pencil, draw some bat wings and cut them out with scissors. Stick the wings onto the middle of the toilet roll with glue.
  3. With paper, cut small circles for eyes, and cut out teeth or fangs with white paper, stick them on with glue. If you have them, stick your googly eyes on now.
  4. Cut any length of string and sticky tape one end to the bottom, inside of your toilet roll.
  5. Hang your spooky bats wherever to begin the Halloween fun…

2. Watermelon Pumpkin Lantern

Put a twist on the Halloween tradition and make your pumpkin lanterns with watermelons this year!

What you’ll need:

  • 1 whole watermelon
  • Kitchen knife and small knife
  • Big spoon
  • Large bowl
  • Tealight candle or fairy lights

Get carving:

  1. Carefully chop the top of the watermelon off and keep it to the side – use as a lid at the end.
  2. Using a big spoon, get the kids scooping and digging the majority of watermelon flesh out of the watermelon and into a large bowl. Set aside (you can blend up into fresh watermelon juice later!).
  3. With your smaller knife, carefully carve out some triangle eyes and a toothy mouth out of one side of the watermelon.
  4. Place your tea light candle in the bottom of the watermelon from the top, or place your fairy lights inside, then place the lid on.
  5. Position your whacky watermelon pumpkins around the house or outside!

3. Snack Attack: BOO-nana Ghosts

What you’ll need:

  • 1 whole ripe banana, peeled (one banana makes 2 BOO-nana Ghosts)
  • Chocolate chips or dried fruit
  • Paddle-pop sticks
  • Peanut butter (optional)
  • Yoghurt

Making the ghosts:

  1. Chop a banana in half and insert a paddle-pop stick halfway into the bottom of the banana.
  2. With chocolate chips or dried fruit of choice, smear a small bit of peanut butter onto the back of your chocolate chips or dried fruit and place at the top of the banana as eyes and a mouth.
  3. If you want to get even more ghost-like, in between steps 1 & 2, dip your bananas or drizzle in yoghurt too. Then proceed to step 2 and freeze until frozen.
  4. Your BOO-nana Ghosts are now ready to chomp on!

Get Cooking

Try this crowd-pleaser Pumpkin Soup recipe here, or if you’re trying to keep the sugar intake down try swapping some lollies out for a homemade Honey Spiced Nut Mix here.

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