More Halloween

Book Ideas:

Harriet’s Halloween Candy by Nancy Carlson
"Harriet learns the hard way that sharing her Halloween candy makes her feel much better than eating it all herself. "

Popcorn by Frank Asch
"Sam the bear decides to throw a Halloween party, and he dresses up in a costume and invites all of his bear friends over. Each friend has individually come up with the idea to bring a package of popcorn, and after having some fun at the party, someone gets the idea to pop all of the popcorn together in a big black kettle. The popcorn soon fills the house, and the young bears spend the rest of the night eating popcorn in order to fix the problem."

The Thirteen Hours of Halloween by Dian Curtis Regan
"An adaptation to the traditional song, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas,' to accommodate a creepy collection of characters. On the first hour of Halloween, a little girl's best friend presents her with a grinning 'vulture in a dead tree.' This dubious gift is followed, on the hour, by 'two pumpkins carved, three fat bats, four witches' cats,' and so on."

Night before Halloween by Natasha Wing
"A story in the style of the familiar poem, 'The Night Before Christmas,' tells how a house full of monsters, goblins, witches and the like prepare for Halloween."

Goodnight Goon, by Michael Rex
"Goodnight monsters everywhere, in this parody romp with its own special twist!
'Goodnight tomb. Goodnight goon. Goodnight Martians taking over the moon.'
It's bedtime in the cold gray tomb with a black lagoon, and two slimy claws, and a couple of jaws, and a skull and a shoe and a pot full of goo. But as a little werewolf settles down, in comes the Goon determined at all costs to run amok and not let any monster have his rest."

Boo Who?, Lift-the-flap knock-knock Book series by Katie Hall
"Bat you'll shriek with laughter at this fang-tastic collection of Halloween knock-knock jokes designed to tickle the funny bone. Lift the flaps and follow two trick-or-treaters through a haunted house as they encounter giggling ghosts and goofy goblins. You'll be scared silly!
Knock, knock!Who's there?Ben!Ben who?Ben waiting for Halloween all year!"

Songs and Rhymes:

THE TWELVE DAYS OF HALLOWEEN
At the first house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the second house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the third house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... three pralines, two lollipops, and large piece of chocolate taffy
At the fourth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and large piece of chocolate taffy
At the fifth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the sixth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the seventh house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the eighth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the ninth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the tenth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the eleventh house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me...
eleven creamy nougats, ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the twelfth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me... twelve cherry bonbons, eleven creamy nougats, ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy!

The Haunted House" (Tune of "Wheels on the Bus")
The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!"

"Boo! Boo! Boo!, Boo! Boo! Boo!"

The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!"

On Halloween.
The steps in the house goes "Creek, creek, creek..."

The cats in the house go "Meow, meow, meow..."

The mice in the house go "Squeak, squeak, squeak.."

The people in the house go "Eek, eek, eek...".

Sing A Song Of Halloween...
(Sing A Song Of Sixpence)
Sing a song of Halloween,
What a scary night,
Ghosts and bats and big black cats,
Give us all a fright.
Shining jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
Fill our hearts with fun,
But if the black witch comes along,
We'll all run!

Dress Up
A pretty princess wears a crown (form circle above head)

Bunny's ears flop up and down (place hands above head and move up & down)

A beautiful ballerina dances to and fro(dance)

A funny clown laughs "Ho, ho, ho".

2 green eyes shine from a cat(circle eyes)

A scary witch wears a pointy hat (form point with arms above head)

Jack-O-Lanterns shine so bright (form circle with arms)

Happy children on Halloween night!

Three Black Cats(sung to the tune of "three blind mice ")
Three black cats, three black cats,

In black hats, in black hats,

They all jumped into the Halloween brew.

They teased the ghosts & the goblins too!

Have you ever seen such a Hullabaloo??
On Halloween, On Halloween!

Activity Ideas:

Costume Sorting

Have your child cut out costumes out of the adds in the newspaper or in magazines. Then sort them into groups by similarities. (Examples could be: costumes that are scary/not scary, costumes for girls/boys or both, Superheroes/non superheroes, costumes with a hat/no hat, costumes with a mask/no mask etc...) You can sort them several times or just once and glue them on paper with a line down the middle to separate your groups.

Halloween Survey

Teach your child how to do a survey by asking family, friends, and neighbors which Halloween color they like best. (If you need to call grandma, or cousins to get enough people to survey). Teach them how to use tally marks or X's in each column to keep track of people's answers. Then count the tally marks or X's in each column and decide which has the most and which has the least.

Candy Sorting

After trick-or-treating have your child sort their candies into groups of candy with similarities. The similarities can be based on the color of the wrapping or chocolate or non chocolate, or hard candy vs. soft etc....Count which group has the most. It was fun to let my daughter group them first, without adding my input, because she grouped them differently than I would have; and so it gave me a chance to see her thinking and ask questions so she could explain her reasoning.

Pumpkins

Book Ideas:The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
"Once there were two mice who fell in love with the same pumpkin.... Desmond the field mouse wants to carve the biggest jack-o'-lantern in the neighborhood with his pumpkin. Clayton the house mouse wants to win the Biggest Pumpkin contest with his. But when they discover that their choice pumpkins are actually the same one, Desmond and Clayton decide to work together to grow the biggest pumpkin ever!"

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
"The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine.
It's so big the ghost can't move it, either. Neither can the vampire, nor the mummy. It looks as if there'll be no pumpkin pie for Halloween, until along comes the bat with an idea to save the day."



The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
"The Baxter brothers find a wonderful pumpkin for Halloween, but first they must catch up with it when it rolls down the hill."

Pumpkin Town! by Katie Mcky
"See what happens when a town has an accidental abundance of pumpkins."

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
"The Cat and the Squirrel come to blows with the Duck in arguing about who will perform what duty in preparing their pumpkin soup, and they almost lose the Duck's friendship when he decides to leave them."

Five Pesky Pumpkins by Marcia Vaughn
"Kids will delight as they open flaps to reveal five pesky pumpkins that disappear and pop-up on every page. As the text counts down from five, the pumpkins cause mischief on a spooky and scary night while readers practice counting."

Songs and Rhymes:

Mr. Pumpkin (tune: Where is thumpkin)

Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin,

Eyes so round, eyes so round

Halloween is coming, Halloween is coming

To my town, to my town.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Pumpkin, Pumpkin, sitting on the wall. Pumpkin, Pumpkin, tip and fall. Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Rolling down the street. Pumpkin, Pumpkin, good to eat!!

Pumpkin poem
One day I found two pumpkin seeds.

I planted one and pulled the weeds.

It sprouted roots and a big, long vine.

A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.

The pumpkin was quite round and fat.

(I really am quite proud of that.)

But there is something I'll admit

That has me worried just a bit.

I ate the other seed, you see.

Now will it grow inside of me?

(I'm so relieved since I have found

That pumpkins only grow in the ground!)

Pumpkin Song (tune: Have you ever seen a lassie?)
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

A round one, a tall one, a fat one, a small one.

Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?

I Made A Jack-O-Lantern

I made a jack-o-lantern for Halloween night (form circle)

He has 3 crooked teeth but he wont bite (point to teeth and shake head)

He has 2 round eyes but cannot see (circle eyes)

He's a jolly jack-o-lantern as happy as can be.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin...
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Sitting on a wall;
(have a child sit down)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Tip and Fall;
(have child tip over)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Rolling down the street;
(child rolls on floor)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Good to Eat!!!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin SONG (sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Pumpkin pumpkin on the ground

How'd you get so big and round

Planted as a seed so small

Now you are a great big ball

Pumpkin pumpkin on the ground

How'd you get so big and round

Big Orange Pumpkin(Sung to I’m a Little Tea Pot)

I'm a big orange pumpkin fat and round

Growin' by the corn field on the ground

I will be a Jack-o-lantern with two big eyes

Or maybe I'll be baked into two pumpkin pies.

FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS
Five little pumpkins
Sitting on a gate
The first one said,
"Oh, my, it's getting late!"
The second one said,
"There are witches in the air!"
The third one said,
"We don’t care.”
The fourth one said,
"Let’s run and run and run!"
The fifth one said,
"I’m ready for some fun!"
OOOOOOOH, went the wind
And OUT went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out
of sight.

Jack-o-lantern (sung to frere Jacques)
Jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern,
Burn so bright, burn so bright.

You are burning brightly, you are burning brightly,
Through the night, through the night.

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater
Had a wife and couldn't keep her.
He put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well

Activity Ideas:

Pumpkin Ordering

Make a set of different sized pumpkins. Mix them up and have your child put them in order from smallest to largest and largest to smallest. You can also write numerals or ordinal numbers on them to practice additional skills.

Pumpkin Patterns

Find clip art of a pumpkin . Then save the image and insert it into a word document and make it smaller by dragging the image. Copy and paste it multiple times, making a row of pumpkins and print. Then I colored the pumpkins into a pattern leaving the last one empty. Have your child color in the last pumpkin to finish the pattern.

Pumpkin Growth Sequence

Cut out printable cards of the pumpkin plant cycle. Mix up the cards and have your child put the sequence in the right order. Asking them "What comes first?" "Then what?" etc.. Have them color each card and staple it into a book.

Jack-0-lantern Memory Game

Cut out 18 orange pumpkin shapes. Draw 9 different jack-o-lantern faces, making two of each face. Glue them on cardstock squares and play memory--trying to find two identical faces for a match.

Paper Plate Jack-o-lantern

Paint a paper plate orange, in advance. Let your child decorate their own jack-o-lantern face, using dried beans or paper cut-outs etc...

Pumpkin Stamping

Cut one miniature pumpkin in half. Let your child dip it in paint and use it to do real pumpkin stamping.

Monsters

Book Ideas: Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
“Differently diecut and boldly colored pages reveal increasingly scary features of a big green monster--on the first spread, we see two big yellow eyes; on the second, the eyes plus a long blue nose; and so on, until the monster is fully unmasked. But that's only half the story…”

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
“Max is sent to bed without supper and imagines sailing away to the land of Wild Things,

where he is made king.”

Five Ugly Monsters by Ted Arnold
“Based upon the popular preschool rhyme, "five little monkeys," this book features five funny monsters jumping on the bed.”

My Monster Momma Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
“A young monster describes all the things its mother does to show she loves it.”

One Hungry Monster by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe
“At bedtime a small boy tries to control ten insatiable monsters demanding food and creating chaos throughout the house.” (A counting book)

There’s a nightmare in my closet by Mercer Mayer
“At bedtime a boy confronts the nightmare in his closet and finds him not so terrifying after all.”

Songs and Rhymes:

Five Little Goblins On A Halloween Night...
Five Little Goblins on a Halloween night
Made a very, very spooky sight
The first one danced on his tippy-tip-toes
The next one tumbled and bumped his nose
The next one jumped high up in the air
The next one hopped without a care
The last one sang a Halloween song.
Five goblins played the whole night long.

Ten Little Monsters

One little, two little, three little monsters

Four little, five little, six little monsters

Seven little, eight little, nine little monsters

Ten monsters trick-or-treating!

In the Grave Yard (sung to the tune of "oh my darling ")

In the grave yard, in the grave yard,

When the moon begins to shine,

There's a doctor, crazy doctor,

and his monster Frankenstein.

Oh, my monster, oh, my monster,

oh, my monster Frankenstein,

you are very, very scary, don't come near me Frankenstein.

Activity Ideas:

Making Monsters

There are 3 different ways you could do this:

1. Toilet Paper Roll Monster

Paint the paper roll whatever color you want, in advance, and let dry.

Let your child decorate with various craft supplies and glue.
(Supply ideas: pipe cleaners, feathers, buttons, beans, pompoms, yarn, google eyes, dried pasta)

2. Monster Masks:

Paint Paper plates, in advance, and let dry. Let your child decorate plate with glue and various craft supplies to make a monster. Tape a craft stick on the back/bottom of plate.

3.Playdoh Monsters:

Create playdoh monsters out of various colors of dough.

To extend any of these activities make a monster questionnaire for your child to answer.

Witches

Book Ideas:

Room on the broom by Julia Donaldson
“A witch finds room on her broom for all the animals that ask for a ride, and they repay her kindness by rescuing her from a dragon."

The Witch has an Itch by Donna Guthrie
"Every time Gromelda the witch tries to work her evil magic, she gets an itch."

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini
"Gritch the Witch wants piggies for dinner, but when she shows up at Old MacDonald's farm, the pigs go undercover."

The Little Green Witch by Barbara Barbieri McGarth
"A Halloween remake of 'The Little Red Hen.' While her hollow-tree housemates (a ghost, a bat, and a gremlin) laze around, the little witch does all the 'unhousework'-hanging the cobwebs, dirtying the laundry, etc. When she finds some pumpkin seeds and plants them, she discovers that her friends are stubbornly unhelpful at every stage."

The Candy Witch by Steven Kroll
“Windy wants to be nice but her aunts say that she has to be bad for she is a witch. Read this story and find out what happens when a witch with a love of candy decides to become a good witch!”

Songs and Rhymes:

Sing A Song Of Halloween...
(Sing A Song Of Sixpence)

Sing a song of Halloween,
What a scary night,
Ghosts and bats and big black cats,
Give us all a fright.
Shining jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
Fill our hearts with fun,
But if the black witch comes along,
We'll all run!

There was an old lady in a pointed hat---

There was an old lady in a pointed hat (Use your hands to make pointed hat over head)

She came to my door with a rap-tap-tap (pretend to knock on door)

I opened up the door to see who was there (pretend to open door)

She jumped on her broom and flew through the air. (use hand to fly into the sky)

Ghost and goblins
(sung to the tune Frere Jacques)

Ghost and goblins
Ghost and goblins
Witches too
Witches too
All out trick or treating
All out trick or treating
Can’t Scare You
Can’t Scare You !

Old Witch, Old Witch

First verse :
Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch,

And combs out her hair with a hickory switch.

She lives on nails and snails and flies

And if you go near her she’ll wobble her eyes!

Second verse:
Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch,

And combs out her hair with a hickory switch.

She lives on volts and bolts and gears

And if you go near her she’ll wobble her ears!

Third verse:
Old Witch, Old Witch, she lives in a ditch,

And combs out her hair with a hickory switch.

She lives on quartz and warts and hose

And if you go near her she’ll wob-ble your nose!

Witch Doctor Song
I told the witch doctor I was in love with you

I told the witch doctor you didn't love me too

And then the witch doctor, he told me what to do

He said that ....

[Chorus:]Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang

Walla walla, bing bang

Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang

Walla walla, bing bang...

Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang

Walla walla, bing bang

Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang

Walla walla, bing bang

I told the witch doctor you didn't love me true

I told the witch doctor you didn't love me nice

And then the witch doctor, he game me this advice

He said to ...[Chorus]

Now, you've been keeping love from me

Just like you were a miser

And I'll admit I wasn't very smart

So I went out and found myself

A guy that's so much wiser

And he taught me the way to win your heart

My friend the witch doctor, he taught me what to say

My friend the witch doctor, he taught me what to do

I know that you'll be mine when I say this to you

Oh, Baby ....(chorus)

Activity Ideas

Witch Shapes Collage

Materials Needed:

-Lots of shapes, cut out of paper, in various sizes and colors (do this in advance)

-construction paper

-glue

-scissors

-google eyes or makers to make the face

Tell your child that you want them to make a witch only using shapes. (I only used circles, squares, rectangles and triangles, but you could add more if you wanted). Add to the learning by pointing to the various shapes and asking them "what shape is this?" and "what color is it?". Have them glue their shapes down on the paper and add a face at the end. Here is an example of a witch made by a two year old. I talked it out with her by first asking where the head should go, then moving on to the body, legs, arms, and hat (if you notice the hat is upside down--resist the urge to correct it. It is cuter when it represents their thinking.) Here is an example of an older child's work. My five year old went straight to work and needed little instruction once I got her started with "what shape looks like a face?" I stretched her thinking at the end by asking her if she could figure out a way to make a broom, using the shapes she had left.

Witch Hat Snacks

What You Need to Make Witch Hats:
Refrigerated pie crust
Chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
How to Make Witch Hats:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unroll circular pie crust onto counter.
3. Cut pie crust into 16 wedges (triangles).
4. Line the bottom of the wedge with chocolate chips.
5. Enclose the chocolate chips by rolling the pie crust toward the point of the wedge, leaving about 4 inches of crust unrolled.
6. Place rolled pie crust wedges onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper 1/2 inch apart. Bend and shape the pie crust to look like a witch hat.
7. Combine the cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.
8. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture onto the witch hats.
9. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until witch hats are light brown

Math Mat Game

Copy and past a witch hat clip art until it covers the page and print on 8x11 cardstock paper. (I got mine using google image search for witch hat coloring pages. I rotated the hat horizontal and then I inserted it into a word document so I could make the image smaller. Once I got it to the size I wanted I copied and pasted it over and over.) You will need to print one page or mat for each player. Laminate or use clear contact paper to protect the mats for future use.

Players take turns rolling the dice and placing beans or some kind of marker on the corresponding number of witch hats. So if you roll a four you would cover four hats on your page and then wait for your next turn. Keep rolling and covering the number of witch hats you roll. The player to cover all their hats first is the winner.

Witches Brew

Use a black plastic pot to use as the cauldron or any mixing bowl. Then add vampire teeth (candy corn), polar bear toes (miniature marshmallows), fried bat wings (frosted flakes), lizard eyes (M&M's), and rat brains (peanuts). Let your child stir the mixture and laugh together as you add the parts. Eat and enjoy!

Ghosts

Book Ideas:

Say Boo! by Lynda Graham-Barber
"Little ghost Ben can say 'Whoo,' and he can say 'Moo,'

but he can’t say 'Boo!' And soon it will be Halloween!"

Ghosts in the house by Kazuno Kohara
“At the edge of town lives a clever girl with a spooky problem: Her house is haunted! Luckily, she happens to be a witch and knows a little something about taking care of ghosts. She catches them, puts them in the washing machine, airs them out to dry, and gives them new lives as sofa covers, table cloths, and, of course, bed sheets to cozy up under. "

Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O’Connell
“Countdown from ten as a witch tries to scare ten ghosts out of the haunted house where they live; but in the end, they play a trick on her.”

The Teeny Tiny Ghost by Kay Winters

("The tiny ghost discovers that haunting is very hard, especially for a ghost who is scared. The secrets of his heritage seem out of his grasp until one Halloween night when he is motivated to be a protector of his cats and his home. ")

Halloween Countdown by Jack Prelutsky

("Turn the pages with ten rascally ghosts and count down to a spooky surprise ending!")

The Perfect Pumpkin Pie by Denys Cazet

("Mr. Wilkerson, lover of pie, returns as a ghost on Halloween to demand some good pie from Jack and his grandmother.")

**This one might be more suitable for 5 yrs.old and up, depending on the child.

Songs:

Ghost and goblins
(sung to the tune Frere Jacques)

Ghost and goblins
Ghost and goblins
Witches too
Witches too
All out trick or treating
All out trick or treating
Can’t Scare You
Can’t Scare You !

Five little ghosts
(Making ghost finger puppets or ghosts glued on popsicle sticks

would make this rhyme more fun and interactive)

Five little ghosts flying through the door,
One flew away and then there were four.

Four little ghosts spooky as can be,
One flew away and then there were three.

Three little ghosts drinking Halloween brew,
One flew away and then there were two.

Two little ghosts having lots of fun,
One went home and then there was one.

One little ghost’s a real superhero,
Went to help a friend and then there was zero!

If You’re a Ghost and you know it
(sung to the tune of "if you're happy and you know it")

If you’re a ghost and you know it,
Then say “Boo!”
If you’re a ghost and you know it,
Then say “boo!”
If you’re a ghost and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you’re a ghost and you know it,
Then say “Boo!”

GHOST HUNT
Chant while slapping legs
(Children and moms repeateach line)

We’re going on a ghost hunt
We’re looking for ghosts
It’s a beautiful day!!
We’re not scared.

There’s some big tall grass.
Can’t go over it,
Can’t go under it.
We’ll have to go through it.
(Act out ) swish, swish, swish

We’re going on a ghost hunt
We’re looking for ghosts
It’s a beautiful day!!
We’re not scared.

Oh, no. There’s a deep, deep forest –
Can’t go over it,
Can’t go under it.
We’ll have to go through it.
Stumble, stumble, trip – 3 times

We’re going on a ghost hunt
We’re looking for ghosts
It’s a beautiful day!!
We’re not scared.

Oh, no. there’s a haunted house – so scary!
Can’t go over it,
Can’t go under it.
We’ll have to go through it.
(Creaky floor) Squeak, squeak, squeak..

We’re going on a ghost hunt
We’re looking for ghosts
It’s a beautiful day!!
We’re not scared.

There’s a Big box! What’s in it???
Can’t go over it,
Can’t go under it.
Just have to open it…
(pretend to open a box)
A ghost! AHHHHH!!
(optional: Run back home…Do all previous actions)

Activities:

Banana Ghosts

1. Remove any stringy fibers from the peeled banana, then cut it in half width wise.


2. Push a Popsicle stick into each half through the cut end, then cover each pop with plastic wrap and freeze until firm (about 3 hours).


3. Next, place a 1.5-ounce piece of white chocolate candy in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high until melted (it generally takes about 1 minute). With a butter knife, spread the melted white chocolate on the frozen banana halves.


4. Set the pops on a waxed-paper-covered dish. Press on candies or currants for eyes and mouths and return the pops to the freezer until ready to serve. Makes 2.

*****I got this recipe from Family Fun. I just tried it and had trouble spreading the white chocolate on the frozen banana. The warm chocolate hardens as soon as it touches the cold banana. It was sort of frustrating. I don't know if it was the kind of chocolate I used (I used white chocolate chips from Target). Anyway, Next time I make these I am going to try using cool whip instead. It will give it the same look and be easier to spread since it is cold too. You would still need to freeze it for a few minutes after putting on the face. Somebody try it and let me know what works for you. My kids loved eating the frozen bananas. Three hours in the freezer was perfect (they weren't too hard to bite into).

Ghost Wind Catcher

Making this ghost requires a little more parent involvement to follow specific step by step procedures. While the kids will still have fun helping make the ghost, the activity is going to be running and playing with their wind catchers once it's assembled.

Materials Needed:
Paper plate
Black Marker
String
Hole Puncher
White trash Bag
Scissors
Tape

Step 1: Have child draw eyes and mouth on the back of the paper plate

Step 2: Cut off the trash bag's draw-string at the top; Then cut the bag into 2" long strips (lengthwise)

Step 3: Give your child pieces of tape and let them help tape the strips, evenly, around the underside edge of the plate.

Step 4: Have the child punch two holes (one on each side of the ghost face) on the outer edge of the plate and then the parent will string the yarn through the holes and knot it on each side.

Step 5: Go outside and let child run, holding the string handle behind them, to see their ghost fly. Or put on some music and dance with the ghost and swirl him through the air.

"Magic" Appearing Ghosts
Adult draws ghost with white crayon on a white paper in advance, so child doesn't see. Give your child dark color watercolors or diluted tempra paint and encourage your child to paint over the whole paper to see the ghost magically appear through the paint. Show your child the trick and let them play with this technique, making their own hidden pictures, for a while.