Fun Halloween Ideas for Kids: Tips from a Stylist & Host

[raebates]

I have a host for October 30. It will the be day kids in her area trick or treat. She'd like to do something kid-centered with a Halloween theme. I haven't had little ones in my home for years, and I never really did much with Halloween. So, I'm stumped.

Believe it or not, this host works even farther ahead than I do. She's my stylist, and I have an appointment with her tomorrow. She wants to talk about ideas while I'm there. Again, I'm basically stumped.

I did think about getting several of the My Safe Cutters and asking her to provide small pumpkins for everyone. We could do pumpkin carving.

Any other ideas?

TIA!

 

[Ginger428]

You could make a microwave cake that when its finished looks like a pumpkin. I don't have a scanner, so I can't show you unless theres a file on here already. Also Pillsbury has TONS of ideas ie cookies, cakes etc... Personally I think the pumpkin carving will be messy ( but then again everything I do is usually messy) . I'll try to think of more as I'm cleaning

 

[babywings76]

You can make a pumpkin cake using the Fluted Stone. You can make "Mummy Dogs" using Pillsbury Breadstick dough or crescent roll dough on hot dogs. You can use the Cut n Seal to make little apple pies. You can make dirt cake and decorate it like a graveyard (just did that last year...2 October birthdays in my house)

 

[Ginger428]

Amanda, thats cute! I also found the one I'm talking about. Just type in Pumpkin Cake...
Don't I don't follow there cooking directions.
I do the 3-2-1 cake

1 box of cake mix
2 cups of sour cream ( or 1 large one)
3 eggs

microwave for 10-12 minutes & its done!!

 

[raebates]

Great ideas. She doesn't have a microwave (at least not right now), so the fluted cake is out. However, the other things sound like they might suit her. I'll probably be asking for more ideas as we get closer. Thanks!

 

[ChefKelebel]

One of my favorite's to do is "gummy worms". The kids LOVE LOVE LOVE the Apple/Peeler/Corer and I like to use the green apples, they tend to slice better, but it's really not a big deal which type of apples to use.
Use the A/P/C to slice the apples and save the stringy remains, these are your "worms". Pick your favorite flavors of jello (must be real, not sugar free). The really vibrant ones, like Cherry, Blueberry and Orange work well. Put the Jello packet in a plastic bag and add the stringy "apple worms" (save the apples for something else, like a caramel sauce dip;0). Use one jello per set of wormy apple strings (meaning, don't mix the jellos together) . Add the apple "worms" to the bag of jello mix and shake well in a plastic bag, using one of the new twix it clips in the new colors will probably be a seller. Place on the large bar pan on parchment paper and bake in a low oven (325-250) for about 8 - 10 min. Remove from the bar pan to stackable cooling rack almost immediately, otherwise they tend to stick. Use the Kitchen Shears to cut them into "worms" and let them finish cooling, then serve.

 

[raebates]

Excellent idea, ChefKelebel!My host wasn't blown away by the ideas I shared, so keep them coming.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Bloodshot Eyeballs.


Make either the oreo truffles, or cake balls, and then dip them in white chocolate - add M&M's for eyes, and drizzle red glaze down the sides.


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Jack-o-lantern Pizzas



Have the kids make individual pizzas using English muffins, or pita bread, and decorate them to look like Jack-o-lanterns. (hey - it works for Papa Murphy!)

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Monster Hands!

Clear Disposable Gloves

Make Caramel Corn, let it cool, and fill the gloves. Before you fill them, put a gumdrop in the tip of each finger for the fingernails.

tie them shut at the end with a licorice string.

 

[raebates]

Great ideas, Becky!

 

[Dotty]

You can make pumpkin carving not so messy by getting the guts out BEFORE the party, up to a couple of days before. Then just keep the pumpkins in a cold place while you are waiting to work on them. I actually did this as a fundraiser for United way at a local museum. We got a group of boyscouts to empty the pumpkins prior to the halloween party and then the day of the party (at the museum), we charged $5 to carve a pumpkin. It went over great.

 

[Dotty]

Also, the fluted cake can also be done in the oven, right?

 

[Becca115]

Another idea for no-mess pumpkin carving is to snag the fake pumpkins at AC Moore or Michaels when they are on sale. We carved those when my kids were too little for me to deal with the mess of real pumpkins! Plus, you can re-use them every year with the battery operated tea-lights.

 

[Rebelbug]

Ok, sounds like you need some stuff to demo, too. What if you did a trifle? Very very easy for kids to do and no cutting if you do the prep work on cutting the cake. You could demo the cut and seal and call them "vampire pillows" or cut off the bottom of the round and try and make a ghost?

GHOST WHIP
(It's really "cookie whip", tastes like cookie dough ice cream)
In the new fall 9x13 aluminum pan, layer a little cool whip. On top of this, layer some chips ahoy cookies soaked in milk (ghost juice!). Then layer more cool whip. Then another layer of milk softened cookies. Then more cool whip. Repeat until pan is full. Freeze overnight. Thaw at room temp at least one hour before eating.

You could demo the new nylon knife, the pan, the coating trays but not the tool, and the mini serving spatula for kids to lift out the milk soaked cookie to place it in the pan. Oh, and the small spreader, for the cool whip. If you REALLY wanted to go all out, let them bash up some cookies in a plastic baggie with the meat tenderizer (flat side) and then sprinkle them on top for a decoration.

SPOOKY SALAD (Yes, it's Ambrosia, just.. stay with me :> )
1 cup of ghosts (er, mini marshmellows)
1 cup of spider silk (sweetened or unsweetened coconut)
1 cup of candy corn (small pineapple tidbits, drained really well)
1 cup of pumpkin pieces (mandarin orange segments, drained really well)
hold it all togther with some candle wax! (1/2 cup or as needed of light sour cream)

This would demo the stainless mxing bowls or the batter bowls, the measuring cup, the measure all cup for the sour cream, and the Mega scraper. AND you have to open some cans, so, our new can opener! Since you have to drain everything REALLy well, demo the can strainer too. And there's no cutting. You could even demo the large or medium scoop and have kids use it to portion the salad out onto plates.

And I don't have a recipe for this, but I'd be doing some Haloween pizza with little pepperoni cut into bat wings or something, or a witches' brew in the DCB (veggie soup).

 

[Dotty]

Go pick up the Family Fun magazine. They have a Halloween issue that just came out and it has LOTs of ideas. One idea from the magazine that I want to try is making a pumpkin cake using 2 Fluted stoneware cakes top to bottom, so it looks like a pumpkin once you've iced it.

 

[colegrovet]

dirt cake in the trifle bowl, kids would like seeing gummy worms along the side in the "dirt"

 

[heat123]

Making or decorating spider cupcakes, or mini pumpkins if you have the mini fluted pans. I did a kids/mommy halloween party as one of my kick off parties, doing the mini pumpkins and the spider cupcakes the following year.

 

[heat123]

You can make a pumpkin cake using the Fluted Stone. You can make "Mummy Dogs" using Pillsbury Breadstick dough or crescent roll dough on hot dogs. You can use the Cut n Seal to make little apple pies. You can make dirt cake and decorate it like a graveyard (just did that last year...2 October birthdays in my house)

Amanda, we made this ghost in the graveyard cake last year for our cake bake sale, it was a HIT and it was sold instantly!

 

[mlnun4u]

Microwave pumpkin/jack-o-lantern cake using the stone bunt pan. Use a cake icecream cone (regular cone) for the pumpkin stem. Insert it into the center of the bunt cake upside down with a portion sticking out for the stem. Decorate to look like a pumpkin/jack-o-lantern.

 

[Sharyn ND]

One of my favorite fall things to do are the marshmallow pops - kids love doing them. Buy the sucker sticks, pop a marshmallow on the top, brush with water and insert into different colored bowls filled with halloween colored sugars, etc. These make a FUN certerpiece at a booth in the fall. Fill a SA bowl with candy corn and stick them in it...all different colors are so cool! These were an idea years back (Spooktacular) and still may be posted on the archives on PC - it was the year they did a fun Halloween theme and lots of ideas came out on that flyer - this one just stuck with me and I do it every year. The other thing I love doing is a "snake" using a recipe filling for one of the rings - don't form it into a ring form it into a snake. Use olives for the eyes and roasted red peppers for the tongue. If you wanted to do a braid with a filling...I do Yummy Mummies. You can always do a jack-o-lantern veggie pizza, copping all veggies (lots of carrots) and then top them all with cheddar cheese, black olives for eyes, green pepper ears, etc. Kids love doing that. I don't have any young kids either, however, my 8 grand children keep me creating new things. I always come back to PC recipes! Have fun!

 

[raebates]

Thanks for all of the great ideas. My host rescheduled. LOL! She found out that her husband volunteered her to serve at a boy scout event that day.

 

[mlnun4u]

Yes it can be used in the oven as well.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Okay - I know that Rae's host rescheduled...but I have been thinking about some fun things to do just for us here at home. BBQ'd Bat Wings. (actually chicken wings. )Saucy Zombie Eyeballs (meatballs with half of a pimento-stuffed olive stuck in them.Eyeballs in brain sauce. (grape salad)Intestine Pieces (penne pasta with pesto sauce - help me out with a name, not thrilled with what I have)My 6 yr. old has a fascination with all things gross and gory this year...I'm trying to think of ways to gross him out for dinner that day using foods that he loves.

 

[crissyspampchef]

There are a ton of spooky recipes that you can always use your tools with. Personally I am going to make the Halloween Baked Rats http://http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Halloween-Bloody-Baked-Rats/Detail.aspx and you could do some caramel apples for the kids to dip into some of the sweet sprinkles. If you have a quick stir pitcher, mix up some punch and put frozen eyes (grapes) in it.

Sounds like it will be fun!

 

[flemings99]

Here's another great site for ideas. ourbestbites.com