Hi Guys

We're having our 5th Halloween party this year, only problem is my son is now 10 and "pass the witches hat" and "musical mummies" are a bit young for him. They love the trick or treating part of it, but I'll have about 15 10 year olds and I usually go to my neighbours houses before hand to give them to sweets to hand out because it's such a lot of them, so trick or treat doesn't last that long (also, having them all outside is a bit nerve wracking in case one gets knocked over!).

I don't think halloween is nearly as big a thing here in the UK as in the USA... but it's getting there.

Last year we did the bag with the brains and the intestines in it, that was good and stories are always useful too.

Any help on how to fill 2 hours with all these kids is appreciated.

Cheers, Reg.

Bring them on a haunted walk telling them ghost storys about the local area, even if you have to make them up yourself.

LIE.... good thinking, I'd never thought of that - making up the stories is a really good idea. What would be really funny is to sincerely tell them the stories and to have a little envelope in their goodie bags saying "... sucker, I made those stories up". Thank you.

Also u could set up little traps along the way, russling bushes, cans rolling out in front of the group, weird noises etc etc, its time to be a kid yourself and let your imagnation run wild.

See if you can find a foot bridge in the neighborhood to cross. That's such an awesome creepy thing to do on Halloween.

Hi Reg...Louie's ideas were great and perhaps some of the kid's parents could help out, hiding in bushes, clanking tin cans and so on....Also, how about a scavenger hunt...You can crush grapes, put them in a jar to look like blood...Put gummy worms mixed with orange jello in plastic bags and so on....We used to have the kids do the toilet paper wrap in a race...Two kids, one wraps the other kid from head to toe, until they look like a mummy...First one done wins....Also they never got tired (and these were 9-10 year olds) of the doughnut on a string...If your interested in that one let me know...My brain is dead and my daughter knows how it goes...Whatever you do, the kids will have a ball...After all it is Halloween...

Can I blow the candles of the cake??

Great suggestions - you'll have to let me know the donuts on a string when you have the time. I'm thinking it's a hands behind backs, first to scoff the donut type thing.

Haunted Hayrides are always fun if there are some going on in your location.

Muhahhahhaa!! I would love to be there.

An idea similiar to yours Louie is a pull toy with wheels and dress it in something furry, get a string and attach it to the toy and when ready, pull it out from underneath the bushes.

Kitty Litter Cake is always a huge hit at our halloween parties...

Kitty Litter Cake Recipe

ewwww - that's gross - but GREAT! I'm definantly going to do that.

No Doubt - just wait till you see the reactions you get.

That is so funny...I just put it in my favs...never know when I'll need it....

I always love Halloween. You could have a creepy walk and then a bonfire telling ghost stories. Or the other way around. Whatever, scaring kids is always fun, no matter what order yo do it in.

That's the basic idea, but I'll find out from my daughter and let you know....

That's just how that game goes.... You're actually suppose to use heavily powdered sugar donuts so the sugar gets all over their faces. It's actually harder to do than it sounds. haha.

One game we did last Halloween was you had a bowl of water, and you put a whistle in it and had to get it out with you teeth like you would in apple bobbing. The, you have a bowl of flour with marshmallows in it and while they're still wet from getting the whistle, you make them get the marshmallows out with their teeth. Trust me, it sticks to your face and in your hair and everywhere, it all got stuck to the roof of my mouth as well, it was horrible.

Another very simple one that everyone always loves at Halloween parties I've been to is hide and seek in the dark. We used to call it "Murder in the Dark" and we assigned a "murderer" and even had a fake Halloween axe for a "weapon". The "murderer" has to find their victims and put them all in one room and keep looking till they found everyone. If the kids at the party are anything like at the parties I've been too, they won't stay put in the room their put in and will "escape" which means the game can go on for ages and everyone will be screaming and laughing in no time.

If you have enough space outside, we also used to play a game when it got dark where you got a cola bottle (or any object really, we just used a bottle) and put it in on the ground. The adult (or several, if theres enough of you) carry torches and walk in a big circle around it. The players then have to get the bottle without you shining the torch at them. Play a few games of this, and if you can , after a few rounds get water pistols and suprise and soak everyone through when they come and try and get the bottle!

One other game we played was called "Trick or Treat". You make cards that say trick or treat on them, blindfold the person and make them pick a card. If they get treat, you can give them something nice to eat, if they get trick, something horrible. The person then has to guess what the food is - If they get it right, next time they get a treat, if they get it wrong they get a trick.

I don't know whether of these will be any use to you, they're just games I've played at Halloween parties over the years.

The kids used to have a great time with the powdered donuts...Their costumes would be a mess, their faces white, laughiing the whole time...

Here's the powdered donut game...Take a donut, white powdered, and tie it to a string...Have one child kneel down with hands behind his/her back...Another child stands behind them, and swings the donut back and forth, (not too high, although that could be more fun) and the kneeling child has to catch the donut with his mouth and take bites....First one to eat and burp wins...
Remember to keep swinging the donut...

Thanks Goalie and Rowan - there's some great suggestions there.

I'm really looking forward to it now.

We are too...What time does it start?

Have a halloween party at a haunted place.