By Nadine Bubeck
While I’m not an over-the-top crafter or Martha in the kitchen, I still like to get creative. If you’re like me and want to get in the fall spirit (but need an extra nudge), this one’s for you. Here’s how to prep the fam for Halloween.
1. Bake + Eat Edible Eyeballs
I’m the Chef Too! just launched its limited Halloween edible adventure and your kids will go gaga over the “Eyeball Truffle” cooking kit. The company is known for all-inclusive cooking kits that doubles as entertaining STEM experiments. Step inside this haunted adventure as you bake and create edible eyeballs filled with cookies, cream, melting chocolate, and bloodshot icing squiggles. Then, experiment with translucency and luminescence, creating glow-in-the-dark Halloween soap. Learn more at imthecheftoo.com.
2. Do Creepy Crafts
Cheap, easy, and adorable… do I have your attention? For Halloween gifting or parties, I’m all about the super simple ghost lollipop. It’s my non-fail October go-to. All you need is rounded lollipops, coffee filters, small rubber bands, thin black ribbon, and a sharpie. For each ghost pop, use 2-3 coffee filters and wrap them over the head of the lolly. Secure them with a small rubber band, and then tie the ribbon around the “neck” of the ghost. Fluff the under layers of the coffee filters and use the sharpie to draw the ghost’s face (two eyes and an open “O” for the mouth). Once your family of ghosts are complete, stack them in a jar of candy corn for adorable presentation!
For another spooky activity, check out Little Sunshine Mom, an AZ-based mom-owned online shop that makes seasonal DIY kits for kids. The Halloween “brooms and bats and bones” mini sensory box is the perfect sugar-free treat for your kids this Halloween. In this kit, you’ll build your own monster friends, concoct a witch’s brew, or decorate themed “cookies.” These imaginative kits come with an assortment of accessories: feathers, vampire teeth, skeleton pieces, acrylic pumpkins, spiders, eyeballs, and more. Learn more at littlesunshinemom.com.
3. Stay Safe
Before you bid farewell to your trick-or-treaters (or walk alongside your little monsters), have a safety briefing prior to scouting for candy. According to the experts at SafeDefend.com, if your older child has a phone, make sure to turn their location tracking on. It’s also a good idea to make visibility a priority, giving kids wearable glow sticks.
When it comes to candy, keep in mind:
• Don’t eat and trick-or-treat.
• Inspect all candy for tampering.
• Never eat fruit or unwrapped items.
• Avoid giving choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys as treats to young children.
• Do not eat/give homemade or unwrapped treats.
4. Stream Festive Flicks
According to a new Redbox.com survey, the top family-friendly Halloween movies include: Hocus Pocus, Beetlejuice, It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. There are many streaming services running Halloween campaigns during October; for example, Redbox is featuring family faves and horror hits and Freeform is running 31 nights of Halloween movies. And after the kids go to bed, parents can indulge in their own freight fest. The Redbox survey lists Halloween (1978), The Silence of the Lambs, and The Shining as adult picks for Halloween flicks.
5. Snap Spooky Pics
You’ll surely capture an array of night-of Halloween photos, but why not celebrate fall with themed photo shoots? Many Valley photographers offer fall-infused mini sessions, but you can do it on your own as well.
Some DIY fall photoshoot ideas include:
• Apple picking (there are hot spots in Sedona!).
• Fun at the farm photos (McDonald’s Ranch, Scottsdale; Tolmachoff Farms, Glendale).
• Create creepy shadow photos.
• “Cheers” your kids to cider or hot cocoa (Instagram-worthy!).
• Dress in fall colors and capture your kids swinging at the playground.
Nadine Bubeck is a former news anchor turned all things mama. She is a TV parenting/lifestyle/travel contributor, author, influencer, and blessed boy mom times three. Learn more at nadinebubeck.com. Her eldest, Nicholas, is CEO of creationsbynicholas.com.
