Monday, October 21, 2013

Halloween Family Activities that do not include Carving Pumpkins

halloween activities carving pumpkinAs a child, I always looked forward to Halloween. Not just because of the dressing up and candies but also all the fun family activities leading up to it. One of my favourites was carving pumpkins.

Having said that, what I’m about to say makes me feel a bit guilty.

The Zoo doesn’t carve pumpkins.

It’s not because I’m a Scrooge or trying to save a pumpkin. The problem is that after the holidays, you have to do something with them and seeing as I can’t even cook an egg, you can see my predicament.

So, instead of being stuck with 5 lbs of pumpkin mush, we like to get into the holiday spirit by partaking in some of these alternative…

Halloween Activities for the Whole Family.

  1. Make Halloween decorations such as paper garland from recycled paper or spooky ghosts from tissue paper,
  2. Go for a walk and collect leaves to use as a Halloween dinner centerpiece,
  3. Buy a bunch of paper bags and have the kids decorate them using crayons, paint or even stamps. See #4 for reason why.
    halloween lootbags

  4. Pack individual lootbags with small toys and candies to give away at your house or donate to a local food bank or shelter,
  5. Put sheets over your head and run around the house moaning and groaning pretending that you’re a ghost,
  6. Rent a scary movie, read Halloween books or share scary stories,
  7. Dig in the dress-up box and come up with some unique costumes for the stuffed animals,
  8. Find a local spooky house or corn maze (we have a free one in our area) and enjoy the last of the Fall weather,

    halloween carving pineapples

  9. Carve another fruit such as an apple or pineapple. Best if you do it the day of Halloween so that you can still eat it afterwards. Or see #10 if not,
  10. If you do carve a pumpkin and don’t know what to do with it, have the kids dig a big hole in the garden and bury it.

What Halloween Activities do you do as a Family?

32 thoughts on “Halloween Family Activities that do not include Carving Pumpkins

  1. Rene

    I vote for the sheets on head one. Free, easy and very little mess (unless someone trips over furniture because they have a sheet over their head and cracks their face open and bleeds everywhere – but hey, at least mostly on a sheet, not the carpet).
    Great ideas – but I don’t think anyone uses the pumpkin after carving it….the hole digging is what will happen around here!

    Reply
  2. Laurie P

    we love watching scary movies. Now that Jr. is 15, we can watch the REALLY scary ones lol. After our youngest is in bed of course…
    She loves putting her blankie on her head and crawling around, does that count as a ghost??

    Reply
  3. Kristy. V

    Love the Corn Maze idea! We take our whole family out for a fun filled Fall adventure at our local Corn Maze/petting zoo/pumpkin patch and we always have a great day! Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Nena Sinclair

    These are all great ideas! I’ve been looking for some things to do with my grandchildren and these will be fun! I love the pineapple you carved! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth Matthiesen

    some great ideas here, I’ll recommend that my daughter checks them out for my grandchildren, she’s always looking for ideas to entertain them.

    Reply
  6. Paula Huie

    We go to the pumpkin patch together and pick pumpkins and apples. We make pies with them for friends and family

    Reply
  7. Elva Roberts

    Now that I am a Senior, I do not carve pumpkins either. I make sure I have plenty of treats for the 60 ti 100 spooks that come to our home and enjoy their costumes and have them wish us a ‘Happy Hallowe’en.” As long as the treats hold out, we are pleased as ;punch and enjoy the night with the children. Hugs.

    Reply
  8. Rob Brydon

    Great alternative tips for Halloween! We make a pie out of our Jack-O-Lanterns on Nov 1st so the pumpkin is still fresh. We also only use a chemical light stick inside the pumpkin to make it glow instead of a candle, save burning my fingers! 🙂

    Reply
  9. DARLENE W

    We no longer carve a pumpkin, but our children do with our grandchildren, it is one family tradition that wont end soon. The pumpkin goes in the compost afterwards or in my daughters house, feeds the rabbits. Win, win situation

    Reply
  10. Pingback: Happiest Time of the Year–for Kids–#LinkedMoms Halloween Twitter Chat

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