5 Fun At-Home Halloween Ideas

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Halloween is looking a little different this year as it seems the spooky festivities will be taking place closer to home. Given the current circumstances of COVID-19 and social distancing, you might be asking yourself how you can safely enjoy Halloween this year. The team at Bostitch Office wants to help fulfill all your Trick-or-Treat delights by offering 5 fun Halloween ideas to do at home!

1. Ghosting

Spread the Halloween spirit between family and friends with a safe and socially distanced game of ghosting! All you need are a few brown paper bags, Halloween candy treats, orange and green tissue paper, a letter that states these people have been ghosted and how to continue on the tradition if they choose to, and the Bostitch Office Ascend Plastic Stapler, offered in orange for the season!

How it works:

Assemble the brown paper bags with treats, small Halloween decorations, and stuff with orange and green tissue paper! Write a letter to the families that you will be dropping the bags off to, that explains they've been ghosted and how they can carry on the tradition by ghosting their own friends and family! Place the letter inside the bag and staple it closed! Once the bags are filled and ready to go, all you have to do is leave it on the doorsteps of your friend's and family's houses for them to find!

ghosting bags

2. Halloween Games and Contests

Make Halloween in your home a place where your kids can get creative with spooky games and contests! Turn your yard into a graveyard or haunted meadow to introduce your theme while keeping it safe at the same time. You can also use our guide for 6 DIY Halloween Games and Activities to start off your backyard Halloween celebration! To add to this list of yard games try a DIY Spider Race from the instructions below!

Materials:

  • 2 or more liquid coffee cream cups
  • Black paint and paint brush
  • Black pipe cleaners
  • Stanley Minnow 5” Kids Scissors (in orange for the season!)
  • Black pom pom for the head
  • 2 wiggly eyes per spider
  • Paper straw
  • And a 10 ft piece of twine

Steps:

  • Cover your painting surface, such as a desk or kitchen table, with protective material and paint the coffee cream tops black and let dry.
  • Open the lid and glue 4 pipe cleaner pieces to each side.
  • Close the lids and add the Pom-Pom heads with wiggle eyes.
  • Cut a piece of the paper straw and glue to the top of the lid.
  • When you’re ready to play, start by tying one end of the 10 ft twine to something in the yard!
  • String the other side of the yarn through the straw on the spider.
  • You can tie the other side of the string onto something taller, or just have the kids hold the other end of the string. Keep in mind one end of the string should be elevated so the spider has a slope to race down.

spider race

For the contests, all you’ll need is some face paint, costumes, and pumpkins! Just set up a few tables where your kids can face paint and carve pumpkins for you to judge and dictate a winner. If you need a place to start, check out our DIY Pumpkin Carving and Craft blog to kick off the competition!

3. Tarot Card Reading

Another way to get in the at-home Halloween spirit is by hosting a tarot card reading for your kids! Use these printable tarot cards for kids from Little Pagan Acorns, to gain an insight into the past, present, or future of the person you are reading! Start by formulating a question that relates to the person you are reading, then draw a series of cards and interpret the meaning of the images! All you have to do is use the Stanley Minnow 5” Kids Scissors to cut out the tarot cards. If you’re new to the interpretation of these cards, they even come with a guide for you to follow along! You can even use our thermal laminator to keep these tarot cards fresh for every Halloween in years to come.

tarot card reading

4. Make Spooky Snacks

After a day of games and contests, bake some Halloween goodies with your kids for some delicious treats! If you’re looking for a Fall-themed dinner, follow our Recipes for Freshly Picked Apples blog! For dessert, make these 3-ingredient Monster Rice Krispies treats!

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag (12 ounces) candy melts (in your favorite color, or use a variety of colors)
  • 1 (16 pack) box pre-made/individually wrapped Rice Krispies treats, or your favorite homemade recipe
  • Assorted Candy Eyeballs
  • Optional: shortening or vegetable oil, colored sprinkles

 

Instructions:

  • Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Add the candy melts (if using one color, separate it into 3 parts and if using different colors, place about 1/3 of each color) into microwave safe bowl(s).
  • Add about 1 teaspoon shortening or vegetable oil if desired (optional, it just makes for smoother/easier application of the chocolate to the Krispies treats) to each bowl of chocolate.
  • Microwave (one bowl at a time) of candy melts in bursts of 20 seconds, stirring vigorously in between each burst for 10 seconds.
  • Meanwhile, unwrap the Krispies
  • Once the chocolate is smooth, dip the Krispies treats in the melted chocolate and then use a spoon to help spread it over the treat. You want it to be a bit ragged to look more like a monster.
  • Working quickly (the melted candy melts harden fast), add candy eyeballs (however you want and whatever size you like) and if desired, colored sprinkles.
  • Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and allow for the chocolate to set at room temperature. These are best enjoyed the same day they are made.

monster rice krispies

5. Family Horror Movie Night

To wind down the Halloween festivities, end your day with a family horror movie night! Gather around with blankets and your spooky snacks for some family time. After a fun-filled day of games, contests, and baking, choose a haunted Halloween movie to relax with on the couch! Not looking for a frightful movie but still want it to go with the Halloween theme? You can choose from our kid-friendly selection of movies listed in our Spooky Movies and Books for the Classroom blog!

family horror movie night

Tag us on Twitter (@Bostitchoffice) with your ideas on how you chose to spend your Halloween weekend this year!

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