Halloween’s just passed last Saturday! Even though it is not tradition to celebrate Halloween in Singapore (as compared to European Countries at least) there was still quite some buzz around it. It could be an idea to have a halloween party especially since the primary school kids have finished with the exams. Even though this post is slightly late, it could be something to think about as a treat next year for your kids!

The jack-o-lanterns do NOT have to look so evil though!

Here are some ideas for your halloween party from yours truly!

Clothes:

Masks and dressing-up is part and parcel of halloween. Let yourself have some fun trying out costume in the costume rentals store, before deciding. While the traditional is to go along with some witch/wizard/vampire etc, it may be a good idea to have one parent in a more ghoulish costume, and one in a less scary ones, for you really do not want to have the kids having nightmares after the party.

Decorations:

Well… It IS halloween, so there are almost compulsory items like pumpkin lanterns, spiders, bats, ghouls and etc to be hung. In Singapore there are not many shops selling these items though, but it may be an idea to try finding your stuff in Toys R Us. Also, remember that halloween is supposed to be scary, so lighting plays a vital part in the decorations. Instead of the bright lights, turn off all lights and use the electric flickering candle lights. Usage of normal candles are not recommended for a kids’ party for obvious safety reasons. Flickering candle light (electric type) can be bought from almost any stores (try Osram lights) or you can also use night lights for the same effect. During the party, play the mandatory ghoulish tracks on your CD player, keep the volume low though, for policemen may not like the halloween tracks as much as we do. If you do not have these tracks, old 70s chinese songs actually do scare kids quite a bit, so you may be able to use that too!

Food:

For food, it would be best to have finger food only – and perhaps loads of blood-looking-like ketchup. You could actually get customized cute-looking and scary cakes so that may be one of your considerations too! Halloween is the festival for trick or treat so have loads of sweets and treats ready for the kids instead. Afterall, once in a while, it is fine for the kids to indulge in treats. But just once in a while. Jellies in weird/odd shapes maybe something fun to try too, but keep in mind that jellies can sometimes be a ‘hazard’ so make sure that no one tries to play funny when eating!

If you wish for a proper meal, it may be fun to actually serve up courses like “Bloody Fingers” ie. baby carrots in ketchup and so on and so forth. Do remember though to write down the actual name of the food, besides the halloween ghoulish sounding ones, in case kids who are really afraid can check out the real name and be calmed.

Party Treats:

The trick and treat bags can serve as party treats. Throw in some plastic spiders with cotton wool for some added excitement for the treats! Also, you can consider giving out pumpkin lanterns instead. You can use it for entertainment (nightwalk) or just simply for fun – putting the treats inside the lanterns is feasible too.

Entertainment:

Instead of the normal games and stuff, try having a nightwalk around the estate instead. Have everyone bring a jack-o-lantern and organise a walk around the ’scariest’ part of the neighbourhood. If you’re really into it and up to it, you could have it a ‘real’ ghost trails with little surprises around different corners, or it could simply be a nightwalk. Have treasure hunts within a stipulated part of the estate or in your house, with little spiders and bats hanging all around. Story-telling of the weirdest stories and stuff can be extremely fun too. So you might want to consider just seating everyone together in a circle to have a story-telling session. You can also have a little corner set-up for a mirror table – a little science effect where the body ‘disappears’ and it looks like the head is on a platter. That could be a great photo-corner! You can also request to have your entertainer come in some ghouly costume for his/her show!

Some things to note:

It may be wise to include in your invites that it is a halloween themed party and younger kids (in cases of brothers/ sisters tagging along) may be scared so it is best that they do not come along. Also, you might also want to consider having a bright ’safe’ spot in your house. If at any point in time the kids are too scared, they can go to the safe spot which is free of ghoulish decorations and in bright light for a ‘timeout’. Of course, needless to say, the parent is the lesser ghoulish costume should then be in-charge of this costume.

Well, these are just some thoughts from Kinetic Gal for the halloween party – i hope you did enjoy this year’s halloween, and perhaps you can start planning for next year now! Till then, enjoy the ghoulish fun!