Thousands of children are on midterm break ahead of a very different Halloween this year.
While it can be a challenge to keep kids entertained at home, there are still some spooky crafts that can be easily done to help them get creative.
Ali Coghlan, author of Get Crafty: Fun, Creative Crafts for Children, outlined some ideas for children this Halloween using many items that can be found at home.
She told Lunchtime Live: "I'm a massive Halloween fan, and I think especially when you have two children you don't really have a choice, you've got to get involved.
"Especially this week with midterm break, it's a tricky time normally to keep kids entertained, let alone the lockdown that we're going through at the moment.
"I think everyone is just trying their best to keep positive and I still there are ways to get creative at home and have fun.
"There's loads of things we can be doing but we have to go easy on ourselves at the same time."
Here are some of the crafty ideas that kids can enjoy this Halloween.
Pumpkin playdough
Ali said: "Pumpkin playdough is really easy and these are my favourite kind of activities and crafts you can do at home because most of the things you would already have in your press."
What you need:
- Two cups of flour
- One cup of salt
- A little bit of vegetable oil
- A cup and a half of warm water
- Orange food colouring
- Optional: spices like cinnamon or glitter
Ali said you can make the dough in lots of different colours and shape it into pumpkins or Halloween monsters.
She added that when children are finished playing with the dough, it can be wrapped in cling film and placed in the fridge for about a week.
Pumpkin apple stamps
This is a good option for younger kids and is really simple, Ali said.
All you need is an apple cut in half and painted with whatever colours you have on hand.
This can be stamped onto paper to make a pumpkin shape
Witches fingers
These are just a simple cookie recipe made into the shape of witches fingers by rolling them out and using a fork to make the indents.
Almonds can then be used to make the nails.
Autumn leaves
Ali said that now is the perfect time to get out and collect some autumn leaves to paint at home.
She said they can be painted white to make ghost leaves with eyes and a mouth put on to make them look more ghoulish.
She added that for people who want to use spray paint on leaves or pumpkins, they should place the items in an empty cardboard box so the paint doesn't go everywhere or in anyone's eyes.
Scrapbooks
Ali added that since people will not be travelling anywhere over the midterm, using items gathered from previous outings can be gathered and used to make a scrapbook.
She suggested using photographs or old tickets and sticking them onto scrapbooks.
Ghost stories
Finally, for Halloween night itself, Ali came up with the idea of making a ghost story game which could bring in other family members on Zoom.
She said: "You could have a ghost stories night at home, everyone can dress up, put on some spooky Halloween music, you could set the scene and maybe get a sheet and put it up in the sitting room and dim the lights.
"Every person in the family could maybe come up with a ghost story, and you could ring grandparents or family on Zoom and everyone could tell a story, an urban legend or something you've made up.
"It's just a bit of fun and something different and it's a great way to keep in touch with the family and get everyone together."
