With Halloween just 29 days away, Angelika’s World thought that we should share some Tips, Facts, and spooky Fun with you and your Family. We hope to help you and your Family have a safe and plentiful Halloween. With Covid 19 Looming over Halloween this year we are going to have to get Creative with how we Celebrate it this year. Angelika’s World has been Surfing through the Internet, and we found some good Alternatives to the Traditional Trick-or-treating. So, stick around as we explore,” Coronaween”.
First, we need to cover the issue of the virus. We at Angelika’s World want everyone to be able to Celebrate the joys and Spooks of Halloween safely. We have found the latest updates on the Safety of Halloween for the 2020 Season. Here is what we discovered.
What the Doctors are saying
•Don’t share props, toys or bowls. Keep the swords, wands and tiaras from being passed around if you can. Ask each of your children to hold onto their own candy bags.
•Bring hand sanitizer, and practice not touching your face. “
•”Something that you can also do is to put most of the candy away for the first three days (72 hours) that it’s in your home, and then the rest of the candy is safe to eat after the time has passed”.
Here is what the CDC Guidelines are for Halloween this Season.
Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses. There are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween. If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.
Lower risk activities
These lower risk activities can be safe alternatives:
•Carving or decorating pumpkins with members of your household and displaying them
•Carving or decorating pumpkins outside, at a safe distance, with neighbors or friends
•Decorating your house, apartment, or living space
•Doing a Halloween scavenger hunt where children are given lists of Halloween-themed things to look for while they walk outdoors from house to house admiring Halloween decorations at a distance
•Having a virtual Halloween costume contest
•Having a Halloween movie night with people you live with
•Having a scavenger hunt-style trick-or-treat search with your household members in or around your home rather than going house to house
Moderate risk activities
Participating in one-way trick-or-treating where individually wrapped goodie bags are lined up for families to grab and go while continuing to social distance (such as at the end of a driveway or at the edge of a yard)
•If you are preparing goodie bags, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 second before and after preparing the bags.
•Having a small group, outdoor, open-air costume parade where people are distanced more than 6 feet apart
•Attending a costume party held outdoors where protective masks are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
•A costume mask (such as for Halloween) is not a substitute for a cloth mask. A costume mask should not be used unless it is made of two or more layers of breathable fabric that covers the mouth and nose and doesn’t leave gaps around the face.
•Do not wear a costume mask over a protective cloth mask because it can be dangerous if the costume mask makes it hard to breathe. Instead, consider using a Halloween-themed cloth mask.
•Going to an open-air, one-way, walk-through haunted forest where appropriate mask use is enforced, and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
•If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
•Visiting pumpkin patches or orchards where people use hand sanitizer before touching pumpkins or picking apples, wearing masks is encouraged or enforced, and people are able to maintain social distancing
•Having an outdoor Halloween movie night with local family friends with people spaced at least 6 feet apart
•If screaming will likely occur, greater distancing is advised. The greater the distance, the lower the risk of spreading a respiratory virus.
•Lower your risk by following CDC’s recommendations on hosting gatherings or cook-outs.
Higher risk activities
Avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
•Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
•Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
•Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
•Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
•Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
•Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
•Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19
If you are reading these Guidelines and just not feeling Confident in taking your kids, “Trick-or-Treating. We have some ideas for you. We want you and your Little ones to be safe this Halloween season. Here are some ideas from parents on alternative activities.
Safe Trick or Treating Ideas
•Leave a bowl of candy bags (and hand sanitizer) at the end of your driveway, and wave at trick-or-treaters from your front door.
•Drive-by Trick-or-Treating: Gently throw candy at costumed kids in their yards, like your car is a parade float.
•Mail a Halloween Package to your loved ones.
•Hang Halloween treat bags from a tree or clothesline.
•Tape Treat bags to your car for the kids to take.
•Toss candy bags to the kids
•fish net attached to a pole
•use a remote- control car to give the candy out in treat bags
•Tape Halloween treats onto a wooden Skewer and place them around the yard
Indoor Fun
•Set up a piñata for your children in your own yard/Garage/or a spacious room.
•Set up a haunted house for your children at home. They can still dress up and be scared in a fun way.
•Scary movies, ghost stories and more can make the night fun, too. Get out the popcorn, Halloween candy and blankets and find some classics on Netflix.
•Have a Family Game Night – There is nothing more fun to a child than sitting down with their parents at the kitchen table and playing some great games with the family. Pick out the games in advance to ward off any fighting over what is going to be played and have them ready to rock and roll. Place some snacks and chips around the table for everyone to enjoy and start playing.
•Make a Scavenger Hunt – Grab some candy treats and set up a scavenger hunt in your own backyard. Kids can still dress in costumes and experience the joy of candy without having to go door to door.
•For older kids and teens, I would keep it simple. opt for pizza, snacks, and a movie marathon.
•Use some kitchen twine to string your doughnuts from a clothesline or tree. Now give everyone a turn to try to eat the doughnuts with no hands.
•Send Halloween Cards: have them craft some homemade Halloween cards from cardstock, markers, and glue, then mail them off to all their friends.
•Tell Ghost Stories https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/top-13-scary-stories-to-tell-your-kids/
•Mail Halloween boxes to loved ones or have your friends and family do it for your kids. •Pumpkin carving/painting contest Stencils to print off https://pumpkinstencils.org/
•Make Pumpkin dioramas (Can be made out of; live, Plastic, and foam pumpkins) printed silhouettes are also used with some.
Halloween Isn’t Cancelled! DIY Prop for Trick-or-Treating during COVID
Here is what you will need if you want to make this Candy Chute.
STAND MATERIALS:
•3″ PVC Pipe (7′)
• 1″ PVP Pipe (10′)
• 1″ PVC Corner Connector (X)
• 1″ PVC “T” Connector (X)
•1″ PVC 3-Way Connector (X)
• Hot Glue
DECORATING MATERIALS:
•Black Spray Paint
•Cheese Cloth (Grade 10)
• Black Acrylic Paint
•Plastic Skeleton
• Plastic Skull
TOOLS USED:
• Hot Glue Gun
• Hacksaw
• Scissors
• Bandsaw (NOT REQUIRED)
Indoor games for Halloween
Hunt the Ghost
Make 7 – 8 cute little ghost-shaped cut-outs using cardboard and paint it white and with round black eyes on it. Hide it in different corners of the house. If hosting an outdoor ghost hunt, place it in the bushes or behind trees. Give easy to follow cues and hints and let the ghost hunt begin.
Jack-O’-Lantern Carving/ Coloring Contest
Knives can hurt the little hands and turn your party into a horror story. Instead of carving, keep pumpkins of different sizes, paints, teeth, and eyeballs and let the kids show their creativity. The winner of the best-carved pumpkin wins a Halloween cookie hamper and those Jack-O’-Lanterns double up as evening decor.
Halloween Pictionary
Divide players into two teams. If you have a large number of players, you can form four teams, but the game is more fun with fewer teams and more players on each team. Select one person to be your Drawer for the first word. The Drawer is the person who attempts to illustrate the word using the pencil and paper. Everyone else on the team will try to guess the word that the Drawer draws.
Players on the team will take turns acting as the Drawer.
If you only have three players, one person must be designated to draw for both teams during the entire game.
Each team gets a word card, a pad of paper and a pencil
The drawer has 1 minute to draw what is on the card while their team tries to guess it.
The team with the most correct answers wins.
Halloween Pictionary Words
•Witches•Black Cats•Bats•Ghosts•Skeletons•Jack-O-Lanterns•Candy •Candy corn•Trick or Treating•Candy•Caramel Apples•Costumes•Pumpkin patch•Spiders•WEREWOLF•VAMPIRE•MUMMY•DEVIL
Halloween charades
Gameplay:
1.Divide into teams of two or more players (or you can play as one big group if no one wants to be competitive).
2.Before beginning the game, each team should write about 20–30 words on slips of paper. Fold the pieces of paper and put them into a bowl. Each team draws the words that the other team came up with so that the words won’t be too obvious. Or the host of the gathering or someone who isn’t playing can write down the words beforehand.
3.Determine how long each round will be. Typically, each player gets three to five minutes to act out the word.
4.Decide which team will go first. The first player from that team draws a word from the other team’s bowl.
5.Without speaking, the player must act out the word or phrase. His teammates have to guess what the word is.
6.If the team guesses correctly, they get a point. If the time runs out before the team guesses the word, that player’s turn is over.
7.The other team gets a turn. Each player gets a turn to act out a word. The rotation begins again when everyone has had a turn.
8.Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. You can also play to a certain score, or not keep score at all.
Charades words list
•Carving a Pumpkin•Trick or treating•Bobbing for apples•Costume•Mummy•The Headless Horseman•Cauldron•Coffin•Scarecrow•Bobbing for apples•Make-up•Pumpkin patch•Flying on a broom•Stuck in spider webs•Broomstick•Witch•Mask•Robot•Scary movie•Lollipop
Halloween Themed Dinner and a Movie
Here are the Dinner and a Movie idea’s I found and pinned to my Pinterest board https://www.pinterest.com/flafirecracker/dinner-and-a-movie-ideas/
Scary Movies
The Exorcist: split pea soup, bread sticks
It: Chinese food and fortune cookies
Putt up red balloons just like the ones Pennywise left floating around Derry, Maine will totally have your guests on edge. Throw in some tricycles and some dark, carnival-themed Halloween music for extra pizzaz and creepiness.
Poltergeist: Steak
Nightmare on Elm Street: Kabobs
Halloween: Haddonfield Horseshoes
Ingredients
•1 lb Ground Beef
3 cups Frozen Seasoned Crinkle Cut Fries
•1/2 cup Cheese Whiz
•2 slices Texas Toast Sized Bread
•Hot Sauce of your choice (We used Frank’s Red Hot)
Instructions
•Prepare fries based on package instructions. (We baked ours, see note at the bottom)
•Meanwhile, form 2 patties from ground beef.
•Grill to desired temperature.
•Toast bread.
•Heat cheese in the microwave in 15 second increments until runny.
•Top toast with burger, followed by fries, then cheese.
•Drizzle with hot sauce for a “blood spatter” effect.
•Serve.
In case you aren’t familiar, Horseshoes are an open-faced sandwich originating in Springfield, Illinois, United States. They consist of thick-sliced toasted bread (often Texas toast), a hamburger patty, French fries, and cheese sauce.
Family Halloween Movies
The Goonies: Pepperoni pizza, Rocky Road Ice cream
E.T.: Supreme Pizza, Cokes, Chocolate Reese’s Pieces Cookies
Hotel Transylvania: Mummy Wrapped Hot Dogs (using hot dogs and crescent rolls), Mummy Pizzas: With the leftover crescent roll dough, the kids can make their own fun mummy pizzas, Dirt cups(Chocolate pudding topped with crushed Oreo cookies, and a Gummy worm)
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown: mac and cheese, pumpkin looking pizza with peperoni/vegetable faces
The Adventures of Ichabod Crane: Apple pie, Turkey/Chicken drumsticks,
Casper the Friendly Ghost: Pancakes, eggs, and Orange Juice (pulp free).
Beetlejuice: Shrimp with cocktail sauce
Monsters, Inc.: Sushi, lettuce wraps,
Ghostbusters: mummy Pizza, Green koolaid/Mountain dew/Green Gatorade, Green Jello, Marshmallows,
The Mummy: Roast Beef Wraps
Edward Scissorhands: Kabobs, corn on the cob, and Ambrosia salad
Gremlins: Fried chicken dinner
Scooby Doo: Cheese pizza, Sub sandwiches
Halloweentown: Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas, Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, Stew
Ingredients:
•1 can Refried Beans
•Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
•You can add a cooked meat if you prefer
•10 Flour Tortillas (Soft Taco or Fajita Size)
Method:
•Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut a Jack-O-Lantern face out of 5 of the tortillas. I also made little notches at the top to make it look like the stem. (This can be done ahead of time & then stored back in the tortilla bag until you are ready to cook.)
•Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
•Place the 5 uncut flour tortillas on a large baking sheet. Make sure they do not overlap. Spread a few tablespoons of refried beans over each tortilla. Sprinkle them with the Mexican cheese, and then top each one with a cut out tortilla.
•Bake in the preheated oven for around 5 minutes, just until the cheese has melted a bit, and the tortillas have started to brown.
Makes 5 Jack-O-Lantern Quesadillas
SHREDDED CHICKEN & RICE STUFFED PEPPERS (HALLOWEEN STYLE)
Stuffed Peppers
•4 bell peppers your choice of color •2 cups Mexican rice (CLICK FOR RECIPE) https://www.everydayjenny.com/mexican-rice/
•1 shredded chicken breast from the above recipe
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
•1 can black beans rinsed and drained
Bring a large pot of water to boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, rinse peppers, slice off the tops and hollow out the insides, be sure to remove any seeds and the white part inside. If desired, use a small paring knife to cut out a jack-o-lantern face. When water is boiling, put the peppers and tops in and allow to cook for about 5 minutes until peppers are tender. Remove from water and set aside to cool. Mix the cooked rice, shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans together in a large bowl. Fill each pepper with the chicken and rice mixture and top with extra cheese, if desired. Replace pepper top back on top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes until cheese is melted and pepper is done to desired tenderness. Alternately, once peppers are stuffed, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate, when ready to cook, preheat oven to 350, remove plastic wrap and bake for 1 hour.
Throw a Virtual Halloween Party
A virtual Halloween party is a holiday party held via video conferencing software. These occasions are great opportunities for remote teammates to gather, socialize, and celebrate the season.
Zoom is a great free option available https://zoom.us/pricing
Watch streaming media with friends https://getmetastream.com/
- Start a session and invite your friends by sharing your friend code with them.
- Browse for your favorite media and add the URL to the queue. A number of popular websites are already supported for playback.
- New features are added on top of streaming websites such as real-time chat and timestamp markers.
Virtual Haunted House Tours
Haunted houses are a staple of Halloween entertainment. Though you and your remote team may not be able to physically tour an abandoned mansion or take a frightening hayride together, you can still give your group goosebumps with a virtual haunted house experience.
Catacombs https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/visite-virtuelle/
Chernobyl https://chernobyl-city.com/virtual-tour/
Island of the Dolls https://isladelasmunecas.com/island-of-the-dolls-videos/
Winchester Mystery House https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/video-tour/
Not so Spooky Halloween Playlists
Ghost stories
For inspiration, you can check out CreepyPasta, which are scary stories shared on various websites. You can also read through this list of terrifying tales on HuffPost or head over to the super short scary stories section on Reddit for ideas on how to tell a bone chilling tale.
CreepyPasta https://www.creepypasta.com/category/creepypasta-stories/famous-creepypastas/
Terrifying tales on HuffPost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ghost-stories_b_8296528
Super Short Scary Stories section https://www.reddit.com/r/shortscarystories/
Famous Ghost Stories Record
I hope this Post has inspired you to throw a Safe Halloween Event with your Family. If you liked this Post, please let me know in the comments. Please feel free to Share this with your; Friends, Family, and Groups. And as always, Thanks for reading!
Angelika's World 