Halloween Party Ideas

Most children love Halloween. Why shouldn't they? They get to dress up as their favorite hero, someone they look up to, or the scariest monster they can think of. They go to fall festivals and Halloween parties and trick-or-treat to collect more sweets in one night than they should consume within an entire year.

When I was growing up, Halloween was nothing but pure fun. Because I was raised in relatively small city, I would generally manage to trick-or-treat for several miles. My friends and I would typically collect whole candy bars, popcorn balls, homemade fudge, and even caramel apples. It was pure, unadulterated fun!

Unfortunately, Halloween is no longer an innocent time. Sick individuals now use it to take the opportunity to perpetrate unimaginable crimes against those who can least defend themselves. Because of this, children no longer roam the streets trick-or-treating like many of us did in days gone by. Instead, their activities are more closely monitored and events are limited to areas like malls, churches, or neighborhood parties.

I loved hosting Halloween parties for all my nieces and nephews when we lived in Oklahoma. They loved that their nutty aunt was cool enough to dress up like a witch or a mad scientist and they couldn't wait to see what new things I might come up with. It was great fun for them, but also for me.

Now, my daughter has taken up the Halloween mantel. She hosts a huge celebration every year for the children in her neighborhood. It gives them the chance to dress up, play games, act silly, and of course collect goodies.

I thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite party ideas in hopes that they might encourage some of you to join in the holiday celebration. Here are some of our favorite ideas.

One year I decorated my garage to resemble the laboratory of a mad scientist. I borrowed some old chemistry equipment from the university I worked for, pulled out my husbands old microscopes and used anything and everything else I could think of to decorate my "lab."