Need ideas for at-home Halloween/costume party

[tlw]

I'm thinking of inviting some close friends and a few friends from DS's preschool, maybe about 15 kids in total. I'd like to have some game "stations" set-up outside, and serve a snacks/light dinner fare. I'm thinking it would be a 4:00 - 6:00 type party on a Saturday afternoon in mid-October. I like to send out invitations about 4 weeks in advance, so I need to do so by mid-September.

Ideas so far:

bobbying for apples
mini-pumpkin in a large spoon race
crafts (?)


I really want relaxed and laid-back, but enough to occupy us. Of course, the kiddos will wear costumes! Hopefully, the adults, too.

Any ideas would be most-appreciated~

[billysmommy]

We LOVE Halloween here!!!! We have a party every year and it is SO much fun!!!!

Some of our activities.....
~ mini donut on a string tied to a tree and eat it without using hands...make sure to get pictures of this!!!
~ little foam pumpkins from AC Moore or Michaels set out with foam stickers to decorate them
~ toilet paper mummy wrap-up race
~ costume parade
~ potato sack races

Here are some of the foods we've done.....
~ "Guaca-moldy"
~ green punch for the kids with gummy worms in it
~ peanut butter eyeballs ~ http://candy.about.com/od/specialoccasions/r/pbeyeballs.htm
~ bloodworms (got these from a poster here) they were a HUGE hit with everyone
http://www.theidearoom.net/2009/09/jell-o-blood-worms.html
~ pudding eyeballs http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/edible-eyeball-treats-685115/

I've gotten TONS from Martha Stewart's Halloween magazines and website
~ breadsticks with pistachio shells at the end for fingernails
~ witch and monster cupcakes The kids loved these and they were very easy to make
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j28/loricaddoo/IMG_9800.jpg

I'll come back with more :)

ETA:
Here's the link to her Halloween-Central site ~
We've also done the Boo-tiful cake ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/article/boo-tiful-cake?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/creepy-treats#slide_2
Candy Creatures ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/candy-creatures
Shrunken Head Cider ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/halloween-cocktails#slide_12
Poison Apples ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/creepy-treats#slide_12
Marshmallow bones ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/creepy-treats#slide_16
Meringue bones ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/creepy-treats#slide_39

I'm thinking about attempting this cake for the adults this year ~ http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/creepy-treats#slide_15

[alien_host]

We had a party last year.

I had a craft which was decorate a frame. I found kraft paper frames from Discount School Supply. I also bought foam Halloween stickers from AC Moore. My plan was to take each child's pic and print it at the party, but it was too hectic.

Otherwise they just played outside since it was nice out. They were 2-4 years old so I didn't do any organized games. Oh I did temporary tattoos...from Target $ spot or Walgreens.

Ideas:

You could fill a jar with candy corns and have the kids guess how many.

Put out buckets of crayons (lots of orange and black) and have them color on kraft paper or coloring sheets.

Decorate a mini pumpkin....stickers, glitter, markers

Decorate a treat bag....Martha Stewart also has lots of treat bag ideas...

Picture of my cupcake display. I cut out the cardstock with paper punchers and used rubber stamps:

The second pic is from a few years ago:

[ourbabygirl]

We had a fun party last year, but didn't do the games I had planned since the kids were too little (I'm a first-time mom and didn't really know what would work). The kids were mainly ~6 months-4 years old.

I had planned a pin-the-stem on the Jack-o-lantern (drew & painted it on tagboard), also
search for the skeleton pieces (bought a couple of the big plastic ones from the dollar store, and pulled them apart and hid the pieces throughout the yard- in trees, under sand, etc.), and
make a spider web out of a big ball of yarn, then toss up a big spider in the middle, like a parachute that kids play with at Gymboree & stuff. I had a ball of white yarn, and was going to have the kids and parents in a circle and toss the ball of yarn back and forth over and over between people until it made sort of a web. Then we would throw the spider in the middle (I had to get a big one, which I got from Party City, so it wouldn't fall through the holes between the yarn) and toss it around a bit.

Ended up just having the kids play with a bunch of toys in a side room (surrounded by moms :)), and also a station with a card table, paper & coloring sheets, crayons, markers, and lots of different Halloween stickers. It ended up working out fine. :)
Oh, and kids and parents wore costumes, so I made sure to get pictures and e-mail them out to people after the party.
I also had little goody bags for all the kids with little snacks and stuff for the ride home (bags of Goldfish crackers, boxes of raisins, Halloween pencils, little Halloween whistle things, etc.- you can find lots of those trinkety things from the Halloween section at Target).

Have a fun party! I wish we could do one this year, but we're expecting a baby in mid-October, so I think I'll have my hands full with that.

[tlw]

Thanks, ladies--these are amazing ideas! I hope my party is as fun as yours. Do any of you have a source for invitations?

I was considering this one:

http://www.tinyprints.com/product/11399/halloween_party_invitations_treat_seekers.html


Is it too boring? I just don't want "scary Halloween". Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[tlw]

[QUOTE=billysmommy;2817037]We LOVE Halloween here!!!! We have a party every year and it is SO much fun!!!!

~ potato sack races

Is there an online supplier for these? I would LOVE to have a few!

Thanks~