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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Does Anyone Do A Halloween Party?
Christina72684 05:54 PM 10-07-2011
I'm going to have a Halloween party this year (my first year opened) and wondered if anyone else did too, and what they did during their party. I thought about doing it similar to school carnivals/festivals with different game stations where me and my staff and some parents can run the games and hand out prizes. And we could have some really cool Halloween related foods. What do you think? Anyone else do anything similar or something completely different?

(In my defense before I get attacked, I have an elementary education degree and teaching license and originally wanted/tried to be a teacher, but it's impossible to get a job here. So once I had my daughter I decided to open my DC, but still sometimes think like a teacher. I want to do really fun things for my kids just like I would if I worked at a school. I know some people don't want to go through all this extra stuff, but I really enjoy it!)

If anyone does do stuff like this for Halloween, will you share some ideas for food, games, activities, etc? Thanks!
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AnneCordelia 06:07 PM 10-07-2011
I have a small home daycare with 4 of my own kids and 4 daycare kids. We do a parade in our costumes through our local retirement home. Then we go back to the house to do a halloween craft. We eat halloween food...eyeball devilled eggs, dinner-in-a-pumpkin, 'finger' cookies, and float spooky things in ice cubes in a punch bowl.
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childcarebytori 06:12 PM 10-07-2011
I LOVE Halloween parties

This year, all of my little daycare friends are dressing up in costumes and we are going to a couple of my favorite neighbors homes and giving them cookies and in return, they give the kids candy to put in their $1 Halloween bags that I bought at Walmart.

We play games like 'pin-the-bone-on-the-skeleton', a pumpkin bean bag toss game that I got from Oriental Trading (wonderful place!), a bobbing for (mini) apples game, and of course we pig out on treats and watch children Halloween movies. We have pumpkin bread for breakfast, we order pizza for lunch (my local Pizza Hut makes jack-o-latern pizzas that have cheddar cheese and black olives shaped to make a 'spooky' face) and pumpkin pie for afternoon snack. Alongside the special cookies and candy the daycare parents bring it, of course.

Last year I think I had more fun than my daycare kids, and I got some really fantastic pictures to send to each parent.

Hope that helps!
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snbauser 06:15 PM 10-07-2011
We do a party. We change the kids into costumes after breakfast. We do halloween themed stations. The kids each get a treat bag and at each station they get another goody to put into their bags. We do games like a witches hat ring toss, do a craft, do a halloween themed sensory table, etc. The kids have a blast. We keep them in costumes until it is time to head outside to play. Most of the costumes are not safe for the kids to be running around outside in.
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kendallina 06:27 PM 10-07-2011
I think it's great that you do a party! Last year we had a pajama day (I do NOT want to be responsible for costumes and accessories and all the craziness that can go with that). And we had worms in dirt for snack (gummy worms in crushed up oreos and chocolate pudding). We did a few fun activities (I think we did a balloon toss, can't remember what else), nothing too much. The kids really enjoyed it and many talked about having a pajama day for months!
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sharlan 07:23 PM 10-07-2011
Originally Posted by kendallina:
I think it's great that you do a party! Last year we had a pajama day (I do NOT want to be responsible for costumes and accessories and all the craziness that can go with that). And we had worms in dirt for snack (gummy worms in crushed up oreos and chocolate pudding). We did a few fun activities (I think we did a balloon toss, can't remember what else), nothing too much. The kids really enjoyed it and many talked about having a pajama day for months!
Please, please, everyone who allows balloons in their homes monitor them very carefully. A couple of years ago, one of my close daycare families' neighbor lost their 2 yo when she got a deflated balloon stuck in her throat. The child was sitting on the sofa with both parents when it happened. It happened so quickly and quietly.

I have been anti latex balloons for 40 years, since seeing a safety video in highschool.
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kendallina 03:01 AM 10-08-2011
Originally Posted by sharlan:
Please, please, everyone who allows balloons in their homes monitor them very carefully. A couple of years ago, one of my close daycare families' neighbor lost their 2 yo when she got a deflated balloon stuck in her throat. The child was sitting on the sofa with both parents when it happened. It happened so quickly and quietly.

I have been anti latex balloons for 40 years, since seeing a safety video in highschool.
YES! Thank you for saying that. I had mostly older 3-yr olds at the time, we talked about 2 rules (1. You never put a balloon near your mouth and 2. do NOT try to pop it on purpose). Consequence of breaking a rule once was no more balloons. Our balloon toss lasted about 5 minutes with me having constant standing-up supervision of my 5 kiddos while they tossed them around.
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boysx5 03:29 AM 10-08-2011
I do a party with my neighbor who also does daycare. We set up a pumpkin patch so they all get to pick a pumpkin. We do a craft with them. Then we just have treats we don't make it too much but just enough to make it a special day
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Meyou 04:33 AM 10-08-2011
I'm doing a party in the morning on the Friday before Halloween. I find it's too much for them if we do the party the day of the holiday. They arrive dressed up, we play a few games, do a craft, have a halloween snack and then change into regular clothes for morning outside time.
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Blackcat31 06:20 AM 10-08-2011
Originally Posted by Meyou:
I'm doing a party in the morning on the Friday before Halloween. I find it's too much for them if we do the party the day of the holiday. They arrive dressed up, we play a few games, do a craft, have a halloween snack and then change into regular clothes for morning outside time.
This is what I am doing as well. I plan on giving them party type food and honeslty if I did that on Monday and added that to the candy they are already going to get on Monday night......well, I might just have to close on Tuesday! LOL!
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Christina72684 07:24 AM 10-08-2011
We're doing ours Friday night from 5-7pm (we normally close @ 6) so that the parents and family members can come too. I think it will be a great way for everyone to get to know each other and see their kids with the other DC kids.

Just wondering....why do some of you do your activities first thing in the morning? Aren't they super hyper and crazy the rest of the day once you're done?
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Blackcat31 07:29 AM 10-08-2011
Originally Posted by Christina72684:
We're doing ours Friday night from 5-7pm (we normally close @ 6) so that the parents and family members can come too. I think it will be a great way for everyone to get to know each other and see their kids with the other DC kids.

Just wondering....why do some of you do your activities first thing in the morning? Aren't they super hyper and crazy the rest of the day once you're done?
I do morning activities because the parents can dress them in their costumes and they arrive ready and then I don't have to deal with anything but removing the costume which is waaaay easier and in the afternoon it is lunch, naps and then kids leaving at various times that several of them would be leaving part way through the festivities so morning is one solid block of time that works well for me.

Yes, they are a little hyped up the rest of the day but what do ya do....

I rarely do any festivities or parties that include inviting all parents/family members to attend at the same time......waaaay to much drama involved for me.
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littlemommy 02:52 PM 10-14-2011
I've thought about having one..but I have all five 2 year olds and a 3.5 year old. Not sure what activities would keep their attention! Any ideas?
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misspollywog 04:30 PM 10-14-2011
I love, love, love Halloween!

I've already broken out my Halloween cookbooks so that Monday the kiddos can pick which things they want to make with me for the party. We're also decorating the big play room and they can help me decorate the outside of the house leading up to Halloween, too. I have a HUGE cardboard box we're decorating as a "haunted castle" and... well, that's all I have planned so far.
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sharlan 04:59 PM 10-14-2011
The little boys' preschool is having a party, so I'll take them both to that.

In the past, I would take the kids trick or treating at City Hall.
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skittles 07:00 PM 10-14-2011
We usually do a party as well. I have three infants, three toddlers, and a pre k. This year I was thinking about doing an apple spash game instead of bobbing for apples. I would have the kids throw three apples into a bucket of water (outside of course). Whom ever gets the most in wins the game. We usually do a scavenger hunt, pinata, and other games. I usully make a pumpkin pinata out of newspaper and a balloon. Paint it orange and its a jack-o-lantern. I ask the parents to bring old costumes if they have some so not to ruin their good one. I also keep a few costumes on hand for kids that don't bring one.
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dave4him 07:47 PM 10-14-2011
Feed them lots of candy!
Dress up in crazy outfits!
Have fun. Not doing it this year here but maybe next year. I think its great wanting to give them as much fun as possible with more education too. Teachers in DC are still teachers
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MamaBear 08:03 PM 10-14-2011
I decorate the house with a bunch of Halloween decorations and I have goodie bags for each of the kids. The kids come in costume. We have Halloween cupcakes and the other parents bring cookies and one other mom brings goodie bags too. Each child gets a little real pumpkin to take home. We make some type of Halloween craft. We listen to funny Halloween music & watch the Charlie Brown Halloween special. It's fun
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dave4him 08:11 PM 10-14-2011
Search for the great pumpkin! Love it!
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