Thursday, October 9, 2008

A Seasonal Favorite...

One of the things my daughter and I like to do during the season is host a mother/daughter craft class for our friends and neighbors. A couple of Sundays ago, we did just that. This year we opened it up to mothers and sons too--and I'm glad we did! We spend a little while planning the crafts together, and searching through different idea catalogs and magazines and websites. Then we gather materials, invite people, and set the environment up for success. Snacks and apple cider are staples, of course...
We had 5-6 stations set up around the house and on our patio (thankfully it was a nice day!). People roamed freely making crafts, and moved from place to place taking their creations as they went. I highly recommend Oriental Trading Company for things like this--their kits come with instructions and if for some reason someone had to leave, they just took the kit from that station and moved on.
Of course, I also had to take photos of each mother/child so I could in fact pass those on to the moms...
It really is a fun thing to do--and it doesn't take much. Something as simple as a ghost card had them playing and creating--and they were so proud of their creations! We had 10 crafts to complete--and I'm happy to say everyone finished in under 2 hours.
My dear friend Jen also pointed me to this site. We do "boo" our neighbors every year--and this year is no exception. Feel free to click on the link, print it out and play along in your neck of the woods too.

And last but certainly not least, this book is by far my children's favorite for Halloween. I know the whole thing by heart--and I can honestly say I still love it too. And for those of you who enjoy it, don't forget about the sequel--There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie...
If you have any favorite Halloween traditions, please feel free to share--I love hearing what you all are up to!

Have a wonderful day!

5 comments:

jamie said...

Trish, I love the idea of a mom/daughter craft time. That is so great to do that in your home.I might want to do that.
Traditions: our kids don't usually go trick or treating. But they LOVE handing out the candy...their cousins come over (it is very close to my sons birthday), and we have hot cider and big iced oatmeal cookies, and they have a hoot serving their neighborhood the candy and counting how many goblins come to the house. That is if we do not have our yearly ice storm that night.
Thanks for the ideas. You need to tell us what those yummy looking snacks are.

supermom said...

ok, ok, you have to tell me, or well, would you please tell me what that mix is in the first photo. with the chex cereal, candy corn, etc.....???? please please! could you direct me to a link or something. I think it is so cute and my kids would love it. Thank you so much!

Anonymous said...

You have so inspired me to do something like the mom/daughter craft time (and mom/son so my son won't be left out). Can you please share which things you choose from Oriental Trading? My daughter is almost 8 and my son is 10. Thanks so much!!!

pickmepam said...

i'm so sorry we missed the craft day! it looked like a lot of fun.
i love the book, there was an old lady who swallowed a fly and pie! they're too funny! i have to find the bat book now also. i had no idea it was out there, and i WORK in a library! ugh!

Candace H said...

My son's favorite Halloween tradition is when I decorate his room as a "spooky" room (his little sis gets decorations too, but she likes cute vs. spooky). I do it one day while they are at school and he comes home to bats around the ceiling, capes on the closet doors, skeletons, etc.