This makes a fun classroom activity and is also a great give away treat.

Materials:

Tootsie Pop lollipops

Black pipe cleaners

Wiggly eyes

Glue

Take four pipe cleaners and bend them in half. Place them at the base of the pop and twist them around the stick once so that you have four legs on each side. Spread out the legs and bend them so they look like spider legs. Glue the eyes onto the pipe cleaners. Allow to dry.

A perfect nightcap after a long night of Trick-or-Treating.

Ingredients

Large marshmallows

5 T unsweetened Dutch-process hot chocolate

3 T sugar

1/3 cup water

4 cups milk

1 cup half-and-half

You will also need a rolling pin and a ghost or other small Halloween cookie cutters.

Place marshmallows on a smooth work surface and roll a rolling pin over them to flatten them out. Use the cookie cutters to cut into spooky shapes.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the cocoa, sugar, and water. Bring to a slow boil until the sugar and cocoa are dissolved. Add the milk and half-and-half and continue to cook, stirring constantly for about five minutes. Pour into mugs, add the marshmallows and serve immediately. Makes 6 cups.

Ingredients:

Prepared icing in a tube

Thin black licorice strips

Oreos

Red-Hot cinnamon candies or mini M ‘n’ M’s.

Cut the licorice strings into 2 inch strips. Stick 4 halves into the cream on each side of the cookie. Use the icing as glue to adhere two small candies on the top of the cookie to form the eyes.

Turn a simple flashlight into a Halloween torch.

Materials:

Lamp shade paper (available at art supply stores)

Pencil

X-Acto knife

Black Tempura Paint

Craft glue

Orange tissue paper

Black duct tape

Form the lamp shade paper into a cone to fit around the head of the flashlight and cut off the excess. Draw scary figures like bats and witches on the outside of the shade. Cut out with the X-Acto knife. Paint the outside of the shade black and let dry. Then line the inside of the shade with the orange tissue paper.

Place the lamp shade over the flashlight, reforming the cone and glue or staple the seems shut. Secure in place and tape with the black duct tape. Turn on the flashlight and watch those spooky images dance in the night.

Aside from Trick-or-Treating,  pumpkin carving has to be the second most favorite Halloween pastime. But who says you have to settle for the orange squash when there are so many other varieties to choose from?  Why not try small squashes like butternut or root vegetables such as turnips or acorn squash? Stay away from gourds, as they have very tough skins and are difficult to carve.

Materials:

Assorted squashes

Pumpkin carving tools or X-Acto knife

Melon baller or ice cream scoop

Twine

Metal skewer

Proceed as you would to carve a pumpkin.  Leave a shell of at least 1/4 inch thick  If you want to hang your lanterns as decorations, use a metal skewer to pierce a small hole on each side of the face. Thread a piece of twine through each hole and knot from the inside. Cut to desired length. Place a piece of aluminum foil at the bottom of the squash and a votive candle on top of it. Light carefully. Hang your creations from trees or lamp posts.

Small children will love forming  these tasty, little morsels. Watch out, they’re sticky!

Ingredients:

Corn oil

12 cups popped popcorn

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. salt

Candy corn

Gummy worms

Arrange 1 or 2 large sheets of waxed paper on your work surface. This will be your popcorn ball drying area.

Grease a large bowl with the oil and put the popcorn in it. Set aside.  In a saucepan, over medium heat, combine all the other ingredients except the candy.  Cook until the syrup reaches a temperature of 250 to 260 degrees on a candy thermometer. Carefully pour the syrup over the popcorn and toss to coat. Let cool slightly. Toss in a few handfuls of candy corn. Grease your hands and  form the popcorn into balls about three inches around. Strategically place the gummy worms in the middle so that they stick out slightly. Set on the waxed paper to dry. Makes about 12 to 15 balls.

Ingredients:

2 cups pumpkin seeds

2 T vegetable oil

1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse seeds well in cold water and spread out on paper towels to dry thoroughly.  Place in large bowl and add oil and salt. Toss to coat. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until crisp and golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool.

For a tasty variation try the following: Substitute 4 T melted butter (1/2 stick) for the oil and add 3 T light brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground allspice, and a pinch each of ground nutmeg,  ground cloves and salt.

In addition to carved jack-o-lanterns lighting your walkway, why not make your own Halloween lanterns?

Materials:

Tin coffee cans or similar sized ones.

Hammer and nails

Indelible markers

Acrylic paint

Small votive candles

Fill the cans 3/4 full of water and freeze. Draw a simple Halloween design like a ghost or a witch, on the outside of the can. Use the hammer and nails to poke small holes  about a 1/4  inch apart along the outline of your design. Submerge the can in hot water to melt the ice. If the ice expands the bottom of the can and it sticks out, just hammer it back in. Dry the can and paint it if you choose. Place a small candle at the bottom and light it.

Here’s a fun project my children enjoyed making for Halloween. They loved using their imaginations to create their own individual designs.

Materials:

Glass or plastic jars with tight-fitting lids.

Clear corn syrup

Water

Small plastic toys like bugs and spiders. We also used a witch Pez dispenser.

Halloween confetti, glitter and wiggly eyes. We found glow-in-the-dark pumpkin-shaped confetti and tiny plastic flies at craft stores.

White craft glue

If you want a larger figure in your shaker, like the Pez dispenser or a big bug,  glue it to the inside of the lid and let it dry overnight. Fill the jar about 2/3 full with the corn syrup. If it seems too thick, add some water. Sprinkle in the small objects, confetti, wiggly eyes or whatever you want to float in the syrup. Screw the lid onto the jar, turn over and watch your kids have hours of fun shaking their shakers. Note: We made some of these shakers with small glass jars and we dropped some of them and they broke. For smaller children, I recommend using large plastic spice or peanut butter jars.

Remember Creepy Crawlers when you were a kid? You would mix up a gooey solution, put it in a mold and bake it in an oven. Here’s a no-bake recipe you can use to create the same effect.

Materials:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 Tbs. hot water
• 2 Tbs. white glue
• 1/2 Tbs. liquid tempera paint
• Assorted Halloween candy molds like spiders and worms available at Beverlys.

Mix paint and glue together in a small bowl. In another bowl, mix the gelatin and hot water until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the two mixtures together. Stir until it begins to thicken. This could take a while, so be patient. When the mixture is thick, pour into the molds. Place in the freezer until firm, about five minutes. Carefully remove from the molds and allow to dry for 1 hour on each side. If you allow them to dry for 2-3 days they will get very hard. If you like, you can give them out to your children’s friends as Halloween treats. Make sure you tell them it isn’t candy. Store in an airtight container.