Let Your Kids Go Batty This Halloween

Although there really is nothing to fear about bats, and they don't really attack people to drink their blood nor are they blind, it's fun to let your imagination run wild, especially around Halloween. The days are growing shorter, the air is crisp, and the leaves are dying-the perfect conditions to let your kids go batty. This year, forget the ghosts and witches and take a cue from Edgar Allan Poe and plan your Halloween party around these scary black mammals. Find everything you need for a "horror-ble" party that will drive your guests batty, from invitations, to crafts, to games.

Invitations

Use a white paint pen to write party details on black bat-shaped cut-outs. Glue onto orange craft paper and send out to guests. Decorations Set the mood for your party by hanging inverted bats made out of black construction paper from trees or the entrance to your house Trim the front door with bat decals or cut-outs. Add a banner with a scary saying. Carve bat shapes into pumpkins and display on the front porch and inside the house. For an extra ghoulish effect, light candles and place inside the pumpkins. Using black and orange ribbon, hang bat shapes from the ceiling along with black and orange balloons. Make a bat banner out of construction paper For your a table center decoration paint a large, bare tree branch black and attaching black construction paper or plastic bats to it. Spread bat-shaped confetti on tabletops and counters.
Bat Hunt Game

Hide some toy bats or construction paper bats around the house inside or outside before guest arrive. Give each guest a paper bag and a flashlight and turn off the lights or go outside. Have guests search for the hidden bats. The person who finds the most bats is the winner. Give a small prize to the winner if desired. (Variation: You could have one special bat for guests to find, and the person who finds that bat gets a prize too.)

Owl and Bats Game

You will need either some plastic or rubber bats. There should be one less bat than the number of players. For example, if you have 6 players, use 5 bats. Before the game, color or paint a spot on the bottom of each bat. Have children sit in a circle. Put the bats, marks facing down, on the floor in the middle of the circle. Have children choose one bat. The child without the bat is the "owl." Have the "owl" sit in the middle of the circle. The "owl" points to one child and tries to guess the color of the spot on that child's bat. If the "owl" guesses the correct color, the child with the bat runs around the circle and the "owl" tries to catch him/her before he/she sits down at his/her spot again. If the "owl" catches the child with the bat, he/she will be a bat again. If not, the "bat" takes a turn to be the "owl."

Party Favors

Visit your local party store or discount store, looking for inexpensive bat-related novelties such as key chains, plastic toys, jewelry, etc.

Bat Cookie Decorating Activity/Snack

Let children decorate their own bat-shaped sugar cookies. Set up a table with paper plates, plastic knives, napkins along with sugar cookies cut in bat shapes, different colors of frosting, sprinkles, candy corn, etc.

Snacks/Drinks

Ice cupcakes with black and add bat-shaped edible decorations. Use bat-shaped cookie cutters to make bat sandwiches or pancakes. Using a bat shaped cookie cutter, cut flour tortillas into bat shapes. Lightly brush both sides of each bat shape with oil. Place tortilla shapes on cookie cutter and place in oven. Broil tortilla shapes, flipping chips once when they begin to brown. When brown on both sides, sprinkle lightly with salt or a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Bat grog: Combine 2 cups grape juice, 2 cups lemon-lime soda, lime sherbet, and lemon sherbet. Chill.

Jolanda Garcia is a former teacher and educational content designer. Her goal is to provide parents and teachers with quality resources to promote their children's development and creativity. Visit her websites at: Preschool bat crafts and activities, and Halloweenparty ideas.

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