Farm Visit

• Halloween is just not right without a few pumpkins and cornstalks decorating the front porch. Take a family trip to the pumpkin patch to choose pumpkins for carving and decorating. Many local farms drum up business by making all sorts of harvest activities available. They may include bonfires, hayrides and pressing apples to make cider. There may even be some live music and craft fairs to enjoy. Do not forget to pick up Indian corn and gourds to decorate the house and pick up candy apples and candy corn for delightful treats.
  
  

Pumpkin Decorating

• The jack-o-lantern tradition comes from medieval Ireland where they carved, placed a candle inside and carried it around strung on a stick. The ancient Celts believed that Halloween was the one time a year when the separation between the dead and living was the thinnest so they carried turnips to keep spirits away from them. Pumpkins are much more suitable to carving so they carried on that tradition by having them keep watch over the front door on that night. Keep the seeds of the pumpkin to roast instead of throwing them away. They make a tasty treat for the whole family. Paint pumpkins instead of carving with sharp knives for small children. Acrylic or tempera paint is suitable to use or try some markers instead.
  
  

Spooky Movie Night

• Gather the family and rent some spooky family movies like "The Mummy," "Nightmare Before Christmas" or "Monsters, Inc." Serve popcorn with candy corn and gummy worms mixed in and orange punch.
  
  

Family Party

• Throw a party for extended family or a few friends with a Halloween theme. Include the immediate family in all the preparations. Encourage guests to come in costume and give prizes for the best, most creative and worst. Dance to "Monster Mash" and other spooky music and participate in Halloween charades that include scary movies and books. Serve cider, garlicky pasta to get rid of unwanted vampires, or sandwiches cut out with Halloween cookie cutters. Paint pumpkins and give prizes for the best in show.