In the desert, the heat presents some unique challenges for coming up with goodies for passing out in school or to trick-or-treaters. Here are a couple of cute ideas for both perishable and non-perishable giveaways for the kids’ classmates or on Halloween night:
Monster Pops are a great snack and craft activity that will get your little ones involved as well. The materials needed for this are sugar cookie dough (packaged is quicker and easier, but if you want to make your own, that works too!), popsicle sticks (found at the dollar stores), frosting and fun toppings like candy eyes or faces (found at craft stores in the baking aisle). Follow the baking instructions and while the oven is preheating, create circles with the dough and insert a popsicle stick about halfway in. After baking and cooling, use the frosting and toppings to create silly faces.
Old Fashioned Lollipop Ghosts are easy to make and you can get all of the items at your favorite discount store. You will need lollipops, white coffee filters, Halloween ribbon, and a black marker. Simply wrap the coffee filter around each lollipop and secure around the “neck” with ribbon. Use the black marker to draw in eyes and a mouth; the coffee filter is better for this than the traditional tissue because it doesn’t rip or leak through as easily.
Lollipop Spiders can be made with supplies from the dollar stores as well and are a fun twist on Lollipop Ghosts. For this you will need lollipops, pipe cleaner (4 pieces per spider), and googly eyes. Take the four pieces of pipe cleaner and twist together where the lollipop meets the stick, creating four “legs” on each side. Spread the legs out and bend at the ends to create feet and then glue the googly eyes to the lollipop wrapper to create the face.
Halloween Slime is something your kids will enjoy creating and their classmates will love it too! You will need two bottles of clear glue, liquid starch, food coloring and plastic spiders or any other small Halloween goodies or glitter. Mix the glue and two drops of food coloring in orange, green or purple in a plastic bowl. Slowly add a total of 3 Tablespoons of liquid starch, one TBSP at a time, mixing with your hands until the consistency is the way you desire. If it is sticking to your hands, add a bit more liquid starch. Lastly, fold in the spiders or other goodies and then divide into individual “servings” and put in a baggie or other container of your choice.
If you are short on time, consider purchasing a variety of erasers, pencils, stickers, bubbles and other small toys at one of our “dollar only stores”. This requires little effort except for perhaps putting together a tag which can be created quite easily by hand or on a printer. This is also a great option for a last minute party or for schools who do not allow perishable items to be distributed.
Luckily, we have many options for places to procure all items necessary to create Halloween treats without breaking the bank. The Dollar Tree and 99 Cent Stores throughout the Valley are a parent’s greatest resource for purchasing a wide selection of very affordable materials for crafts or decorating. They also have a variety of Halloween baking supplies, paper goods and decor to bring the wicked ambience into your home inexpensively. If you spent $15 on Halloween decor there, you could create a beautiful mantel or front door display. If you don’t find what you need at these stores, there are also WalMart, Hobby Lobby, Michael’s and Joann’s Craft Stores throughout the Valley. Happy Crafting!
Photo by Bridget Miller
