{"id":2907,"date":"2020-10-25T19:44:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-25T19:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/?p=2907"},"modified":"2023-09-18T17:09:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T17:09:02","slug":"ten-ways-to-have-halloween-fun-during-the-covid19-pandemic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mumblog.co.uk\/ten-ways-to-have-halloween-fun-during-the-covid19-pandemic\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Ways to Have Halloween Fun During the Covid19 Pandemic"},"content":{"rendered":"
When it comes to Trick or Treat, the year 2020 has firmly come down on the side of Trick, with Covid19 dominating our lives. As a result, all of the major holidays and events are far from normal, including Halloween. Many children look forward to this time of year, since it provides light-hearted fun at a time of year when the weather is getting drab, the days are getting shorter, and it feels like they\u2019ve been at school for about seven years nonstop (it\u2019s actually only seven weeks). Of course, it also involves a shed load of chocolate and sweets. Unfortunately, children have been hit particularly hard by Covid19 restrictions, with school disruption, the closure of play facilities, and a lack of social interaction with friends and family. For this reason, you might be keen to provide your children with some sense of normality by holding Halloween celebrations, but how can you do this safely?<\/p>\n
Trick or Treating is probably off the menu this year, since there is an unknown level of infection risk from visiting multiple doors to collect the goods. The rule of six, and local lockdown tiers mean that Halloween parties are a big no, and even if schools are allowing Halloween dress up days, many are stipulating that masks and props are not used in order to reduce the risk of transmission via touch. With so many restrictions, it\u2019s difficult to see how Halloween can still be fun, but here are some ideas that may help.<\/p>\n
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You might have heard of the game Beetle, also known as Beetle drive. This traditional pen and paper game has seen a bit of a resurgence during the pandemic because it can easily be played over video calls. This Halloween, your children could play a spooky version via video conference with friends and family, with the winner being able to help themselves to the treat jar.<\/p>\n
In the traditional Beetle game the aim is to be the first person to draw an entire beetle. Each player takes their turn to roll the dice, and the number on the dice determines which part of the beetle you can draw, for example, roll a six and you can draw the body, roll a 3 to draw a wing etc. This Halloween version uses spiders, which is perhaps better for younger children because they\u2019re easier to draw. You can adapt the game to suit you needs, perhaps adding extra elements etc:<\/p>\n
The winner is the first person to complete a spider with all the parts \u2013 a body, a head, 8 legs, and two pincers \/ fangs.<\/p>\n
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It might not be possible to go trick or treating this year, but that doesn\u2019t mean your children need to miss out on amassing a collection of sweets. You could do a treasure hunt around the house and garden, just like you might do at Easter. If you\u2019re not sure where to start, here\u2019s a few clues to give you some ideas.<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s no reason why you still can\u2019t carve a pumpkin this year, and if you don\u2019t want to put it outside (potentially attracting trick or treaters) it would make for a great centre piece for your Halloween supper. You could take it one step further and have a carving competition between family and friends over video conferencing.<\/p>\n
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Lots of communities are offering an alternative to Halloween trick or treating this year. For example, some towns and villages have organised for houses to have hidden letters amongst their decorations, and when all the letters are collected it spells out a word, with prizes offered for children who can find the word.<\/p>\n
Alternatively, you could take your children out and get them to hunt for decorated houses. For every house they find, you give them a sweet. You could make into more of a challenge by creating a bingo sheet with different things to spot, such as pumpkins, ghosts, gravestones, witches, spiders etc.<\/p>\n
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If you prefer to simply stay in on Halloween then why not organise a spooky movie watch party on your favourite video calling platform. There are plenty of spooky themed movies that are also family friendly. Scoob<\/i> was released just a couple of months ago on digital platforms and sees the return of Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, and the rest of the Mystery Inc crew reunite to prevent the opening of the gates to the underworld. If that doesn\u2019t take your fancy, there are plenty of other movies to choose from, including last year\u2019s animated The Addams Family<\/i>, or for older children, how about the quirky The House With a Clock in Its Walls (2018)<\/i>.<\/p>\n6. Make a Halloween Pinata<\/h2>\n
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