The biggest program we hold at the library is a Halloween Party and Parade, last year we had over 100 people! Not only is this our biggest program but also my favorite! We have several activities set up throughout the Children’s Department and stations throughout the whole library with bowls of candy. We always hold this program on the Friday before Halloween, it starts at 3pm, the parade is at 4pm and we leave the activities out until we close at 5pm. This program requires help from all staff members in all departments and is worth the effort!
Knock Down the Ghosts – For this activity we tapped ghosts onto plastic bottles and put out bean bags. Children would toss the bean bags at the bottles and try to knock them all down in 3 tries.
Treat or Treat Bags – Most children bring their own bag for candy but some do not. To make matters easier we put out some brown bags, crayons and stickers. Children who forgot a bag or didn’t think to bring one can decorate a brown bag and store their loot in it.
Spiderweb Walk – Don’t judge our spiderweb… We (attempted) to use duct tape to create a spider web on the floor. Then we put laminated spiders (you can use bugs as well) onto the tape. Children walked along the web and picked up the spiders as they went. To help reset the game we asked them to walk back around and put the spiders where they would like to on the tape. Some of the spiders ended up in goodies bags so make sure you have plenty for back up!
Spiderweb Throw – I actually found this game for $5 at Target!! All I had to do was find a spot to hang the web and put out the sticky spiders. I was afraid these spiders would go missing so I quickly taped a “please return spiders here” sign to a bowl (very creative) as a reminder for people to put them back when they are done. We ended up not losing any of the spiders!
Monster Craft – While this craft looks really cute it was a little difficult to glue items onto the toilet paper roll. To make these monsters we painted toilet paper rolls (you can use paper towel rolls and cut them), put out monster parts (from Somewhat Simple) and sticker eyes. Children picked the pieces they wanted and glued them onto the roll. Make sure to use a lot of glue and hold them down!
Mix and Match Monster Flannel Board – Since we get such a wide range of ages (infants to teens) I like to put this flannel board in the play area, this way the younger children still have something Halloween related to play with.
Parade – I always give candy bowls (I add stickers, plastic rings, etc) to the staff members at the stations right before the parade starts. I have had issues with patrons starting the parade early or with adult patrons raiding the candy bowls. Then I line the children up as best as I can and lead the parade. It’s always helpful to have other staff members standing along the way to encourage children to keep moving and to help late comers get in line.
The Children’s Department staff dressed up as Elephant, Piggie, Pigeon and Duckling!
