How to Make a Jack-O-Lantern Pinata

Cover a balloon with newspaper strips dipped in a mixture of water and white school glue. Cover in a layer of orange crepe paper. Let dry thoroughly. Glue on eyes, nose and mouth made of construction paper. Cut a hole and fill with candy. Tape shut. Hang the pinata by a rope from a tree and have children break open pinata while blindfolded with a bat. Be very careful that everyone stands far enough back so they don't get hit.

Have the children set an extra place at dinner for their favorite deceased relative.

Serve some of the favorite foods of realtives who have passed away.

Make ghosts out of tissues. Have the children ball one up,then wrap another tissue over top the balled-up one. To form the head and the ghost body, either tie a string at the "neck" or put clear tape around it. Have the children use
markers to make a face.

Have the children draw a Jack-O-Lantern on orange construction paper. Cut out eyes, nose, and mouth. Tape yellow plastic wrap to the back of the Jack-O-Lantern.

Play Pin the nose on the Jack-O-Lantern (Just like pin the tail on the donkey)

Make a brown paper bag Jack-O-Lantern. Fill a brown paper lunch bag with newspaper. Twist shut, and tape to form the stem. Paint orange. Glue on construction paper or paint on facial features.

Cut out many small paper pumpkins. Hide them all over the room. Let the children try to find them all. (Be sure to count how many you hid, otherwise you'll be finding them at Yule time.)

Play pass the pumpkin. You play it just like "Hot Potato," but with a small pumpkin instead. The children sit in a circle. The grown up plays the music. The children pass the pumpkin as quickly as they can. When the music stops, who ever has the pumpkin goes to the middle of the circle. or out of the circle. Then this continues, until all the children are in the middle or out.

Play the "Pumpkin Stew" game. Everyone pretends they have a cauldron and a spoon with their arms. Then they chant, Pumpkin stew, pumpkin stew, what shall we put
in our pumpkin stew." Each child takes a turn saying what they want to put in. It can be as silly a thing as they want it to be.

Make jack-o-lanterns out of oranges. Have the child put whole cloves into an orange in the shape of the features they want.

Make thumbprint spiders. Have the children stick their fingers on an black ink pad and print their fingers on paper. Have them use a black felt marker to make the legs.

Sponge print jack-o-lanterns, cats, cauldrons, bats...or any other Samhain shape by cutting a cheap sponge in that shape and having the children dip them in the paint and print them on paper.