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Spooktacular Silliness
"I love Halloween!
We get to dress up and pretend to be lots of scary monsters and ghosts, and it’s fun because we get to play with others. Somehow, with all of our friends around, these scary things don’t seem scary, they seem silly! I always find it better to have Herman with me, just in case. After all, he’s a monster! But I know he would rather eat a cookie or a piece of candy than eat me, haha!
So, if you are planning to have a Halloween party this year, or are just looking for something different to do this October, here are a few spooktacular ideas you can explore with family and friends. Try telling a Ghost Story, or Bobbing for Apples." - Oscar
Bob for Apples
This is a really fun classic game played in Autumn, and we like to play on Halloween. It’s super easy. All you do is try to catch an apple that is floating in some water with JUST YOUR TEETH! It’s harder than it looks, but it’s a lot of fun. Bunnies like me love this because of our big amazing buck teeth.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
A large bowl, big enough to fill with water and a few apples. We use one of the large bowls you use for candy for trick-or-treaters.
A bunch of apples. Apples are delicious, and are naturally in season in the Fall. You should be able to find your favorite kind at a grocery, farmers market, or fruit stand.
A Towel, to dry off after all of the splashing that will happen.
A Timer or music, if you want to make it a competition.
HOW TO PLAY:
1. First fill the bowl most of the way up (¾) with some water.
(You’ll be sticking your face in it, so make sure it’s not too hot or too cold.)
2. Then put apples in the water.
There should be plenty of apples floating around, but they should still be able to move around the bowl. If they don’t move there are too many apples. Just pull out a few for the next person.
Hint: If you’re playing this game with friends you may want to divide the apples between players, so no one has to share apples that have been in someone else’s mouth. Just put a few apples into the water when it’s that person’s turn.
3. When you’re ready to play, put both arms behind your back. You are only allowed to use your mouth and your teeth to catch an apple.
4. Now have someone start the timer or music, and try to catch an apple!
TIPS:
Breathing is important
Your face may go under the water trying to get the apple, so don’t take a big breath in. You can’t breathe water silly! Be careful.
No cheating!
Part of what makes this fun is that it is completely ridiculous. Everyone looks so silly splashing around with their faces in the water. So ONLY use your mouth. No hands. No feet. Just teeth and lips. Good luck!
Make it a competition!
See who can catch one the fastest.
Or who can catch the most in a certain amount of time.
Or, if your grown up allows, have everyone take turns in the same basin of apples and see who catches one first.
There are so many ways to play. Just make sure to be safe and have fun with a grown up watching.
Ghost Stories
Spooky stories are...well...spooky! But that doesn’t mean they can’t be fun too! Sometimes, getting a little excited and scared can give us a thrill. But if you think you might get too scared, remember that ghost stories are just that...stories, like anything else you read, and are simply a part of our imagination. But if you’d like to keep on a nightlight or hug a teddy bear, go right ahead. We always have Leonard with us too.
Here’s a story that’s just a little spooky which you can read with your loved ones on a dark October evening.
Yellow Ribbon
A Spooky Wisconsin Story
retold by S.E. Schlosser
Jane wore a yellow ribbon around her neck everyday.
And I mean everyday, rain or shine, whether it matched her outfit or not. It annoyed her best friend Johnny after awhile. He was her next door neighbor and had known Jane since she was three. When he was young, he had barely noticed the yellow ribbon, but now they were in high school together, it bothered him.
“Why do you wear that yellow ribbon around your neck, Jane?” he’d ask her every day. But she wouldn’t tell him.
Still, in spite of this aggravation, Johnny thought she was cute. He asked her to the soda shoppe for an ice cream sundae. Then he asked her to watch him play in the football game. Then he started seeing her home. And come the spring, he asked her to the dance. Jane always said yes when he asked her out. And she always wore a yellow dress to match the ribbon around her neck.
It finally occurred to Johnny that he and Jane were going steady, and he still didn’t know why she wore the yellow ribbon around her neck. So he asked her about it yet again, and yet again she did not tell him. “Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it,” she’d reply. Someday! That answer annoyed Johnny, but he shrugged it off, because Jane was so cute and fun to be with.
Well, time flew past, as it has a habit of doing, and one day Johnny proposed to Jane and was accepted. They planned a big wedding, and Jane hinted that she might tell him about the yellow ribbon around her neck on their wedding day. But somehow, what with the preparations and his beautiful bride, and the lovely reception, Johnny never got around to asking Jane about it. And when he did remember, she got a bit teary-eyed, and said: “We are so happy together, what difference does it make?” And Johnny decided she was right.
Johnny and Jane raised a family of four, with the usual ups and downs, laughter and tears. When their golden anniversary rolled around, Johnny once again asked Jane about the yellow ribbon around her neck. It was the first time he’d brought it up since the week after their wedding. Whenever their children asked him about it, he’d always hushed them, and somehow none of the kids had dared ask their mother. Jane gave Johnny as sad look and said: “Johnny, you’ve waited this long. You can wait awhile longer.”
And Johnny agreed. It was not until Jane was on her death bed a year later that Johnny, seeing his last chance slip away, asked Jane one final time about the yellow ribbon she wore around her neck. She shook her head a bit at his persistence, and then said with a sad smile: “Okay Johnny, you can go ahead and untie it.”
With shaking hands, Johnny fumbled for the knot and untied the yellow ribbon around his wife’s neck.
And Jane’s head fell off.
DO you have any fun Halloween traditions? Send us some fanmail (located on the homepage) and let us know!
And be sure to watch Episode 9 - The Haunt to see what happened at our Halloween party this year...MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Happy Halloween!
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