13 Nights of Halloween is Here!

ABC Family's 13 Nights of Halloween is officially under way starting tomorrow night (although, for me, it should be 15 nights with the start of Harry Potter). The line up includes, Switched At Birth and Pretty Little Liars Halloween Specials, The Mummy, Adam's Family, Adam's Family Values, Beetle Juice, Edward Scissor Hands, Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo 2, The Haunted Mansion, The Sorcerer's Stone, and Monster House. Of course, one movie that has become a Halloween must watch is being featured several times is, Hocus Pocus. One movie that seems to be missing from the line up is the beloved Casper. Why it is not on the list is strange, but hopefully it will be featured on another channel line up.

So, get ready to have fun and enjoy some good family Halloween movies (just avoid the showings of the 3rd Poltergeist).

Autumn Craft: Leaf Wreath

Autumn Leaf Wreath

A leaf wreath is a great craft for adults and children. This wreath is particularly easy, made for children, and can be used as a hanging wreath or a wreath around the base of a candle.

Materials:

• 1 paper plate (such as Dixie)
• Tape or glue or glue gun
• A variety of autumn leaves, real or fake
• Hole puncher
• 1 autumn colored ribbon

Directions:

1. Collect a variety of colored leaves from a walk or grab some fake leaves from a craft store. Dry the leaves using a paper towel.
2. Cut the center of the plate out (don't worry about rough edges, they will be hidden by the leaves).
3. Use a hole puncher to make a hole close to the top of the plate.
4. Using the backside of the plate, place the larger leaves on first using glue, double sided tape, or a glue gun (if using glue, let dry before moving on to the next step).
5. Take the remaining leaves and create layers for volume and to hide any evidence of a plate behind the leaves.
6. String a ribbon through the hole, let the glue dry and hang in windows or on a door, or use at the base of a pillar candle.

Kids love doing this craft, and it is a great craft to use in schools or as a way to introduce leaves and autumn colors to young kids.

Children's Halloween Books

Halloween Books For Young Kids

Halloween is an exciting time for children, and teaching them about the season through books is a wonderful way to prepare them for the exciting evening. Here is a list of books that have been fun to read to our kids.

1. My First Halloween by Tomie DePaola
2. Baby Snoopy's Pumpkin by Charles M. Schulz and Tom Brannon
3. A Pumpkin For Pooh by RH Disney, Frank Berrios, and illustrated by Gus Alavezos
4. Halloween ABC (Little Golden Books) by Sarah Albee and Julia Woolf
5. The ABC's of Halloween by Patti Reeder Eubank
6. Clifford's First Halloween, Clifford's Halloween, and Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween (Clifford the Big Red Dog)
7. The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing
8. Little Scribbles: Halloween Fun with Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano and Susan Banta
9. What Is Halloween? by Michelle Medlock Adams and illustrated by Amy Wummer
10. Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer Barrett O'Connell
11. Haunted Castle on All Hallows Eve by Mary Pope Osbourne (great for 7 year olds)
12. The Best Halloween Ever! by Barbara Robinson (another great one for 7 up)
13. There Little Old Lady Who Swallowed A Bat by Lucille Colandro
14. The Berenstein Bears: The Spooky Old Tree by Stan and Jan Berenstein
15. The Littlest Pumpkin by R.A. Herman and Betina Ogden

These are some of our favorite books. Anothe one is soon to be The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, a timeless classic. Happy reading!