Games, Activities and Crafts
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Pin The Smile On The Pumpkin
Make a huge pumpkin out of poster board. Decorate the pumpkin with eyes minus a smile. Make a smile for each child out of black construction paper. Then play the game pin the smile on the pumpkin.
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Mummy Dress Up
Let the children wrap each other in toilet paper and pretend to be a mummy.
Pin The Tail On The Cat
Cut out a cat shape from black felt. Use fabric paint to add the eyes, nose, and whiskers. Cut out several tails from black felt and sew or glue the hook side of Velcro onto the end that attaches to the cat. The hook Velcro will stick to the felt anywhere the children put it. They play the game just like pin the tail on the donkey.
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Shaving Fun
Spray shaving cream on your carved pumpkin. Take turns shaving the pumpkin with safety razors that have the blades removed.
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Ghost Callers/Ghost Hunt
Materials: Two ghosts; draw them or use two ghost figures.
Directions: Cut white construction paper into 4"x5" pieces. Roll and tape to form tubes.
These are the ghost callers. Make one for each child.
1. Go on a ghost hunt. Show everyone the two ghosts. Have children close their eyes. Supervising adult hides the ghosts.
2. Children open eyes and count 1-2-3 GHOST! On the count of "ghost" the hunt begins.
3. The children who find the two ghosts sit by the supervising adult. Give them a ghost caller and let them make ghost noises for the next ghost hunt. The noise helps call the ghosts from their hiding places.
4. Continue until all children are making ghost noises.
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Pass The Pumpkin
Sit in a circle. Provide a plastic pumpkin for children to pass while the supervising adult beats on a drum. Children pass the pumpkin to the tempo of the music. Alternate between fast and slow. When the music stops the child who has the pumpkin stands and takes a bow. Continue.
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Pumpkin Count...
Provide small plastic pumpkins. Number each 1-10. Have the children count out the correct number of pumpkin seeds to each pumpkin.
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Sensory Table...
Materials: wet sand, Samhain cookie cutters, kitchen utensils, orange and black clay, several mini pumpkins, small gourds, Indian corn, Autumn leaves, pine cones, nuts, magnifying lenses and microscope (if available and age appropriate), Treat some cotton balls that have been with scents from the pantry (pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, peppermint extract, lemon peel, orange peel, etc.) and put them in some small plastic bags or perhaps some small plastic pumpkins used for treats.
Children feel the different textures, smell the scents, look at a variety of colors, and examine them close up with the magnifying lenses and microscope. You may wish to add parts of your pumpkins after you are done carving it. Children enjoy the texture but don't get upset if they get a little messy.
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The Count's Costume/Samhain Shop
Set up the Count's Costume Shop. Provide children with black capes or pieces of fabric and Samhain items to count. Ideas you could use include: Apples, plastic spiders, tiny pumpkins, masks, etc.
You may wish to use old costumes from previous years to cut the cost of this center. Provide pencils, paper, cash register and "dressing rooms" to try on costumes. Children may take turns selling and buying costumes and other items.
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Samhain Customs
Discuss the history of Samhain, the date and customs.
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Superstitions
Discuss what a superstition is. Give examples such as rabbits foot, Friday The 13th, Broken mirrors, walking under a ladder, horseshoe, finding a penny heads up. Give examples of both good and the bad.
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Pumpkins
Discuss the life cycle of a pumpkin. (great for reviewing how the wheel of the year turns and continues) Have the children estimate the circumference of a pumpkin by cutting a piece of string that they believe will fit around the pumpkin. Have each child test their string.
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Discuss the difference between a Jack-O-Lantern and a pumpkin.
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Pin The Stem On The Pumpkin
Have the child(ren) paint a large cardboard pumpkin shape. When the pumpkin is dry, secure it to the wall or your bulletin board. Give each child a construction paper stem with a piece of tape looped at the top. Let each child cover or close their eyes and let them try to pin the stem on the pumpkin. You could also make the pumpkin and stems from felt and use Velcro on the stem pieces for a re-usable game.
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Bright Futures
Materials:
10-12 flower bulbs, A trowel or small shovel, a small spot of earth for a flower bed.
Decide where you want the flowers to bloom in the spring. Dig the holes for each bulb two and one half time the diameter of the bulb. Place or pour some fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. Place in the bulb, root side down, and cover with dirt. Water the area well. (Tell the children about how the bulbs are buried just as the Sun God starts his journey to the Underworld. Just as he is not really dead, neither are the bulbs. They are warm and alive beneath the ground, in the womb of the Mother Earth, gathering strength for when they emerge and bloom as bright as the Sun, come next spring.)
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Natural Old Maid
Materials:
21 leaves, 21 index cards, glue, felt markers.
This is a two part activity. Start a couple of days before Samhain by sending the children outside to gather leaves. These leaves should not be thoroughly dried and crinkled up, but rather turning color and still pliable. Explain the importance of getting the leaves from the ground rather than off the bushes or trees. Press the leaves by placing them between paper towels and stacking books on top of them. After 2 or three days, remove the leaves and select 10 pairs and one odd-one-out. Glue the leaves to the index cards, and allow the children to decorate each pair as desired. Shuffle the cards and deal till all the cards are dealt. Each child picks a card from the one on their left, laying down pairs for all to see. Play continues until all pairs are matched. The child holding the odd card WINS.
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Nature Says
Materials:
Acorns, pine cones, rocks, seeds, leaves, twigs, or any other natural item.
Have the child(ren) gather all natural items in the backyard, or if hiking along the trail. Assign an action to each type of item, such as *rock--jump*, *twig-hop*, etc. Start by showing one object, and the children calling out the associated action, then acting it out. As they catch on, start laying out the items in "sentences" on the ground. Watch the silliness and laughter grow. (Explain to the children that in ancient times children made up games with only natural materials. That there were no TVs or radios, or bikes, etc. Remind them that Nature is not only beautiful, but fun, too.) Play continues until all pairs are matched. The child holding the odd card WINS.
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Hide and Seek
Materials:
Rocks and Sticks.
This can be played in the backyard, along a nature trail, or at the beach. First the adult goes down the path and leaves "directions for the children to follow. The directions are made by placing piles of rocks and twigs along the side of the path. Perhaps three rocks and a twig sticking out to the left means that the next clue is three steps forward and to the left. One rock in a circle of twigs could mean to stand still, turn slowly in a circle for the next clue. Next, the child and a second adult start down the path and try to find you. (Explain how the villagers and others would find their way to each other and back home again by leave natural "secret clues" along the various paths.) Play continues until all pairs are matched. The child holding the odd card WINS.
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Samhain walk
Form line on one side of room. Cross room in following ways: 1). Fly like a bat; 2) gallop like a cowboy on a horse; 3) hop like a bunny; 4) roll like a pumpkin; 5) dance like a princess; 6) creep like a cat; 7) walk like a skeleton; 8) float like a ghost; 9) stomp like a monster 10). sweep with your broom Play continues until all pairs are matched. The child holding the odd card WINS.
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Pumpkin Concentration
Make 6 pairs of pumpkin faces on 12 white index cards. Mix up the cards. Let the children take turns matching the pumpkin faces. You may wish to make more with faces that are fairly similar to challenge the older/wiser child(ren). Play continues until all pairs are matched. The child holding the odd card WINS.
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The Pumpkins Are Here
Procedure: Give each child a pumpkin cutout that has been mounted on a craft stick. Then as verse is recited, have children hold their pumpkins as indicated by the words.
The pumpkins are here; the pumpkins are there. The pumpkins, the pumpkins are everywhere. The pumpkins are up; the pumpkins are down. The pumpkins, the pumpkins are all around. The pumpkins are in; the pumpkins are out. The pumpkins, the pumpkins are all about. The pumpkins are low; the pumpkins are high. The pumpkins, the pumpkins all say, "Good-bye."
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Game-Trick or Treat
Procedure: Place slips of paper in a brown lunch bag. On each write down a different "trick" such as "hop on one foot" or "close your eyes and touch your nose." Have each child in turn, say, "trick or treat" and draw a paper from the bag. When she performs the "trick" say "treat" and give her either a Samhain sticker, raisins or granola or a couple pieces of candy corn.
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Samhain Pantomime
Move as if you are: Carrying a great big pumpkin. A little baby ghost. Putting on your Samhain costume. Carving a little tiny pumpkin. Going up and down a porch's steps trick or treating. Jumping up to say Boo-oo-oo. A big black cat. See if the children can guess what you are performing and then see what they can come up with and act out.
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Witch, Witch, Ghost
(Play exactly like "Duck, duck, goose"--just change the names. You can play this game all the time but change the names to fit theme or holiday
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Witch and Her Familiar Game
Procedure: Children sit on the floor in a half circle. One child plays the witch and stands a short distance away with her back to the familiars. One of the children is pointed to, by the adult who is helping and the child "meows" "grunts" or makes a "ribbit" sound. The "witch" turns around and tries to guess which child is the familiar and what animal the familiar is. Continue until everyone has a turn.
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Black Cat Hunt
Procedure: Hide many paper black cats around the house so that children do not have to move objects to find them. Have children each hold hands with a partner. Each pair of children must find as many black cats as they can without letting go of their partner's hand. After the hunt, everybody meows, and receives cat food from the supervising adult such as candy corn, etc.
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Samhain Hop
Procedure: Supervising adult is the Silly Witch with the broom. "It is Samhain Night and it is very dark outside. I am a very silly witch and I am going to cast a very silly spell on you. I am going to wave my broom and turn all of you into frogs. Now, how do frogs move around? They Jump. Every time I wave my broom, you will all jump around. When I put my broom down, you will all stop. " You can try with different themes such as ghost, cat, vampire, etc.
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Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Procedure: Place paper pumpkins, all different colors, and without stems, on floor. Give each child a stem that matches one of the pumpkins. Then form a circle, and walk around the pumpkins as you chant: Pumpkin, pumpkin without a stem, laying in the pumpkin patch. Here comes (name a child) with a stem of(child names color) to match. (Child then matches stem to correct pumpkin. Continue.)
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Finger puppet ghosts
Procedure: Put white adhesive tape on each child's index finger(over top) and add eyes with black permanent marker. Have children recite and act out with ghost fingers. Little ghost(2), flying through the air. Little ghost(2)tickling my hair. Little ghost (2) flying way down low. Little ghost (2) tickling my toe. Little ghost (2) circling all around. Little ghost (2) please sit down. And--The ghosts fly in. The ghosts fly out. The ghosts are certainly all about. The ghosts fly high and then dive low. They're always spooky
where ever they go.
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Place mats/Counters
Find an appropriate haunted house pattern. Make several copies and color, decorate, and laminate them as place mats with clear contact paper. Find white lima beans at the grocery store and turn them into ghost counters. Add eyes and mouth to the beans and you have a great math center for Samhain. Have the kids put the ghosts in the haunted house and count them as they go.
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Sorting
For a sorting activity, use various Samhain treats such as spiders and bat rings of different colors or pumpkin and ghost light covers or erasers. Many of these items can be found very inexpensively at the Dollar Store or discount department stores at this time of year.
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The Very Hungry Pumpkin
Procedure: Put paper pumpkins of different colors in the middle of the circle. Begin a story by telling the child(ren) that an orange pumpkin (hold up orange one) was very hungry, and so he ate a banana and turned------. Child(ren) say(s) "yellow" and picks up the yellow pumpkin and hands it to the supervising adult. Supervising adult holds it and continues with other food items such as an apple, lime, chocolate ice cream, the sky, peas, etc. etc. Continue the same way. At the end, ask child(ren) to think of a food the pumpkin could eat, so he could turn orange again.
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Felt Math Pumpkin
Cut pumpkin from orange felt. Have variety of black felt shapes in box for features. Include, half circles, crescents, ovals, triangles, circles, and squares. Supervising adult instructs child to make face of jack-o-lantern using particular shapes. For ex. "Decorate jack-o-lantern using 2 triangles for eyes, square for nose, and crescent for mouth." A variation is to draw several jack-o-lanterns models using outline of shapes for features. Child matches felt shapes to model. You might also use paper to make this item but may wish to cover the shapes with clear contact paper to make them more durable.
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Mr. Skeleton
Display skeleton decoration which can be purchased or drawn. Count number of ribs, bones in hand, leg bones, arm bones. Make a graph and compare the differences.
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Ten Little Pumpkins
Cut 10 pumpkin shapes out of orange paper and place on table in front of child(ren). Remove the shapes one at a time as you recite the poem below.
Ten little pumpkins all in a line One became a jack-o-lantern, then there were 9
Nine little pumpkins peeking through the gate An farmer came and took one, then there were 8
Eight little pumpkins (there never were 11) A green goblin took one, then there were 7
Seven little pumpkins full of jolly tricks, A white ghost took one, now there are 6
Six little pumpkins glad to be alive, A black cat took one and then there were 5
Five little pumpkins by the barn door A hoot owl took one, then there were 4
Four little pumpkins (as you can plainly see) One became a pumpkin pie then there were 3.
Three little pumpkins feeling very blue, One rolled far away, then there were 2.
Two little pumpkins alone in the sun, One said "S long", and then there was 1
One little pumpkin left all alone A little boy chose him, then there were none.
10 little pumpkins in a patch so green made everyone happy on Halloween!
Order by Size
Have several pumpkins for children to order from smallest to largest (paper pumpkins can be used also). If you are using real pumpkins you may wish to use a kitchen scale, tape measure, ruler and other measuring devices to show how each pumpkin differs. Try making a graph and putting information for each one on the chart to see differences.
Measurement
Write" How many pumpkins tall are you?" on the top of long strip of craft paper. Glue paper pumpkins on the paper and number them from bottom up. Tape the chart on wall so children can measure their height.
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Paper Plate Bat
Using a small paper plate, paint black with black finger paint, let dry. Cut triangle shapes from black construction paper, 3 for each wing and lay them out so you can glue the two top corners to another triangle. Fasten the wings to the back of the paper plate and draw a face with white correction fluid or chalk. Punch a hole in the top to hang.
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Egg Cup Spiders
Give each child a cardboard egg carton cup and four 4" pipe cleaner pieces. Help the children poke their pipe cleaners through their egg cups to make spider legs. Have them bend the legs slightly downward. Let the children paint their spiders black and glue on plastic moving eyes.
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Fabric Softener Sheet Ghosts
Ever wondered what to do with old fabric softener sheets? Why not make a spooky little Ghost! And they smell great too! Don't have enough sheets? Use white tissue paper instead. You will need: Three used fabric softener sheets; Some string or an elastic band; A black marker. Crumple two of the sheets into a ball. Put the other piece on the table, spread out and flat. The put the ball of tissue paper in the center of the flat peace. Pull up all the corners and squeeze the paper just under the ball (it should look like a ghost shape now). Tie the string or elastic band (just under the ball). Add eyes and a mouth with the marker. Voila! A little Ghost!!
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Paper Napkin Ghosts
Have children make paper ghosts from unfolded white paper napkins. Help them place cotton balls in the center of the napkin. Show them how pull down the corners of the napkin over the cotton ball. Tie a piece of white yarn around the "neck". Use markers to draw a face. Tape a thin piece of string from the top of the head and hang from the ceiling.
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What's Inside a Pumpkin?
Materials: 2 paper plates per child, pumpkin seeds, crayons, paints, or markers. Paint or color paper plates orange on their reverse sides-children may wish to draw a face on one or both sides-perhaps one scary and the other smiling. Put a handful of seeds in one plate and glue the other plate on top creating a pocket by gluing them facing each other-right sides together. This makes a cute tambourine for rituals.
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Mr. Pumpkin Head
Get a real pumpkin and supply washable markers, and props such as glasses, paper mustache, hats, scarves, and wigs. Let each child have turn to decorate and dress up pumpkin. When next child's turn - just wash the markers off!
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Pumpkin Painting
After Samhain, use your carved jack-o-lantern for print making. Cut the pumpkin into chunks and let children design pulp by using nails. Press on ink pads then on construction paper.
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Ghosts
Supervising adult or child draws ghost(s) on white paper with white crayon. Children then paint paper with dark water colors or diluted tempera paint wash. Encourage child to paint entire page. Ghosts appear through paint.
Scrap Paper Jack-O-Lantern
Draw a circle on black construction paper. Paint circle with glue. Tear scraps of orange paper into small pieces. Arrange scraps on glue. Add torn scraps of yellow paper for eyes, nose and mouth.
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Turnip the Lights
Materials:
Materials: 1 turnip and one flashlight per child. Sharp knife (adults only) and spoon
Slice off the top of each medium size purple-top turnip. Hollow out the middle with the knife and spoon. Save the turnip meat (remind children "waste not, want not") for cooking later. Carefully carve facial features through one side of the turnip. Cut a circle in the bottom of the turnip to fit snug over the head of a flashlight. Turn on the flashlight to go trick-or-treat-ing. (Tell the children about how the Celt children would dress in all white, dress up as the opposite gender, or wear straw disguises to fool the spirits out walking around on Samhain)
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Jack-o-Twist Lantern
Materials:
1 mini pumpkin , knife (adults only) spoon, peeler and 1 taper candle for each "lantern"
Cut the top off of a mini pumpkin. Make sure the opening is no larger than the candle bottom. Remove the seeds with a small spoon or the tip of a peeler. Allow children to paint faces on the pumpkins before sticking a taper candle into it. Carefully cut the center out of the top of the pumpkin, slightly smaller hole than in the pumpkin itself, and slip over the candle. Press the top down gently until it is a tight fit. ( Explain to the children how the Pagan children used turnips rather than pumpkins to make Jack-o-Lanterns, as pumpkins were not indigenous to Europe, but rather introduced after the discovery of North America.)
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Hand Print ghosts
Have the children paint their hands white and press onto black construction paper. When they dry have the children turn them upside down and add faces.
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Leaf Witches
Have children glue down pressed leaves on construction paper for witches body. Then allow them to fill in their own features on the witch. Perhaps they would like to have the witch riding on a broom or standing next to her cauldron, a familiar, etc.
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Trick-or-Treat bags
Provide large paper bags. Fold down twice, staple handle on made from cording or twine and let children decorate front and back-some ideas for decorating are stickers, feathers, buttons, string, felt or fabric scraps, sequins, beads, paper, paints, markers or crayons.
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Ghost Magnet
Make a ghost cut out of black construction paper and place in an old oatmeal canister with one teaspoon white paint and marbles and shake. Makes a really cute spooky ghost. Mount them on fun foam and add glitter and a magnet for a spooky refrigerator magnet.
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Spooky Spider Webs
Put a paper plate in a pie pan and give the children a small dab of black paint. You can also paint a paper plate black and do the activity with the white paint to look more realistic. After the small dab of paint is placed on the child's plate, drop a marble in and let the child move the pie pan in all different directions to make a spooky spider web. After it has dried, punch a hole in the plate and attach a plastic spider ring or sponge paint a spider in the web.
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Rattling Skeletons
Use white paper to form 5 paper chains, and then connect to make a skeleton. Trace children's hands and feet on white paper, cut and glue to the ends of the arms and legs. Cut an oval shape and draw on the face. This is a great time to talk about how we need our bones and perhaps to discuss the names of some of them according to the child's age.
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Tempera Paint Spider Webs
Using runny black paint, allow the children to use a straw to blow the paint across the page to make a spider's web.
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Glue Ghosts
Have the child draw a ghost outline on a piece of waxed paper, and then have them fill in the outline with white school glue. Dry overnight, and then have the child add facial features with an indelible marker or use some "moving" eyes and a tiny scrap of felt for a mouth. Have the supervising adult use a sharp awl or compass to punch a hole on the top of the head and place on a string and you have a spooky ghost necklace.
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Samhain Pasta Collage
Check out your local grocery store, Michael's, Trader Joe's, or Ben Franklin craft store to find pasta in Samhain shapes. Let your kids create a cool collage with the pasta and whatever else you decide to add.
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Samhain Cookie Cutter Prints
Buy an assortment of Samhain cookie cutters. Let the children dip the cookie cutters into paint and then press onto paper.
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Samhain Pasta Necklaces
Find Samhain shaped pasta. Let your children string the pasta shapes on a piece of yarn to create a necklace or bracelet.
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Footprint Ghosts
Paint each child's foot with white paint and print it on a black sheet of construction paper. When it dries add eyes to the heel part of the foot for the ghost's head.
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Paper Bag Pumpkins
Materials: Lunch size paper bags Orange paint, black paint, green paint, newspaper, string
Directions: Have the children crumple up newspaper and stuff their paper bags so they are full. Twist the un-stuffed part of the bag and tie at the bottom to make a stem. Let the children paint their pumpkins. Have children paint the bag orange. Paint the facial features black and the stem green. You may wish to have them paint the orange first and allow the bag to dry completely before painting the facial features.
*variation: Use a large grocery bag in the same way
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Pumpkin Painting
Buy several tiny pumpkins. Cut them in half. Let the children dip the pumpkin halves
into paint to make prints.
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Cheese Cloth Ghosts
Materials:
Cheese cloth 2 cups white glue 16-oz. plastic cups
Directions:
Dilute the white glue with (PI) to <= cups of water. Let the children dip a piece of cheesecloth into the diluted glue. Have the children drape the wet cheesecloth over the 16 oz. cups. Let the "ghosts" dry for two days. Carefully remove the cup from the hardened cheesecloth. Let the children decorate their ghosts. Hang the completed ghosts from the ceiling.
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Puffy Paint Cobwebs
Mix equal parts of flour, salt, and water in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into squeeze bottles. Give each child a black paper plate or a piece of black construction paper. Let the children squeeze the white puffy paint onto the black paper. When the puffy paint dries, it will look like glittery cobwebs.
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Spiders Web
Materials:
String or yarn 6 6 inch pieces of string 4 12 inch pieces of string Diluted white glue or liquid starch Wax paper
Directions:
Let the children dip pieces of string into dishes of glue or starch. Then have them lay their strings on wax paper to create the spider's web. Lay the string in the shape of a spiral overlapping the ends. Lay the large pieces of string over the spiral in the shape of a cross. When the strings dry, they will become stiff and hold their shapes. You may hang them from the ceiling or in corners for decorations.
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Spooky Finger
Make a small hole in the bottom of a small cottage cheese or similar container near the edge. Put some cotton in the bottom and the container will be ready. To fool your friends, paint the first finger of one hand with red poster paint around the bottom edge. You may wish to put a bit of paint on the cotton balls as well. Stick your painted finger through the hole and bend it inward. Let the rest of your fingers grip the container naturally. Arrange the cotton around your finger to hide the hole. Cover the container and ask one of your unsuspecting friends to remove the lid. When he does, move the finger up and down.
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Balloon Jack-o-Lanterns
blow up an orange balloon for each child. Out of construction paper make face and feet pieces to create a jack-o-lantern. You may apply these pieces to the balloon with rubber cement.
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Pass the pumpkin
This is played like hot potato using a small real pumpkin or toy pumpkin. Children pass the pumpkin to spooky or other Samhain inspired music while seated in a circle. When the music stops that child holding the pumpkin is out and receives a small prize like a sticker, pencil or lollipop. At the end of the game, the last child left receives a bigger prize like crayons, coloring book or notebook.
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Decorate masks
Need: plastic half masks(found in dollar stores or party stores. Usually you can get 12 in a pack). Buttons, sequins, feathers, scraps of fabric, felt and paper, pom-poms, stickers, "gems", beads, glue, tape etc.
Allow child(ren) to decorate masks any way they like. They really enjoy this and they will make a great addition to any costume center you might have.
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Samhain Votives:
Collect one baby food jar, one votive, back & orange tissue paper, glue and paint brush for each child.
Soak labels off of jars. Let the jars dry. Let each child cut tissue paper pieces and glue onto the jar with paint brush...Much like a decoupage. They can make mosaics or even a jack-o-lantern. With permanent marker add child's name and date to the bottom of the jar. Add a votive These are a wonderful, keepsake to use year after year on the altar or for a child's personal altar.
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PUMPKIN PATCH
Materials: brown construction paper, green yarn, cotton balls, dry orange tempera paint, glue & glue sticks
small plastic bag
Procedure: Shake cotton balls and paint in the bag. Children glue green yarn (vines) and orange cotton balls (pumpkins) onto brown paper to make a pumpkin patch.
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Finger Plays, Chants and Songs
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Samhain safety rules Chant
Please make sure you go with a friend, someone who'll stay with you up until the end.
With this rule, I can't be more graphic...When you go Trick or Treating, watch out for traffic.
If you're alone don't talk to a stranger, this is one way you'll stay out of danger.
When Trick or Treating, act just like a pro--Only go to houses of people that you know.
After getting treats, don't forget to say: "Thank you very much!" And then go on your way.
Last is a rule that can't be beat: Let your parents check your treats right before you eat.
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Five Little Goblins On A Samhain Night
Five little goblins on a Samhain night Made a very, very spooky site The first one danced on his tippy-tip-toes The next one tumbled and bumped his nose Than next one jumped high up in the air The next one sang a Samhain song Five goblins played the whole night long
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Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins (hold up fingers for pumpkins) Sitting on a gate The first once said "Oh my! It's getting late" The second one said, "There are witches in the air" The third once said " But we don't care" The fourth once said "It's Samhain fun" Ooooooh went the wind And out when the lights (clap hands to the word "out") And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight (roll arms)
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Friendly Ghost
Sung to Are You Sleeping
I'm a friendly ghost; I'm a friendly ghost
Watch me fly; watch me fly
I can fly right through the air
See how all the people stare
Way up high
In the Sky
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Jack-O-Lantern
I am a pumpkin, big and round (use arms to show size of pumpkin) Once upon the time I grew on the ground (point to the ground) Now I have a mouth, two eyes, a nose (point to features on your face) What are they there for, do you suppose? (Right forefinger to forehead, thinking gesture) When I have a candle inside (hold up right forefinger) Shining bright I'll be a Jack-O-Lantern on Samhain night! (Thumbs in armpits-bragging gesture)
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On A Dark, Dark Night
On a dark, dark, night In a dark, dark wood In a dark, dark house In a dark, dark room In a dark, dark cupboard On a dark, dark shelf In a dark, dark box There was a GHOST!
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Poor Willy The Witch
Poor Willy The Witch Not too rich Had a big itch Fell in a ditch Poor Willy The Witch
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Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Pumpkin, pumpkin Sitting on a wall (have children sit down) Pumpkin, pumpkin Tip and fall (have children tip over) Pumpkin, pumpkin Rolling down the street (child rolls on floor) Pumpkin, pumpkin Trick or treat!!!!
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"The Haunted House"
Tune of "Wheels on the Bus"
The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!" "Boo! Boo! Boo!, Boo! Boo! Boo!" The ghost in the house goes "Boo! Boo! Boo!" On Samhain night.
Continue with the following verses:
The steps in the house goes "Creek, creek, creek..."
The cats in the house go "Meow, meow, meow..."
The mice in the house go "Squeak, squeak, squeak.."
The people in the house go "Eek, eek, eek...".
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Mr. Pumpkin
sung to Are You Sleeping
Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin, Eyes so round, eyes so round. Samhain is coming, Samhain is coming, To my town, to my town.
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Dress Up
A pretty princess wears a crown (form circle above head) Bunny's ears flop up and down (place hands above head and move up & down) A beautiful ballerina dances to and fro(dance) A funny clown laughs "Ho, ho, ho". 2 green eyes shine from a cat(circle eyes) A scary witch wears a pointy hat (form point with arms above head) Jack-O-Lanterns shine so bright (form circle with arms) Happy children on Samhain night!
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Witch on Samhain
Tune Farmer in the Dell
The witch on Samhain, the witch on Samhain, Heigh ho, let's trick or treat, the witch on Samhain 2nd verse: The witch chooses a goblin 3rd verse: the goblin chooses a bat 4th verse: the bat chooses a cat 5th verse: the cat chooses a ghost. 6th verse: the ghosts says, "Boo!" 7th verse: they all screech and scream
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Hooky Spooky Tune: Hokey Pokey
Put your right arm in, put your right arm out, Put your right arm in and shake it all about Do the Hooky Spooky and everybody shout "That's what it's all about! BOO!"
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Jack-O-Lantern
Jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, you are such a funny sight (form circle with fingers) As you sit there by the window, looking out at the night (make square with fingers and point to eyes) You were once a sturdy pumpkin growing on a vine (move finger like following vine) Now you are a jack-o-lantern, see the light shine (form circle with fingers of one hand, place finger of other hand in center of circle)
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Deck the Patch
Deck the patch with orange and black Fa La La La La La La La La Take along your goody sack Fa La La La La La La La La Don we now our gay apparel Fa La La La La La La La La Toll the Ancient Pumpkin Carol Fa La La La La La La La La
O Pumpkin Cards
O Pumpkin cards! O Pumpkin cards! carry greetings to my friends. Let them know the day is here When Great Pumpkin will appear. O Pumpkin cards! O Pumpkin cards! Carry greetings to my friends.
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Great Pumpkin is coming to Town
You better not shriek, You better not groan, You better not howl, You better not moan, Great Pumpkin is comin' to town! He's going to find out From folds that he meets Who deserves tricks And who deserves treats, Great Pumpkin is comin' to town! He'll search in every pumpkin patch, Haunted houses far and near, To see if you've been spreading gloom Or bringing lot's of cheer. So you better not shriek, You better not groan, You better not howl, You better not moan, Great Pumpkin is comin' to town!
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Three Little Witches...
(Use fingers for numbers)
One little, Two little, Three little witches,
Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches,
Sliding down moonbeams without any hitches,
Hay Ho Samhain's here.
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Samhain Is Here...
(The Farmer In The Dell)
Oh, Samhain is here,
Oh, Samhain is here,
With costumes on we'll walk around,
We'll knock on doors all over town,
When Samhain is here.
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Sing A Song Of Samhain...
(Sing A Song Of Sixpence)
Sing a song of Samhain,
What a scary night,
Ghosts and bats and big black cats,
Give us all a fright.
Shining jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
Fill our hearts with fun,
But if any monster comes along,
We'll all run!
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Halloween Night...
(Frere Jacques)
Jack-o-lanterns, jack-o-lanterns,
Hall-o-ween, Hall-o-ween!
See the owls gliding,
Coal black cats are hiding,
Ghosts go "Boo," ghosts go "Boo!"
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Scat! Went the Black Cat...
(Pop Goes The Weasel)
All around the haunted house,
The bat chased the goblin.
The ghost floated overhead.
Scat! went the black cat.
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Samhain Visitors...
(Row Your Boat)
Dancers, pirates, queens, and clowns
Are knocking at the door.
It's only trick-or-treaters who
Want candy, apples and more!
The Floppy Scarecrow...
The Floppy, floppy scarecrow
Guards his fields all day.
He waves his floppy, floppy hands
To scare the crows away!
Repeat poem, replace bold type with arms, toes, head, legs, etc.
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THE TWELVE DAYS OF SAMHAIN
(Twelve Days OF Christmas)
At the first house on Samhain my neighbor gave to me... a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the second house on Samhain my neighbor gave to me... two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
Continue with the following
Three pralines
Four peppermints
FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!!
six peanut clusters
seven candied apples
eight chewy caramels
nine orange gumdrops
ten shiny pennies
eleven creamy nougats
twelve cherry bonbons
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WITCHES IN THE DARK
Tune: The Farmer in the Dell
Have the children form a circle with one child in the middle. Instead of using 'farmer',
'wife', 'nurse', and the other names in the traditional song, pick names that have Samhain meanings. The children are called one by one into the center as the rest of the circle walks around them.
Witches in the dark, witches in the dark, Hi ho for Samhain, witches in the dark. The witch takes a bat, the witch takes a bat, Hi ho for Samhain, the witch takes a bat. The bat takes a cat, the bat takes a cat, Hi ho for Samhain, the bat takes a cat.
Continue with cat, goblin, pumpkin, skeleton, etc. until there is only one child left . Call this child the ghost.
The ghost says "BOO!" the ghost says "BOO!" Hi ho for Samhain, the ghost says "BOO!"
*Variation: Use the children's costumes at a Samhain Party--for example: "The Pumpkin takes Winnie-the Pooh", or "The clown takes the butterfly" etc.
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Stories
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Cat of Many Colors
Once there was a cat all white who wished that he were black as night. He was thirsty as could be, and in the cupboard, what did he see? Grape juice right before his eyes! He drank it. Then to his surprise, he turned from white to something new. Deep dark purple was his hue. He peered into his little cup, saw tomato juice, and lapped it up. He soon became the brightest red. He thought, "maybe I should go to bed." But he wasn't tired, and so he looked for somewhere else to go. He spied an orange on the floor, and pounced on it, and played some more. As he played this little game, orange was what he became. He played with some blueberries, too. So suddenly the cat turned blue. A sour lime sat on the ground. The kitty licked it and he found that he felt strange and not so keen, for he had turned the color green. Now he was a sad little fellow. So he ate a banana and turned the color yellow. Just then he saw a tasty treat, another food he had to eat. A long black piece of licorice gave the little cat his wish. He ate it all, and soon he was black from his head to his paws! Why did this happened? You guessed it right if you blamed it on Samhain night.
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The Troll-Tear
DJ Conway
A Children's Story for Samhain
The night was very dark, with a Full Moon hanging in the cloud-filled sky above. The air was crisp with the feel of late Autumn and the doorway between the worlds was wide open. Carved pumpkins sat on the porches of the houses in the little town, and the laughter of children dressed in costumes could be heard from the streets.
It was a sad time for Beth as she climbed the little hill behind her house. In her arms was her cat and friend Smoky, carefully wrapped in his favorite blanket. A little grave was already dug on the hill, waiting, for Smoky had died that day.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Beth's father had asked. "I dug his grave beside MacDougal's at the top of the hill." Beth clearly remembered when their dog MacDougal had died after being hit by a car.
"No, I want to go by myself," she answered.
Beth stopped at the top of the hill and knelt beside the little grave. She carefully laid Smoky's blanket-wrapped form in the earth and covered it with dirt, laying several large rocks on the top. Then she cried and cried.
"Oh, Smoky, I miss you so much!" Beth looked up at the Moon, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why did you die?"
"It was his time to rejoin the Mother," said a deep, gentle voice in the darkness.
"Who said that?" Beth looked around but saw no one.
"Dying is part of the cycle of life, you know." One of the boulders on the hill stirred into life.
"Who are you?" The moonlight shone down on the little woman, and Beth could see she was not human.
"I'm a troll-wife," said the creature as she came to site across from Beth. "This is a sad night for both of us,
girl. I, too, came to this hill to bury a friend." The troll-wife wiped a crystal tear from her cheek. "The
squirrel was very old. Still it makes me sad."
Beth stared at the troll-wife. The little woman was the color of rock in the moonlight, her hair like long
strands of moss, her bright eyes like shining crystals. She wore a dress woven of oak leaves and tree bark.
"The squirrel and I lived together for a long time," the troll-wife said. " We often talked to your cat when he was hunting here on the hill. Smoky and I were friends. I shall miss him, too." The little woman patted Smoky 's grave gently, "Sleep well, little friend. When you are rested, we shall talk together again."
"But he's dead," Beth said, her voice choked with tears.
"Child, this is Samhain. Don't you know the ancient secrets of this sacred time of year?" The troll-wife
motioned for Beth to come and sit beside her. "It is true that our friends have gone into a world where we can no longer physically touch them, but the Mother has given us other ways of communicating with them. We can do this any time, but the time of Samhain is the easiest."
"I don't understand how this can be done," Beth said, "or why Samhain makes it easier."
"At this time of year," the troll-wife answered, "the walls between this world and the world of souls and
spirits are very thin. If we quiet and listen, we can hear our loved ones and they can hear us. We talk, not
with spoken words, but with the heart and mind."
"Isn't that just imagination?" Beth looked down at Smoky's grave, tears once more coming into her eyes.
"Like my thinking I can feel MacDougal get up on my bed at night like he used to?"
"Sometimes it is, but mostly it is not imagination, only our friends come to see us in their spirit bodies." The troll-wife reached up her hand and patted something Beth couldn't see on her shoulder. "Like my friend the raven. He is here now."
Beth looked hard and saw a thin form of hazy moonlight on the troll-wife's shoulder. "I've seen something like that at the foot of my bed where MacDougal used to sleep." She whispered. "I thought I was dreaming." She jumped as something nudged her arm. When she looked down, nothing was there.
The troll-wife smiled. "Close your eyes and think of MacDougal," she said. " He has been waiting a long time for you to see him."
Beth closed her eyes and, at once, the form of her little dog came into her mind. His tail wagged with happiness. She felt a wave of love come from him, and she sent her love back. Then she felt the dog lie down against her leg.
"Can I do this with Smoky?" Beth asked.
"Not yet," the troll-wife answered. "He needs to sleep a while and rest. Then he will come to you. This gives Smoky time to adjust to his new world, and you time to grieve for him. It is not wrong to grieve, but we must not grieve forever."
"I never thought of it that way," Beth said. "It's kind of like they moved away, and we can only talk to them on the phone."
"It is this way with all creatures, not just animals." The troll-wife stood up and held out an hand to Beth.
"Will you join me, human girl? Although I buried my friend squirrel this night, I still must dance and sing
to all my friends and ancestors who have gone on their journey into the other world. For this is a time to honor the ancestors."
Beth joined the troll-wife in the ancient slow troll dances around the top of the little hill in the moonlight. She watched quietly while the troll-wife called out troll-words to the four directions, words Beth couldn't understand. Deep in her heart the girl felt the power of the strange words and knew they were given in honor and love by the little troll-wife.
When the troll-wife was finished with her ritual, she hugged Beth. "Go in peace, human child," she said. "And remember what I have told you about the ancient secret of Samhain."
"I will," Beth answered. "Will I ever see you again?"
"Whenever the Moon is Full, I will be here," the little troll-wife said. " And especially at Samhain."
"I wish I had something to give you." Beth hugged the little woman. "You have taught me so much." She felt the tears come to her eyes again.
"Let us exchange tears for our lost friends." The troll-wife reached up a rough finder and caught a tear as
it fell from Beth's eye. The tear glistened on her finger. The troll-wife gently touched her finger to her
cloak, and Beth's tear shone there like a diamond in the moonlight.
Beth reached up carefully and caught one of the troll-wife's tears as it slid down her rough cheek. It
turned into a real crystal in her hand.
"Remember the secret of Samhain, and remember me," the troll-wife said softly as she disappeared into the darkness. Beth walked back down the hill, the crystal clutched in her hand. Her father was waiting for her on the porch.
"Are you all right?" her father asked as he gave Beth a hug.
"I will be," she answered. She opened her hand under the porch light and saw a perfect, tear-shaped crystal lying there.
"Did you find something?" her father asked.
"A troll-tear," Beth answered, and her father smiled. For he also knew the little troll-wife and the secret of
Samhain.
Samhain Poem
By Akasha
Gather 'round the bonfire, burning so bright
Watch the shadows dancing, in its flickering light
As the music starts, and we begin to dance
Just maybe, if we're lucky, ahhhhh perchance
We shall see some kindred spirits, as they pass by
On their way to the Summerlands, beneath the Samhain sky.
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Meagan's Samhaine
by Kathryn Dyer ©1991
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Meagan. Meagan had a mommy and a daddy. Meagan had a big brother named Corwin. Meagan also had a beautiful black cat named Starweaver.
Meagan's mother made her bring Starweaver in every night. It was getting close to Halloween and some people were scared of black cats. Sometimes people who are scared do things they wouldn't do if they weren't so frightened. Meagan made sure that Starweaver came in at night where he would be safe and warm.
Meagan was excited about Halloween. Her parent's always held a big party. People would come in all kinds of costumes and they would play games. Many of them would come and go, leaving to go to other parties to show off their costumes. But there were a few people who stayed. After a certain time Meagan's parents would start cleaning up and making sure that their guests got home safely. The special guest would stay and help. Soon, only Meagan, her family and the special guests were left.
Now Meagan got even more excited. For Meagan and her family Halloween was more than just a time to dress up and play games. It was also Samhaine. Meagan and her family were Pagans and Samhaine was an important holiday for them. It was also their New Year. It celebrated the end of the Summer season and the beginning of the Winter. Tonight, her family and their friends would bid goodbye to the reign of the Lady and bid welcome to Her Consort, who would hold rule over the winter until the Lady came again in the spring at Beltaine.
This was the first year that Meagan was old enough to stay up and watch the rituals. Her parents had been teaching her about many religions so that when she grew up she would make a wise choice about how to worship. She was very excited about being allowed to watch the Samhaine ritual. She had taken a nap in the afternoon so that she would be able to stay awake.
Meagan went into her mother's bathroom. Meagan's mother Elizabeth was taking a bath in preparation. Elizabeth got out and put on her special robe. She always wore this robe to rituals. Meagan knew that some covens wore robes and some wore special costumes and some wore everyday clothes and some didn't wear anything at all! Meagan's mother said, "Are you ready Meagan? Why don't you take a quick shower and then I have a surprise for you." "What is it?, asked Meagan as she took off her Halloween costume. "You'll see when you're done," said her mother, "now hurry, you don't want to be late!"
Meagan turned on the water and stepped into the shower. And who should jump in with her but Starweaver! "Momma!" Meagan cried, "Look! Star wants to go to the ritual too!" Elizabeth laughed with her daughter, "Starweaver is more than welcome to come to the ritual. It wouldn't be the first time for him." Meagan looked at her cat, "Why didn't you tell me Star? You know all about it already!" She finished her shower and dried off. Meagan's mother held out a beautiful new robe, just Meagan's size. "Oh, Momma! A robe of my very own!", Meagan exclaimed. She felt very happy and proud as she slipped it on. Then she followed her mother out to the little grove in their backyard.
In their backyard was a little circle of trees. In the middle her parents had put up a stone altar. Usually the altar was empty but now there were things on it. Meagan stepped closer to see. Already on the altar were two chalices or cups, a sword, a book, a vessel of water and one of salt, a censor to hold incense and the God and Goddess figures which usually stayed on the little altar in her parent's bedroom. One of her parent's friends was placing a horned helm on the altar. "Would you like to help decorate the Circle?" he asked. The Circle had already been marked on the ground with a spear. Meagan asked, "What are we putting around the Circle?" Meagan's brother Corwin said, "We are putting autumn flowers, pine-cones and pumpkins." She remembered having seen some pumpkins in the garage earlier and had wondered what they were for. Meagan and Corwin placed the flowers and pine-cones around the Circle. Some of the pumpkins were too heavy for them to lift by themselves so the adults helped put them around too.
Soon the grove was ready. Everyone was wearing a robe. Meagan's mother was wearing a white robe and so was their friend Jeremy. This year Elizabeth and Jeremy had been chosen by the Coven to be Priestess and Priest for the group. Each Coven has different rules about who is in charge of things and what they wear. In the Coven that Meagan's parents belonged to the Priest and Priestess wear white and the others may choose from green, yellow, red or blue. Meagan's robe was green and Corwin's robe was blue just like their father Michael's robe.
Michael would tease Meagan and Corwin saying, "I wear blue so that no one can see me in the shadows." He would always smile when he said it. Some of the Coven members wore beautiful jewelry. Jennifer was wearing a silver circlet and a pentagram necklace. Robert wore a torque, which is a kind of neck decoration, and several rings with funny writing on them. Meagan recognized some of the letters as runes. She was studying runes with her father.
Soon a horn sounded and the ceremony started. Meagan paid close attention. Her favorite part came at the end which was called Cakes and Ale. Everyone ate little cakes and drank mead or juice. They all sat around and talked about the things they were studying and what they would like to learn about later. Meagan asked about the incense they had used. Jennifer told her that it was made by a Coven member who couldn't be there that night. She said that they would grind together different herbs to make incense that they burned on a special kind of charcoal. Their Coven had a different kind of incense for every kind of ceremony. Meagan remembered that her parent's had special incense for the house too. They would burn it during the day and it made the house smell good.
Sometimes Meagan's friends would ask her why her house always smelled so good. Meagan had to be careful sometimes about what she said to her friends. Her parents had told her that not everyone liked the way that Pagans worship. It was better for her to be careful about what she said until she knew how her friends felt about other religions. She would not want to make her friends upset or to make them feel bad. Meagan had one friend, Cindy, that she could talk about her religion to. Cindy and her family were Christians but her mother was also an herbalist and didn't mind the things that Cindy learned about at Meagan's house. Meagan's parents would trade herbs with Cindy's mother and Meagan sometimes heard them talking about religion together.
When the ritual was over everyone helped to clean up the grove. Meagan was very happy to have been allowed to stay up. Her mother said that she could come to the next ritual which would be a Full Moon ritual. They would also have a guest who was interested in the Pagan religion. Some Covens have rules that their rituals cannot be spoken of to those who have not promised to keep them secret. Some of these rules came from the times when Pagans were outlawed or hurt by some Christians. The Coven that Meagan's family belonged to did not have any rules like this but they were still very careful about who they shared their rituals with. Some people are afraid of Pagans and as you know, people who are afraid sometimes do strange things.
Meagan went inside as people were leaving to go home. She took off her robe and got into her nightgown. Elizabeth came to tuck her into bed. "I'll go put your robe in the place we keep ours so it will be ready for the next ceremony. Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" she asked as Meagan snuggled under the blanket. "Oh yes, Momma. It was wonderful. I think I want to be a Pagan when I grow up." murmured Meagan. Her mother laughed, "Well, now is not the time to decide such an important issue. I think you can wait a few years. You may change your mind later. Sleep tight and dream well little one." She kissed Meagan good night and turned out her light. Meagan sighed as she thought about the good time she had had at the party and at the ritual. Just then Starweaver decided to jump up on her bed. As Meagan curled up on her side to go to sleep Starweaver nestled into the pillow beside her and began to purr.
It had been a good day.
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Samhain Prayer
By Akasha
As I lay in my bed, 'tis the end of the year
And I thank the Goddess and the God
For bringing me to here.
Before I close my eyes, one more wish I make
I pray to the Goddess and the God
The next year through me take.
Samhain Fun For
Little Goblins
