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A Grandparent’s Guide to Halloween

A Grandparent’s Guide to Halloween
October 16, 2020

Halloween is just around the corner, which would usually mean trick or treating, parties and dressing up in your favourite costume at any given chance. But with Covid-19 still very present this Halloween, some things will have to change.

It’s unlikely there will be many trick or treaters going around their neighbourhoods this October, and parties are likely to come to a halt. But this doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate with your family, even if its over Zoom.

This post will take grandparents through a list of ideas and activities they can get involved with to celebrate Halloween with their grandchildren, whether that be socially distanced or over video call.

Scary drive in movie

Drive-in movies started in the early 1930s as it was cheaper way for people to watch movies. Since then they have come in and out of popularity, but since Covid-19, drive-in cinemas have caught on again, and venues all over the UK are putting up their big screens outside so everyone can enjoy their favourite films from the comfort of their own car, away from others.

If grandparents are isolating away from the rest of their family, a drive-in cinema could be a great way for grandparents and grandchildren to get together to watch the same scary movie, without being in the same car. After the movie, you could ring up your grandchildren to chat through the movie, and to discuss your favourite parts.

The Luna Drive-In Cinema has plenty of spooky films on offer, including The Joker, Scream, Casper, Hocus Pocus and The Addams Family. So, whether your family is into super scary Halloween movies or you prefer the cheesier ones, there is an option for everyone.

scary movie drive in

Pumpkin picking

A Halloween favourite, pumpkin picking has always been a go-to activity in October. Pumpkin farms all over the UK have opened up their doors for people to come in and pick their own pumpkins, whilst enjoying the fresh outdoors and the festive atmosphere.

As pumpkin picking is set in the outdoors, this activity could be a great way for grandparents and grandchildren to get together as its easy to social distance. Once the pumpkins have been picked, grandparents and grandchildren could go home and have a pumpkin carving competition over video call, and parents can be the judges.

The UK has numerous pumpkin farms to choose, but some of the best patches to visit include Windmill Animal Farm in Lancashire, Sopley Farm in Dorset, Piglets Adventure Farm in York, and Strawberry Fields in Devon.  

pumpkin picking

Autumnal walk

Crunchy orange leaves, conkers and the crisp cold air, there is nothing better than an autumnal walk to get the whole family together. October falls within the autumn season and getting out into the outdoors surrounded by the colours of autumn is a great way to get into the festive Halloween mood.

Coronavirus transmission is much less likely to occur when outside than it is inside, so even thought its still important to stay at a social distance outdoors, the risk is much lower. So, you can be comforted by the fact you can still see your grandchildren outdoors, as long as you take the correct safety precautions.

Yorkshire has a variety of autumnal walks to take advantage of, take a look at these Top 8 Wheelchair Friendly Walks in Yorkshire for inspiration.

autumnal walk

Remote treasure hunt

Organising a Halloween themed treasure hunt is a great way for grandparents to get involved for Halloween, even if it means they are not there in person. The treasure hunt could start with the parents giving their children a clue which would lead them to ring their grandparents, from there, the grandparents could take over and give the clues throughout the rest of the hunt.

Each clue will lead to a different clue, and to make it more exciting for the grandchildren, at each clue could be a small Halloween treat, with the end prize being a bucket full of Halloween sweets and chocolate.

Baking competition

Think the Great British Bake Off, but make it Halloween, and over video call. This is a great way to make the weekly video call with the grandchildren a unique one. The grandparents and grandchildren should be prepared with the same ingredients to make the same bake and should be given the same time to make it. The bake should be Halloween themed, and at the end the parents can judge the cake based of its presentation and Halloween-likeness.

Fenetic Wellbeing have scoured the internet to find some of the best Halloween inspired bakes that you can have a go at, below are two of our favourites:

Creepy eyeball cake pops

Ingredients

-       100g madeira cake

-       100g Oreo cookies

-       100g milk chocolate, melted

-       200g white chocolate, melted

-       Smarties and icing pens to decorate

You will also need

-       10 wooden skewers

-       ½ small pumpkin to stand cake pops in

Method

-       Break the cake and cookies up into pieces and pour into a food processor, pour in the melted chocolate and turn on the processor to combine

-       Take the mixture and pour into another bowl, then use your hands to roll the mixture into 10 walnut-sized balls and chill them in the fridge for 2 hours.

-       Push a skewer into each ball, and carefully cover them with white chocolate. Stand the cake pops in the pumpkin and place smarties on them to decorate. Then, wait for the chocolate to set. Before serving, decorate the cake pops with icing pens.

Ginger bread monsters

Ingredients

-       350g plain flour

-       1tbsp bicarbonate soda

-       2tsp ground ginger

-       1sp ground cinnamon

-       125g butter, cubed

-       175g light muscovado sugar

-       1 egg

-       4tbsp golden syrup

-       Extra decorations

Method

-       Pre heat the oven to 180C and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. In a food processor, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon. Add the butter and beat the mixture until it has been incorporated nicely. Add the sugar and pulse the mixture another 3-4 times.

-       In a bowl, whisk the eggs and golden syrup together with a fork. Pour into the food processor and mix until the ingredients combine into sticky clumps. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

-       On a large sheet of lightly floured, non-stick baking paper, roll out half the dough to roughly the thickness of a pound coin. Using a gingerbread man cutter, stamp out 7 shapes. Arrange onto a baking tray and cook for 10-12 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

-       Once cooled, add decoration with icing pens and sprinkles, and leave to set before serving.

Bat cupcakes

Ingredients

-       1 box of Betty Crockets devils food cake mix

-       120ml vegetable oil

-       230ml water

-       3 egg

For decoration

-       1 tub of Betty Crocker indulgent chocolate fudge icing

-       24 wafer thin dark chocolate digestive biscuits, cut in half

-       48 edible candy eyeballs

-       48 red heart shaper sugar sprinkles

Method

-       Pre heat the oven to 180C and line 2 12-hole muffin trays with paper cupcake cases.

-       In a bowl, mix the cake batter, oil, water, and eggs together, then whisk for 2-3 minutes until creamy. Divide the mixture amongst the 24 cupcake cases. Bake for 18-22 minutes and once baked, cool for 30 minutes.

-       Decorate the top of each cupcake with icing, pushing 2 biscuit halves into each cupcake to form wings. Attach 2 candy eyeballs to each cupcake and 2 heart shaped sprinkles to resemble fangs.

Halloween party games

Another video call activity, Halloween party games don’t just have to be done in person. Check out this list of virtual Halloween party games that will help you get the Halloween zoom party going! Activities range from costume contests to who can come up with the creepiest ghost story.

Our favourite out of this list is the Halloween mask-making game. The activity is simple, all that the participants will need is a plain white eye masks, and decorations such as feathers, pens, stickers, googly eyes and glitter. The task is then to simply decorate! There are no rules to this game, just to have fun and be as creative as possible. Once masks are completed, the grandparents and grandchildren can judge and compare each other’s masks.

halloween party games

So, which activity will you opt for this Halloween, will it be a creepy remote treasure hunt or spooky drive-in movie? However you celebrate this Halloween, listen to Government guidelines and check out or guide to staying safe in public spaces.

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The Top 8 Wheelchair Friendly Walks in Yorkshire
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