This week, we have had a few really wet and miserable days weather wise so on those days, I pulled out our huge craft box with pencils, felt pens, string, glitter, paint and glue, plonked it on the table and we all got stuck in making some Halloween themed crafts.
Well, when I say 'we' I mean more 'I' with a little help from his lordship :)
I free-hand drew a witches' hat and spider onto black card, cut them out and then decorated with some ribbon around the hat and a face for the spider. I did the same on a piece of white card for the ghost and drew eyes and a mouth using a thick black marker pen.
I then hole punched them and thread them through a piece of rustic looking string for a garland.
We then moved over to making a bat from a loo roll.
I needed black paint for the bat so DS's fave bit is squeezing the paint from the bottle into the tray.....it's just that he doesn't really stop and fills every available paint tray compartment with paint! :D He was happy and enjoying himself so I let him get on with it :)
I drew some wings on black card, cut them out and stuck them on using tape.
Next I fished out some clean empty pasta sauce jars from the cupboard (I keep these to make marmalade and jams) gloopy glued the jars then carefully wrapped a thin piece of bandage around, let them dry and then finished with some googly eyes on both :) Just need to pop some battery tealights in for the 'glow'.
*Note to self: Need to replace the roll of bandage I nicked from the First Aid box!*
Another little beauty is this wonderful pumpkin paper garland. When I pulled out the craft box, this was hiding behind it. I had forgotten all about it as I bought it last year in the post Halloween bargain sales so it was unopened still in its packaging. :) Love little surprises like that :)
I always make a batch of pumpkin soup from the carving of our pumpkin but this year, I decided to have a bash at making a sweet pumpkin pie as well.
It was such a simple recipe of pumpkin flesh, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and a few eggs...
Then pour the mixture into a pastry case and pop in the oven...
It turned out quite well, a bit lopsided as my pastry case was cracked to begin with :( but it certainly didn't alter the taste. The texture and taste is very similar to an egg custard I thought.
I served my pumpkin pie with a blob of cream.
The only downside to pumpkin pie is that it will only last a few days in the fridge as it goes off really quickly. As I hate to throw food away, I can see myself portioning it up and handing it out to my lovely neighbours with mini pots of cream :)
DS enjoys Halloween evening when the 'Trick or Treaters' come knocking. He likes to come the door with me smiling away as I hand out mini bags of sweets. He particularly enjoys seeing all the dressing up and face paints on the children.
However, I know that there are many children on the spectrum that really don't enjoy Halloween. They find it confusing and unnerving as it's something out of the norm.
I was recently talking to a fellow Mum about this as her child jumps everytime he hears the doorbell.
I suggested making a card to go on the door that read something like:
Happy Halloween!
Thanks for calling by but PLEASE DO NOT RING THE BELL OR KNOCK ON THE DOOR as someone with autism lives here and is anxious about Halloween.
Please help yourself to a bag of sweets from the bowl :)
Thank-you and have a great and spooky-tastic night! :)
Of course you can adapt the wording to anything you like - you can add more or less depending on your preferences. You could also make it Halloween-y in orange and black card with some spider detail on it but make sure it's friendly and sensitively explains the reason not to knock on the door.
If DS struggled with Halloween night, then I would certainly be implenting this at our house or if not then something very similar.
I know that I am probably preaching to the choir here but ...PARENTS: Please could you explain to your little witches, wolves and devils this evening that if they are to see anything like this, then please do not knock. It's not that the occupants are 'stuck in the muds' or do not like Halloween, it's just a person with autism there finds the event confusing and frightening and that's okay.
Together, with a little understanding and education, we can all have an enjoyable Halloween.
Happy Halloween! :) :)
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