It’s nearly time for the Googledy-Gooks and Spookety-Spooks to come out– so beware, be very aware!

A LITTLE HALLOWEEN HISTORY
Halloween falls on the 31st of October and is translated as All Saints’ Day. The tradition of Halloween originated among the ancient Druids, who believed that on that evening, Saman, the lord of the dead, called forth hosts of evil spirits.

The Druids customarily lit great fires on Halloween, apparently for the purpose of warding off all these spirits. Among the ancient Celts, Halloween was the last evening of the year and was regarded as a favourable time for examining the signs of the future. The Celts also believed that the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening.

For your Halloween Hamper

Pumpkin Pie
INGREDIENTS:
175g granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 eggs
300g pumpkin purée (tinned or fresh)
350g evaporated milk
1 unbaked 23cm/9in deep-dish pastry case (or line a deep 23cm/9in tart tin with shortcrust pastry)

PREPARATION:
1. Preheat oven to 220ºC/ 425ºF/ gas mark 7.
2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl.
3. Beat the eggs lightly in large bowl.
4. Stir the pumpkin purée and sugar-spice mixture into eggs.
5. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.
6. Pour into the pastry case.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180ºC/ 350ºF/ gas mark 4.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.
9. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
10. Serve immediately or chill.

Ghoulish Games
Guess The Ghost
Have one child leave the room. Then take a large sheet and have a different child stand and hide under the sheet. Mix up the remaining children in the room and then allow the child who left the room to come back inside. That child has to guess who the ghost is by process of elimination and figure out which child is hiding under the sheet. Then that ‘Ghost’ goes out of the room and a different child becomes the new ghost, mix up the remaining children and repeat until all of the children have had a turn being the ghost.

Halloween Candy Hunt
Like an Easter egg hunt: Buy plastic eggs and paint them in Hallowe’en colours. Put sweets in them, then hide them. The prize can be the sweets inside or some of the eggs can contain a note telling them they’ve won a small prize.

Build A Scarecrow
Form groups and have a variety of old clothes, pillowcases for heads, markers and newspaper. Groups have 20 minutes to create a scarecrow. Give prizes to the scariest or funniest.

HALLOWEEN HOWLERS
Q. Why was the skeleton afraid to cross the road?
A. It had no guts...
Q. How do monsters tell their future?
A. They read their horrorscope...
Q. What is Dracula’s favourite kind of coffee?
A. Decoffinated...
Q. What do birds give out on Halloween night?
A. Tweets...
Q. What’s a vampire’s favourite fast food?
A. A man with very high blood pressure…
Q. What does a cannibal get when he comes home late for dinner?
A. The cold shoulder...