Category: adult

Capture the Flag 4th of July

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The British are coming! The British are coming! Oneth by land, twoth by the pool? Capture the Flag is the perfect game to play at any Fourth of July party. Just add a little bit of independence war spirit, and you’ll have a great party game to entertain the kids and the young at heart.

Materials Needed:

  1. a list of who goes on what team
  2. 2 hula hoops to keep the “flags” in
  3. 2 symbols or flags. Since the American flag isn’t supposed to touch the ground, we suggest replacing the flags with a patriotic pillow and a union jack pillow or with rocks that are painted to look like the flags.

Instructions:

Place the hula hoops on either side of an evenly spaced yard/space. Choose jail spaces. The jails can best be represented with some sort of a net (such as a lacrosse net and/or a soccer net.) Use what you already have. Set the boundaries in the beginning (such as no one can go into the house if they are playing this game). Separate the yard into two even spaces that can act as the safe land for either side.

Separate the group of players into two: the British and the Americans. Make sure that teams are even.

Have everyone start at the farthest end of the barriers. Flag watchers cannot go inside the hula hoops to watch the flags. Anyone can tag a member of the opposite team once that person has left her team’s own territory. Once tagged, that person must go to jail. A jailed team member can only get freed once he/she has been tagged by a member of his/her own team. Then, everyone must go back to their own territory before trying to capture the other team’s flag. Discourage roughhousing. In order to win a round, someone must successfully bring the other team’s flag to his/her team’s territory. Play in as many rounds as you want (but three should be the limit).

Know Your Broadway Showtunes Game

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Do you and your friends (or your little starlet and his/her friends) think they know Broadway? Try this fun, fast-paced quiz game to see how much they actually know.

This game can be played in numerous ways. One way is to have a free for all. You host the game and read the first parts of the lyrics off of the cards. Whoever can remember what comes next in the songs should answer. The other option is to break your party up into two groups. You can either host and read all of the questions off or you can have each group come and choose a card. Each team will have a minute to go through the bowl of cards before switching sides. Any song whose next lyric is correctly guessed will go into a separate bowl. Repeat until all of the cards full of lyrics are gone. The cards will be counted up at the end to see who won.

You’ll just need to buy index cards for this activity to write on or you can shred paper that has been printed with the song lyrics. Assuming that you already have a printer, the total cost may be about $5 to play the game.

What You’ll Need:

  1. 2 bowls
  2. A printer or a pen
  3. Index cards or cut up paper

Instructions:

Compile a list of songs and musicals via a word documents. You can use the attached list underneath this section or you can make your own. Then, cut out the the song name and answer. You can either glue it on a index card or just fold up the paper (once cut) and stick it in a plastic bag until you’re ready to play the game.

When it is game time, pull out the two bowls. Empty the bag of show tunes with answers into a bowl. The other bowl will be used to for the questions already asked.

As explained above, there are two different ways to play the game. One way is to have a free for all. You host the game and read the first parts of the lyrics off of the cards. Whoever can remember what comes next in the songs should answer.

The other option is to break your party up into two groups. You can either host and read all of the questions off or you can have each group come and choose a card. Each team will have a minute to go through the bowl of cards before switching sides. Any song whose next lyric is correctly guessed will go into a separate bowl. Repeat until all of the cards full of lyrics are gone. The cards will be counted up at the end to see who won.

Pick and Choose your favorites – alphabetized by show name

  1. I Hope I get it – A Chorus Line
  2. One – A Chorus Line
  3. Pulled – The Addams Family
  4. Move Toward the Darkness – The Addams Family
  5. A Whole New World – Aladdin
  6. Friend Like Me – Aladdin
  7. Send in the Clowns – A Little Night Music
  8. A Rumor in St. Petersburg – Anastasia
  9. Journey to the Past – Anastasia
  10. Once Upon a December – Anastasia
  11. Maybe – Annie
  12. Tomorrow – Annie
  13. There’s no Business like Show Business – Annie Get Your Gun
  14. Anything You Can Do -Annie Get Your Gun
  15. (You’d Be So) Easy to Love – Anything Goes
  16. Gorgeous – The Apple Tree
  17. Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist -Avenue Q
  18. It Sucks to be Me – Avenue Q
  19. Be Our Guest – Beauty and the Beast
  20. Twenty Fans – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
  21. Kids – Bye Bye Birdie
  22. The Telephone Hour – Bye Bye Birdie
  23. Put on a Happy Face -Bye Bye Birdie
  24. Don’t Tell Mama – Cabaret
  25. Tomorrow Belongs to Me – Cabaret
  26. Memory – Cats
  27. The Jellicle Ball – Cats
  28. All that Jazz -Chicago
  29. Cell Block Tango – Chicago
  30. Razzle Dazzle –Chicago
  31. In my own Little Corner – Cinderella
  32. What About Love? – The Color Purple
  33. Show People – Curtains
  34. Screw Loose – Cry Baby 
  35. Turn it Off – The Book of Mormon
  36. I am Africa – The Book of Mormon
  37. I Believe- The Book of Mormon
  38. And I’m Telling You (I’m not Going) -Dreamgirls
  39. Don’t Cry for me, Argentina -Evita
  40. Try to Remember -The Fantasticks
  41. If I were a Rich man – Fiddler on the Roof
  42. Sunrise, Sunset – Fiddler on the Roof
  43. I Need a Hero – Footloose
  44. Mama Says – Footloose
  45. Grease Lightning -Grease
  46. Hopeless Devoted -Grease
  47. A Bushel and a Peck – Guys and Dolls
  48. If I Were a Bell – Guys and Dolls
  49. Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat – Guys and Dolls
  50. Luck be a Lady Tonight – Guys and Dolls
  51. Rose’s Turn – Gypsy
  52. Aquarius -Hair
  53. Good Morning, Baltimore – Hairspray
  54. You Can’t Stop the Beat – Hairspray
  55. Aaron Burr, Sir – Hamilton
  56. The Election of 1800 – Hamilton
  57. You’ll Be Back – Hamilton
  58. It Takes a Woman – Hello, Dolly
  59. Love, Look in my Window – Hello, Dolly
  60. A Secretary is not a toy – How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
  61. Love From a Heart of Gold – How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
  62. On the Steps of the Palace – Into the Woods
  63. Children Will Listen -Into the Woods
  64. Someone Like You – Jekyll and Hyde
  65. Getting to Know You- The King and I
  66. I Whistle a Happy Tune- The King and I
  67. Raise You Up – Kinky Boots
  68. Land of Lola – Kinky Boots
  69. So in Love – Kiss Me, Kate
  70. Song on the Sand – La Cage Aux Folles
  71. I am What I am – La Cage Aux Folles
  72. Better – Legally Blonde
  73. Omigod You Guys -Legally Blonde
  74. Do You Hear the People Sing? – Les Miserables 
  75. One Day More – Les Miserables
  76. Poor Unfortunate Souls -The Little Mermaid
  77. Suddenly Seymour – The Little Shop of Horrors
  78. Dentist! – The Little Shop of Horrors
  79. Feed Me (Git It) – The Little Shop of Horrors
  80. He Lives in You – The Lion King
  81. The Morning Report -The Lion King
  82. Take a Chance on Me – Mamma Mia
  83. Our Last Summer – Mamma Mia
  84. We Need a Little Christmas -Mame
  85. A Spoonful of Sugar – Mary Poppins
  86. Step in Time – Mary Poppins
  87. Let’s Go Fly a Kite – Mary Poppins
  88. Our Time -Merrily as We Roll Along 
  89. The Last Night of the World – Miss Saigon
  90. The Heat is on in Saigon – Miss Saigon
  91. ‘Till There was You – The Music Man
  92. Iowa Stubborn – The Music Man
  93. Seventy-six Trombones – The Music Man
  94. Shipoopi – The Music Man
  95. I Could Have Danced All Night – My Fair Lady
  96. Oh, What a Beautiful Morning –Oklahoma
  97. People Will Say We’re in Love Oklahoma
  98. And God Heard her Prayer – Once on This Island
  99. Mama Will Provide – Once on This Island
  100. Why we tell the Story – Once on This Island
  101. Loving You – Passion
  102. All I Ask of You – Phantom of the Opera
  103. Think of Me – Phantom of the Opera 
  104. Corner of the Sky -Pippin
  105. Spread a Little Sunshine – Pippin
  106. I Wanna be a Producer – The Producers
  107. Springtime for Hitler – The Producers
  108. Heil Myself – The Producers
  109. Another Day – Rent
  110. La Vie Boheme – Rent
  111. I’ll Cover You – Rent
  112. Seasons of Love – Rent
  113. Take me or Leave me -Rent
  114. Tango: Maureen -Rent
  115. So Many People – Saturday Night
  116. Give up Your Dreams – School of Rock
  117. When I Climb to the Top of Mount Rock – School of Rock
  118. Vanilla Ice Cream – She Loves Me
  119. Ol’ Man River – Show Boat
  120. Story of My Life – Shrek
  121. Freak Flag -Shrek
  122. Forest for the Trees – The Skints
  123. Unexpected Song – Song and Dance
  124. My Favorite Things -The Sound of Music
  125. Some Enchanted Evening – South Pacific
  126. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life – Spamalot
  127. Knights of the Round Table – Spamalot
  128. You Won’t Succeed on Broadway – Spamalot
  129. Best Day Ever – Spongebob Squarepants
  130. Bikini Bottom Day – Spongebob Squarepants
  131. Horton Hears a Who – Suessical
  132. Amayzing Mayzie -Suessical
  133. Sunday -Sunday in the Park with George
  134. Not While I’m Around -Sweeney Todd
  135. Not for the Life of Me – Thoroughly Modern Millie 
  136. It Only Takes a Taste – Waitress
  137. What Baking can Do – Waitress
  138. You Matter to Me – Waitress
  139. Maria -West Side Story
  140. Gee, Officer Krupke – West Side Story
  141. I Feel Pretty -West Side Story
  142. Defying Gravity – Wicked 
  143. Dancing Through Life – Wicked 
  144. Popular – Wicked
  145. Everything – Wild Party
  146. I’m a Mean Ole Lion – The Wiz
  147. Ease on Down the Road – The Wiz
  148. Over the Rainbow – The Wizard of Oz
  149. If I Only had a Brain – The Wizard of Oz
  150. My New Philosophy – You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Timeline Game

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This is the perfect game for a graduation party for an older child (middle school graduation and above). All you need is some printed family photos (or copies of your family photos without any writing on the backs of the photos), a string and some cloths pins. Assuming that you already have markers and the family photos, this activity should only cost about $5-$7 (cloths pins are about $4 per pack and you can find string or ribbon for $1-$2 in the cheap aisles of craft stores or in the front section of Target). This is a side activity that party guests can try to figure out. Reveal the answer at least half way through your party to let guests know if they got the answers correct.

Materials Needed:

  1. At least ten photos of important events in your child’s life
  2. A string taped to a wall
  3. Enough clothes pins to match how many photos you have
  4. Markers to number the clothes pins
  5. Tape
  6. Construction paper, scissors, and glue to make a fancy backing for your photos (optional)

Instructions

Once you’ve chosen your photos and have made sure that there is no writing that would indicate an obvious time in which the photo was taken, write down the correct order in which the photos were taken for your own record. (You may want to have duplicates of the photos that you will use made, so that you’ll still have your photos even if clumsy Aunt Myrtle spills the fruit punch all over the photos). Just make sure not to put any photos in the mix that you and the family would find adorable, but your child would not (such as those images of him/her playing during bath time). Use markers or pens to number the clothes pins from one to however many photos that you have chosen.

On the day of the party, find a small table, such as a TV tray, to put the photos on. Tape up the string behind the table once you’ve found a spot that you like. Add the clothes pins onto the string. To make it visually intriguing, evenly space the clothes pins apart from each other. You can do this by using a marked ruler or by using your hand. Once that has been set up, shuffle the photos and place them on the table with a print out of the following instructions after you personalize it:

How well do you know (insert child’s name here)? The photos on this table are from (insert child’s name here)’s life. Can you put them in the correct order? Don’t ask (child’s name) for help. That would be cheating. We will find out if you got it right later on this afternoon/evening.

Once everyone has eaten and had time to relax, go through the wall with your guests to see if they were able to guess the correct order of life events.

The Timeline Game for Couples

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As a recent college graduate, I’ve been applying to jobs and going on interviews. On one of my recent interviews I was interviewed by someone who liked my website idea, but wanted to know if I had any suggestions for weddings because her own wedding is coming up soon.

This is an idea for a wedding, an anniversary party, or a vow renewal reception. The guests can play this through the reception and you can announce later in the party if the guests got their guesses correct.

The cost of this project will vary by how many photos you want to use.

Materials Needed:

  1. Enough significant life event photos of you and your partner so that each of your party guests can have one guess.
  2. 2 long strings
  3. One clothes pin for every photo
  4. sharpies that match the colors of the wedding
  5. scissors
  6. construction paper
  7. glue
  8. master list of the correct order of the photos
  9. master guest list that includes which side of the family the guest represents
  10. tape

Instructions:

Dig out those old family photos. Make sure that you have an equal number of photos of you and your spouse. Some great photos for this game would include baby photos, graduation photos, first day of school photos, a trip to Disney, or a photo from the couple’s first date. There should be as many photos chosen as there are guests coming to the wedding. Once you’ve settled on the photos that you’ll use, write a master list of their order (make one spouse’s order evens and the other odds until the timelines converge) and where you took the photos from (so that you can put them back properly). Make copies of your selected photos. When you receive the photos for the activity, use construction paper to make a decorative border (at least an inch big) so that the photo is framed by the paper. You can do this for all photos, but this step is optional.

Once this is done and you’re satisfied with your work, you can think about about who will be given what photo. Each photo will be placed at your guest’s spot at the meal portion of the reception and the following instructions should be printed out and put in the centerpiece:

(Insert couple’s names) would like to challenge you to put our timelines in order. Each of you will receive one photo of us that will have to be put in order on the timeline (insert location of the string timeline). Talk to other family members to figure out where each piece should go. We will reveal if you got it right or not later in the evening.

Using a copy of the guest list, the master list of photos, and a pencil, write down who will receive what photo. Don’t stress out over this. It is only a game. Once you’ve made your final decision, use a shiny ink pen or marker to write that guest’s name on the back of the photo.

Next, decorate the clothes pins as desired. All clothes pins must have a number. To make it easier for whoever is setting up the timeline the day of the wedding put all of the clothes pins for one spouse (all of the evens or odds) in one bag, all of the clothes pins for the other spouse in another bag, and all of the clothes pins for when the time lines converge into another bag.

On the day of the party, have your wedding planner distribute the photos over the dinner tables and set up the time line. Let the families and friends enjoy figuring out what photo goes where. Announce the results of the challenge later on in the reception.

Playing Cards Against Humanity with the Family

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Cards Against Humanity is self-described as a party game for horrible people. It’s a fun game for anyone over the age of fifteen or sixteen. However, some people think that it’s a fun game to play at family reunions. This post will give you directions on what cards to remove so that you’ll have less awkward explaining to do for Nana. There are still sex-related and nasty cards in the deck to play.

Crowds you can’t play Cards Against Humanity with:

  1. Family reunions with children under the age of fifteen- you’ll have way too much explaining to do and they are not likely to understand the concepts.
  2. If a majority of your family shutters at the word ‘sex’

If you have family with either of these two qualities, then you should purchase the PG version of this game: Apples to Apples.

Cards to take out for better play in a standard Cards Against Humanity deck:

  1. tasteful sideboob- do you really want to explain what sideboob is?
  2. a fleshlight- no, grandma that’s not a typo and I don’t want to explain it
  3. a bitch slap- I once heard thirteen year old use the definition of cat fight for this
  4. Smegma- sex education wasn’t this descriptive in my day and it certainly wasn’t in grandpa’s day
  5. tentacle porn- take it out before nana asks why is this a thing
  6. Queefing- see smegma
  7. the care bear stare- …
  8. seppuku- how many people actually know about this in this day and age?
  9. Nickelback- unless nana knows that you’re a big fan of them
  10. Nipple blades- see tentacle porn
  11. my humps- not everyone remembers pop culture from the 2000s
  12. Pixelated bukkake- you really want to explain this?
  13. A mime having a stroke- trigger warning may be needed depending on what has been going on with your family
  14. a bleached asshole- see tentacle porn
  15. An M. Night Shyamlan plot twist- who is M. Night Shyamlan? What does the ‘M’ stand for? What has he done? I don’t remember, grandaddy, let’s just keep playing the game
  16. Ethnic cleansing- genocide still happens today. This may not be the best card to have in the deck if one of your relatives that will be playing the game survived or was touched by this
  17. Hospice care- see a mime having a stroke
  18. A pangender octopus who roams the cosmos in search of love- unless you or a family member have come out as pangender and have explained it to the family, then they’re going to want to know what pangender is.
  19. an Oedipus complex- not everyone has had a higher education and has heard of this story/ theory of relationships. No, its not like a Napoleon complex, grandma.

Every family is different. You have to use your own judgement.

Moonrise Kingdom BBQ Party

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Wow! We’ve had over 500 viewers on the blog since it was started in May 2016! This is a special post to celebrate that. My favorite movie is Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom.” I will be giving you directions for party games and activities as well as foods to serve. Here’s a movie trailer for those of you who don’t know this film:

Here is the idea for this party. Decade: 1960s. Place: Camp Ivanhoe. Event: party mixer for the boys and the girls on the island. Everyone should do their best to dress appropriately. There should be enough videos on Youtube to tell your friends how to dress as though they’re from the 60s. Let’s get started.

Activities:

Check your phone at the Door

Imagine a phone free night! No worries. No awkward scrolling. We get the same freedom that we left behind in the 20th century. You can tell your guests that only one section of the house or yard will allow cell phones and that’ll be around where you store the cell phones (ideally in individual bags with the owner’s name written on the bag in a locked closet or pantry). The rest of the party should be phone free so that the guests can get on with their real lives rather than experiencing it through a phone screen.

How can they take photos to remember the night? Well, you can tell them to bring their own cameras. CVS still sells disposables. The other alternative is to have a polaroid camera or two floating around the party, but that in itself will pose its own risks.

Design a Patch

Offer a station when the guests first arrive to create their own badge or pin. You can have them do this using felt and glue, beads and safety pins, or just use paper. If you’re really serious, a pin maker will cost you over $115 on Amazon. The pin or patch should represent the guest in some one. Because this is the 1960’s and the time of free love, encourage the guests to trade and exchange these tokens of friendship as the party goes on. You don’t know who’ll end up with whose pin.

tumblr_o09bgl4kyb1s59c62o1_500

Dance 

You should encourage dancing at the party. Many of the styles of dancing from the sixties may not be known. Encourage your guests to watch the following videos to be prepared to dance during the party:

 

What kind of a bird are you?

That is one of the most iconic lines from the movie. It can also be a fun party game. Print out small images of birds with their common names (don’t put down the scientific names because no one will know that Columbiforms Columbidae  means your average pigeon). Tape these onto the backs of the guests as they arrive. No one can tell them what bird they are, but they can give hints. For example, if someone gets pigeon taped to their back, a friend can tell them that they’re a rat with wings. They may then immediately understand that they’re a pigeon or they may be even more confused. Here’s a list of some birds for the cards:

  1. Dove
  2. Raven
  3. Sparrow
  4. Chicken
  5. Peacock
  6. Goose
  7. Canadian Goose
  8. Swan
  9. Owl
  10. Hawk
  11. Robin
  12. Bluejay
  13. Cardinal
  14. Bald Eagle
  15. Turkey
  16. Albatross
  17. Penguin
  18. Pigeon
  19. Crane
  20. Flamingo
  21. Mocking bird
  22. Canary
  23. Finch
  24. Parrot
  25. Wood Pecker

Archery

Yes, this is a weapon. It’s also a popular camp activity. It’ll be a fun side activity to do while the party is going on. Look for a magnetic set on Amazon so that you’ll minimize the damage done.

S’mores

Have a fire pit? Make s’mores. This activity will need supervision to make sure that the flaming s’mores someone just made don’t get combined with the archery set to become a completely different activity.

Photo Stand

Set up one of the moonrise kingdom campsites. Leave some props for the guests to put on like Sam’s glasses and coon skin hat, and Suzy’s binoculars. Leave a polaroid camera near the site so that guests can take their own photos.

Movie Screening

Screen the movie if you want to. Get a screen, a projector, and a copy of the movie. Sit everyone down on the ground or warn them to bring towels in advance. You can hand out bowls of popcorn before the movie starts.

Food:

  1. hot dogs
  2. hamburgers
  3. corn on the cob
  4. popcorn
  5. s’mores
  6. Old Fashioned punch- here’s a website I found with some old recipes
  7. Water
  8. apple crumble

Party Playlist:

  1. “Laisse Tomber les Filles” France Gall
  2. “Miss Grace” The Tymes
  3. “Kaw-liga” Hank Williams
  4. “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” The Beatles
  5. “Comment tu Dire Adieu” Francoise Hardy
  6. “The Twist” Chubby Checker
  7. “I’m a Believer” The Monkees
  8. “Noir C’est Noir” Johnny Hallyday
  9. “Build me Up Buttercup” The Foundations
  10. “Happy Together” The Turtles
  11. “Le Coeur au Bout des Doigts” Jaqueline Taieb
  12. “Sweet Caroline” Neil Diamond
  13. “Moi je Joue” Brigitte Bardot
  14. “Le Temps De l’Amour” Francoise Hardy
  15. “Pressure Drop” Toots & The Maytals
  16. “Dancing in the Streets” Martha & The Vandellas
  17. “These Boots were Made for Walkin'” Nancy Sinatra
  18. “Wraith Pinned to the Mist” Of Montreal
  19. “Hello, Goodbye” The Beatles
  20. “I love Beach Music” The Embers
  21. “My Girl” The Temptations
  22. “Under the Boardwalk” The Drifters
  23. “Good Vibrations” Beach Boys

Floating House Challenge

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If you’ve seen the movie Up, then you’ve seen the iconic scene when Carl escapes the city in his house using of thousands of balloons. You will have your guests try to guess how many balloons it will take to lift the birdhouse in this activity. You can make the birdhouse a prize for correctly guessing how many balloons it will take to lift the birdhouse if you like. This is a fun activity for any party. It’s a new take on the how many gum balls in the glass jar activity. It may cost about $60 and the party activity will take about 15 to 20 minutes to take place.

Materials Needed:

  1. Birdhouse
  2. baby pink paint
  3. baby blue paint
  4. canary yellow paint
  5. lime green paint
  6. light orange-pink paint
  7. slate colored paint
  8. pencil
  9. ruler
  10. hook
  11. a bowl of some sort to record guesses
  12. helium filled balloons with strings

Painting Instructions

Put old newspaper over the crafting area. Put some paint on a palette. You should have either bought acrylic paint or some other sort of paint that will be able to survive the harsh outdoors. Use pencil markings to draw lines on your birdhouse that will divide it into 5 sections. Divide the birdhouse in a straight line that divides it into left and right. Next, divide your right hand side into two sections. Next, measure about three to four fingers from the roof. Mark it and then use your ruler to draw a straight line across. Use the image below for inspiration:

pixar-s-up-house-by-jarrod-joachim-dribbble-vshyrn-clipart

Paint the roof of the birdhouse first with the slate paint. Let it dry for some time and then paint the 4 quadrants. Wait for that to dry and then carefully paint the windows as you see fit. If you have the extra time and the inclination, then buy some white paint and paint on the trim.

The sides of the house are painted one of the four colors in the front of the house. Go crazy.

Once all of the paint has dried, then you should screw in a hook at the top of the birdhouse unless it already comes with one.

A normal party balloon may be able to about 4.8 grams or 0.17 ounces. One of the unfinished bird houses that I saw on Amazon weighs about 1.6 ounces. If we assume that adding the paint and hook adds enough weight to get it up to 2 ounces, then it should take a little over 12 standard party balloons to lift the bird house, but don’t share this information with your child or party guests. The fun is in guessing how many balloons it will take to lift the house.

When the party activity occurs, tie a balloon onto the hook one to two at a time as the crowd cheers on. Stop once the birdhouse has been clearly lifted off of the ground. Announce the winner at the end.

Halloween Trivia

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Want to gather some friends for a trivia night but don’t have time to come up with the trivia questions? We got you covered! The following trivia questions are multiple choice and you can pick and choose as you like based on the age group that you’re hosting trivia night for. Copy and paste your favorite ones into a separate document to read from during your hosted trivia night!

Materials Needed:

  • A trivia sheet to read to your guests

Sample Trivia Ideas:

Easy:

  1. Why was the color  orange associated with Halloween?
    • A) It’s a color of the fall harvest
    • B) Pumpkins are orange
    • C) The sunset tends to look orange on Halloween
    • D) Fire can sometimes look orange
  2. Why was the color black associated with Halloween?
    • A) Halloween takes place at night
    • B) It’s a color of darkness and death
    • C) It is the color of most scary spiders
    • D) Witches tend to wear the color black
  3. From which country did Halloween originate?
    • A) Spain
    • B) France
    • C) Ireland
    • D) Transylvania
  4. What is a pumpkin?
    • A) not edible
    • B) cake
    • C) vegetable
    • C) fruit
  5. What is the most popular candy to buy for trick-or-treaters?
    • A) Chocolate
    • B) Taffy
    • C) Jelly
    • D) Lollipops
  6. Why do people traditionally dress as scary creatures on Halloween?
    • A) to scare people into giving them candy
    • B) to blend in with the spirits walking the Earth
    • C) to gain favor with the spirits
    • D) to confuse witches
  7. Which of the following isn’t a traditional wiccan (witch) symbol?
    • A) black cats
    • B) spiders
    • C) toads
    • D) bats
  8. Which presidential ghost haunts the White House and is seen in times of trouble?
    • A) George Washington
    • B) Ronald Reagan
    • C) Barack Obama
    • D) Abraham Lincoln
  9. What were the first jack-o-lanturns made from?
    • A) turnips
    • B) apples
    • C) watermelons
    • D) pumpkins
  10. Which two book characters were the most popular Halloween costume for 2001?
    • A) Katniss and Peeta
    • B) Percy and Annabeth
    • C) Harry and Hermoine
    • D) Thing One and Thing Two

Medium:

  1. Where was Candy corn invented?
    • A) Pennsylvania – It was invented by the Wunderle Candy Company of Philadelphia in the 1880’s  
    • B) Massachusetts
    • C) California
    • D) Iowa
  2. Who wrote the novel Frankenstein?
    • A) Count Dracula
    • B) Mary Shelley
    • C) Charles Dickens
    • D) Herman Melville
  3. What novel was “Rocky Horror Picture Show” based on?
    • A) Count Dracula
    • B) The Odyssey
    • C) Frankenstein
    • D) Rocky
  4. What was the name of the actor who played Dr. Frank-n-Furter in “Rocky Horror Picture Show?”
    • A) Jim Carrey
    • B) Steve Harvey
    • C) Tom Jones
    • D) Tim Curry
  5. Who directed the movie “the Nightmare Before Christmas?”
    • A) Richard Scary
    • B) Henry Selick
    • C) Tim Burton
    • D) Tom Jones
  6. What is the grim reaper called in some celtic villages?
    • A) Thanatos
    • B) Yama
    • C) Uncle
    • D) Santa Meutre
  7. Which of the following mean fear of Halloween?
    • A) Hadephobia
    • B) Gallophobia
    • C) Dextrophobia
    • D) Samhainophobia
  8. How old is Halloween thought to be?
    • A) 6,000 years old
    • B) 2,000 years old
    • C) 500 years old
    • D) 250 years old
  9. What prank item is illegal to use in Hollywood?
    • A) toilet paper
    • B) silly string
    • C) eggs
    • D) fake poo
  10. Which classic Halloween film was not a Disney Channel Original movie?
    • A) Hocus Pocus
    • B) Halloweentown
    • C) Nightmare Before Christmas
    • D) Mom’s got a Date with a Vampire
  11. What are the three witches’ names from “Hocus Pocus?”
    • A) Winifred, Mary, and Sarah
    •  B) Mildred, Bette, and Wilma
    • C) Hannah, Agnes, and Bertha
    • D) Regina, Lousia, and Georgia
  12. What was the top Halloween costume for 1993?
    • A) Sabrina the Teenage witch
    • B) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
    • C) Spongebob Squarepants
    • D) Simba from the Lion King
  13. What was the top Halloween costume for 1999?
    • A) Jesse from Toy Story
    • B) Tarzan
    • C) Neo from the Matrix
    • D) Austin Powers

Hard:

  1. According to superstition, if you stare into a mirror on at midnight on Halloween you’ll see what?
    • A) your future husband or wife
    • B) what you’ll look like when you die
    • C) Bloody Mary
    • D) the hard truth
  2. Which ancient Celtic festival does Halloween have its origins from?
    • A) Beltane
    • B) Samhain
    • C) Lughnasadh
    • D) Imbolc
  3. According to superstition, what ability does a person have if they were born on Halloween?
    • A) Ability to get the most candy
    • B) Ability to not get scared easily
    • C) Ability to see and talk to spirits
    • D) Ability to huant someone even before they’re dead
  4. How many people were hanged during the Salem witch trials?
    • A) one
    • B) thirteen
    • C) nineteen
    • D) twenty-six
  5. What does the word with translate to in old English?
    • A) old lady
    • B) person at one with nature
    • C) devil-worshipper
    • D) Wise Woman
  6. How much did the largest pumpkin on record weigh?
    • A) 836 lb
    • B) 777 lb
    • C) 665 lb
    • D) 313 lb
  7. According to legend, how can one see a witch at midnight on Halloween?
    • A) you light a candle in the fireplace
    • B) you wear your clothes inside out and walk backwards
    • C) you dress like a witch
    • D) you read Shakespeare’s Scottish play (MacBeth) aloud
  8. A mask of what famous actor was used in the original movie “Halloween?”
    • A) Will Smith
    • B) Ronald Reagan
    • C) William Shatner
    • D) Leonard Nemoy
  9. What was the original title of the film “Halloween?”
    • A) The Knife Killer
    • B) Hallow’s Eve
    • C) Mudergeist
    • D) The Babysitter Murders
  10. What was the most popular Halloween costume for 2007?
    • A) Hannah Montana
    • B) Spiderman
    • C) Barack Obama
    • D) Harry Potter
  11. What was the most popular Halloween costume for 2009?
    • A) Bella Swan
    • B) Edward Cullen
    • C) Tiana from Princess and the Frog
    • D) Spongebob Squarepants

Strange Story

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About:

This is a fun, free game for any party. Tweens would enjoy this game the most (teenagers and adults may also be interested in the game). All you need is to be able to think on your feet and to have some creativity.

Instructions:

First, choose a narrator who will direct the flow of the story. The birthday child or child hosting the party may want to be the narrator the first time. Have all of the children gather around him or her in a circle. The narrator should be at the center.

The narrator will point to one person in the group who will begin telling the story. That person will speak until the narrator points to someone else. If no one can think of how to begin the story (which I doubt), then you should start with this opening, “Kate grabbed the knob to the door of the open house…”

The person that was pointed to picks up where the last story-teller left off (which could be mid-sentence or in the middle of producing a sound to create a word). If this new player stumbles into the story or repeats what another person had said (ex: you can’t have the spooky ghost repeat the same warning twice), then that person is out. They should scoot out of the circle and the circle should be made tighter.

Repeat this over and over again until there are just 2 people left in the circle (although it won’t be much of a circle at this point). Those 2 should wrap up your fascinating, yet strange story.

DIY Pumpkin Halloween Candles

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Looking for a fun craft for tween girls at a Halloween party? Look no farther than this craft! You should have some extra help to keep an eye on the tweens if you have more than six girls coming to the party. The instructions down below make 6 Halloween jar candles. This craft should cost about $49.

Materials Needed:

  1. 6 clean jars
  2. black acrylic paint
  3. optional: yellow and mustard acrylic paint
  4. enough paint brushes for everyone.
  5. 2 pounds of paraffin wax
  6. 6 pencils, chopsticks, or other like items
  7. a glass bowl
  8. scented essential oils
  9. candle wick
  10. optional: smocks
  11. Pumpkin or orange colored candle dye (Found this here for about $7)
  12. sharpie

Instructions:

Just because you can trust the kids, I mean responsible tweens, with candles doesn’t mean that you can trust them to not make a mess. Lay out garbage bags or newspaper on the table or surface that you’ll be making the candles on.

Now you have two options. You can either poor the candles for them and just have them paint or you can make sure that each child is actively involved in this craft. Because these are tweens, I would suggest letting each child be actively involved in the craft.

Route 1: Doing it in advance

If you’re going to do it all in advance and just let the kids paint the jars, then these are the instructions for you. First, tie pieces of the wick string around the pencils or whatever you’re using. Wrap it around a few times.Make sure that the wick is the height of the jar. If not, wrap it around the pencil again. Lay your pencil or like object across the top of the jar so that the string hangs down in the center. Yes, it should be centered.

Before you consider putting in essential oils into the candles, you should ask the parents if there are any specific scents that the child is sensitive or allergic to. For instance, my mom is highly sensitive to eucalyptus and she can’t be in the same room as the scent. You don’t want that to happen with this craft. You should consider getting essential oil scents that are tied to the season or orange color of the candles such as tangerine, orange, nutmeg, grapefruit, cinnamon, apple, or pumpkin spice. Now that you have it and its the day or morning before the party, add several drops of essential oil into each glass jar.

Next, you should put your attention on the 2 pounds of paraffin wax on the other side of the table. You may have noticed that these are white or opaque and we want to have orange candles. This is Halloween! You’ll need a half a block or so (depending on the candle dye that you bought) to mix in with your candle. I won’t describe that here because the dye should come with instructions.

Carefully poor the melted wax into the jars. When the wax is solid, you should trim the wicks. Place the jars around the table on the day of the party.

You might want to consider having the kids wear smocks because acrylic paint isn’t washable (believe me, I’ve been relentlessly trying to get it off my favorite coat for over a year now). I would recommend pouring the black paint into small, paper bowls and putting some paint brushes in the paint already.

The girls should draw a jack-o-lanturn face. I suggested buying yellow and mustard paint in case you know that your child and/or child’s friends are more artistic and would like do paint a lit jack-o-lanturn that has dimension. Put a piece of paper with each girl’s name on it on every candle so that you know which jar belongs to which person.

Route 2: Letting the Kids do it

First, give every girl a jar and have them write their names on the bottom of the jars. Bring out small, paper bowls filled with black, acrylic paint and give every girl a paint brush. If you know that your child and your child’s friends are a little more artistically gifted, you should bring out the yellow and mustard paint so that they can make their candles look like lit jack-o-lanturns.

You should have measured out the wick and cut them in advance. Wrap the wick around a pencil or another similarly shaped object so that the wick is the perfect measurement. It should touch the bottom of the jar when the pencil is laid across the top of the jar. Make sure that your wick is centered!

You should buy a couple different essential oil scents so that the kids can decide which one to use. If you decide that you’re only going to buy one, then you should ask the parents of your child’s friends if they’re allergic or have a strong reaction to any scent. Have the kids add several drops of essential oils to her jar.

Next, you should put your attention on the 2 pounds of paraffin wax on the other side of the table. You may have noticed that these are white or opaque and we want to have orange candles. This is Halloween! You’ll need a half a block or so (depending on the candle dye that you bought) to mix in with your candle. I won’t describe that here because the dye should come with instructions.

Carefully poor the melted wax into the jars. This would be a bad task to let the kids do by themselves. You need to help them with this. When the wax is solid, have the kids trim the wick.

Voila! Perfect Halloween Jack-o-lanturn candles!