You don’t have to be a wizard to get Halloween-ready and you don’t have to have cauldrons of cash.
Nothing says Halloween like a huge carved pumpkin. Put a tea light candle inside for a striking centrepiece.
You can also use a hollowed-out pumpkin to serve party food.
With a bit of imagination and not too much money, you can create a brilliant Halloween feel.
Here are some ideas: brooms, cauldrons, plastic spiders, insects, snakes and fake spider webs. Use black cardboard to cut out cats and bats.
And, now your imagination’s fired up, why not check out our ideas for DIY Halloween decorations.
Choose a large, plain glass jar. Half fill it with a pale coloured jelly and allow to set. Drop in a plastic eyeball (you should be able to find one at your local toy shop). Fill up with more jelly.
To make one cup of fake blood, use one cup of glycerine and a few drops of red food colouring. Mix together in a small bowl. Adding a small amount of milk will make the fake blood appear darker and thicker. Use sparingly! This one is always fun for kids to do but always make sure they have adult supervision.
Give an eerie glow to your table setting by hiding plastic, non-toxic glow sticks (available from toy shops) under the edges of platters.
Place the signs around your garden or create a scary trail with spiderwebs in the trees that kids can “accidentally” walk into. A tape of scary night sounds (owls’ hooting, witches’ cackle, monster noises) will add to the atmosphere.
Dressing up is a key part of the Halloween fun. Here are some ideas:
For more inspiration, why not check out our Halloween costume ideas for kids.