Make your own haunted house

October 15, 2009

Kids love Halloween, and a great way to get them into the spirit of the holiday is to help them set up a haunted house for their friends.

An outdoor shed or garage is ideal for a spooky setting, but any room could be transformed.

The kids can help with the crafts by creating their own party decorations like spooky plastic spiders that hang from the ceiling and fake cobwebs. A few black lights or fake candles would also add a macabre atmosphere to their haunted house.

Glow sticks make great party favors for a haunted house because they'll help kids see in the dark. If you feel like being creative, use glow sticks to create a creepy design on the wall - outline the shape of a large spider, a witch or a black cat.

Create a life-size zombie or mummy with some old clothing stuffed with newspaper and hang it from the ceiling by a rope - if you can find a pulley, you're sure to get a few screams when you let if fall down from the ceiling.

For older kids, a creepy soundtrack of ghosts moaning or doors creaking would be perfect. If younger children are attending, throw on some novelty Halloween songs like Monster Mash to keep it light and fun.