Everything Old is New Again

We always try to buy new board games for the kids for Christmas, sometimes for birthdays and sometimes just because one we like the look of is on sale. R's Christmas game this year was Cluedo, Discover the Secrets. I had fond memories of Cluedo and was really looking forward to playing it with my family. We've played Cluedo many times (at least three times a week) since Christmas, you're got to love a game that truly is different every time you play it.

This Christmas though; Cluedo was really different. Professor Plum is not a Professor anymore! Nor is Mrs White a Chef.  :o Where does it end I hear you calling, well, it doesn't it seems all the Cluedo characters have taken on different careers and even, shockingly, different pasts! Tell me, how is that even possible?

What's in the Box? (Part 2)

The contents of your Halloween guessing box really are only limited by your imagination (or mine, if you're playing along!)

Here are some more ideas:

1. Goblins Ears (dried pigs ears; can be bought from pet shops as dog treats.)
2. Blood and Guts (canned, crushed tomatoes.)
3. Bats Hearts (canned, peeled tomatoes, warmed lightly in the microwave.)
4. Bloody Fingernails (uncleaned pumpkin seeds, they're a little bit slimey!)
5. Plastic Spider/s (wouldn't it be great if you could get a battery operated spider to run around inside the box?!)
6. Spiders Webs (the fake ones from a dollar shop or similar.)
7. Witches Hair (corn silk, straight from the husks or an old wig.)
8. Vomit (lightly warmed salsa.)
9. Goblins Bones (cleaned and dried chicken bones.)
10. Mummy Wrappings (wet, crinkly up and dry toilet paper, or an old pillowcase lightly starched.)

There must be more...


This list was inspired by
 H  A  L  L  O  W  E  E  N  ! 

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

What's in the Box?

I think one of the greatest Halloween games ever is the one where you have to put your hand into an enclosed box and try to guess what is concealed within.

Here are some ideas for what you can include in spooky, gross, Halloween guessing boxes.

1. Dried Tongues (dried apricots)
2. Stripped Veins (cold cooked angel hair spaghetti, only a few pieces)
3. Eyeballs (lychees, if you buy them in a tin they're already peeled and ready to use)
4. Skin (soft tortilla gently rubbed with oil)
5. Teeth (dried corn kernels/feed corn)
6. Brain (boiled whole small cabbage/cauliflower head)
7. Dried Ears (dried apple slices)
8. Worms (cooked and cooled, oiled spaghetti, add some parmessan cheese for "dirt" or real dirt if you like to give the effect of freshly dug worms. Alternatively use bait worms or oiled rubber bait worms.)
9. Dried Fingers (dried meat; "twiggies" or thin sausages.)
10. Maggots (cooked arborio rice in a small amount of cooking oil.)

More to come...

This list was inspired by
 H  A  L  L  O  W  E  E  N  ! 

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Halloween Games... #1

I love Halloween; every year I think "We should have a big Halloween Party" sadly it never seems to happen. I don't know if it will happen this year but I've been thinking about it a lot already and most recently have been looking for some Halloween Games that we could play at our party. As we would be entertaining guests ranging from Djr's 18months old through to adults extremely organised games requiring teams and the like would be all together too hard for me to control. So, I'm looking for games (well, activities rather) which can be set up and people can do them as they wish.

Here's what I've found so far:

Pumpkin Bowling

Preparation:

• Gather 3 small pumpkins, 10 clear soft drink bottles, white paint, permanent marker, gravel/sand/water, heavy cardboard.
• Paint the bottles white and when dry draw ghost faces on them.
• Add gravel/sand/water in the bottom of the bottles so they don't fall earlier than hit.
• Mark pin positions on cardboard by tracing pins.

Play:

• Set up the ghost pins (soft drink bottle) as for 10 pin bowling.
• Use small pumpkins as bowling balls.
• Play for fun only, score or set a goal to win a prize (for example, two strikes wins.)

Trick or Treat

Preparation: 

• Gather orange paper or card, Jack O'Lantern cut outs or templates, scissors, marker, bag or container to hold cards.
• Cut out Jack O'Lantern shapes and write on the backs of them "Trick" or "Treat", make only a quarter of the cards "Treat" cards.
• Make a list of "challenges" such as cackle like a witch, flap your wings like a bat, walk like Frankenstein, etc and write one challenge on the back of each "Trick" card.

Play:

• Put all the cards in the bag or container.
• Players take turns to draw a card, if they draw a "Trick" card they must complete the "challenge", if they complete the challenge they keep the card.
• Players who draw a "Treat" card have a "free pass" towards getting a prize.
• Players collect a set number of cards (3-5 depending on numbers) to claim a prize.
• Alternative #1: (for 3-8 year old children) players receive a small prize for each challenge completed or "Treat" card drawn.
• Alternative #2: (for 8-10 year old children) players receive a prize for each "Treat" card drawn. If a players draws a "Trick" card they must complete the challenge and draw again, continuing (in turn) to complete challenges until they draw a "Treat" card.

Treasure Bottles

Preparation:

• Gather: clear bottle/jar with lid, approximately 20-30 small trinkets, fine bird seed or other "filler", funnel, scoop, craft glue, ribbon/cord, pens/pencils, paper.
• Clean bottle/jar and ensure they are completely dry inside.
• Write a list of all the trinkets you are inserting in the bottle (you can use Halloween toys, buttons, beads, charms, etc) so you can create a check list.
• Using the funnel (if required) scoop some seed/filler into the bottle, add about five items then more seed continuing until all trinkets are added and the bottle is filled, leaving a space of about 5cm at the top. (You need to leave space to be able to shake and roll the contents of the bottle so you the trinkets can move to the top of the seed/filler.)
• Use a small amount of glue around the thread of the bottle and cap the bottle. Take care not to shake the bottle until the glue has dried or the seeds/filler will get stuck inside the lid.
• Print a list of all items in the bottle for checking. You can keep the check list separate to the bottle and have players write a list of every item they find or make player check lists where they can tick each item as they find it.
• Tie check lists (or list paper) to the neck of the bottle, include a Halloween themed pen/pencil if you like.

Play:

• Each Player takes turns searching the Treasure Bottle and marking/writing a list of all the items they find.
• Each Player who finds all the trinkets in the bottle gets a prize OR the player/s who find/s the most trinkets wins a prize.
• Alternative: Make smaller Treasure Bottles to give to each guest as party favours or make several numbered bottles for a larger party.

Apple Bobbing

How can you pass up the most traditional of all Halloween games?

Preparation:

• Gather: enough apples for (at least) one for each player, a large, wide container to hold the apples, water.
• Fill the container to about three quarters full with water and add apples.

Play:

• Players take turns at kneeling by the container and "bobbing" to collect apples using their mouth/head only.
• Alternative #1: Make Apple Bobbing more challenging by tying players hands behind their backs.
• Alternative #2: For a further challenge blindfold players.

Skeleton Scavenger Hunt

Preparation:

• Gather: skeleton parts template, card, scissors, marker pen.
• Colour or mark skeleton parts in sets.
• Cut skeleton parts into pieces for hiding.
• Make guide boards (printed skeletons) for players to recreate completed skeletons as they find enough pieces.

Play:

• Hide skeleton parts around the party area.
• Players collect the pieces in their allocated set and race to rebuild their skeleton.

This list was inspired by
 H  A  L  L  O  W  E  E  N  ! 

Kindest Wishes,
AJ

Things I Love... #1

1: I have a deep love for anything to do with flight, birds in particular, they represent to me the ultimate freedom, footloose and fancy free (though whether a bird's life is really as we perceive it, who would know?)

 Decorative Wooden Bird House

2: Kitchen Art; I think too few people have art on the walls of their kitchens (not to mention the bathrooms!) I'm going to get some kitchen friendly prints framed and may even run a couple of extras for gifts.

The Graphics Fairy

3: Playing Games; we try to have a "games night" at least once a week, 'though an impromptu card game or similar takes place more often. My husband often plays hiding games with the children (hiding small items within the house, "magic" games, etc.)

Skip Bo; one of my all time favourite games.

(Parlour Games.)

4: I love the idea of being organised. I mean, really, it's a great theory isn't it? Everything in it's place and all? I just have not found a method that works for me yet, I am looking for it... I'm also dreaming of having my own personal organiser...

I wish my home was more like this but think I need someone like this to achieve such order.

This list was inspired by my friend Katie sharing a group of things she currently loves at Etsy. (Katie's gallery is clearly nothing like this post; for interest's sake the link was from the gorgeous little bird gift tags that Katie discovered.)

Kindest Wishes, AJ

340LB Blonde Defends Cruel Heiress

Doesn't that sound like a headline you could find on the cover of the News of the World? The Sun maybe?

We've just finished playing a couple of rounds of one of our favourite games "Man Bites Dog" the premise of which is to make your own news headlines from a set of cards dealt to you. Of course there is scoring and lots of animated discussion about whether or not a headline was valid; they can be as nonsensical as you please (in fact they should be) however they must be properly formed sentences (well, as much as headlines are!) This is a great game for children (and some adults) learning grammatical rules.

We also played four rounds (a full game) of Think Blot. You find "objects" in the "ink blots" on each page with points scored for originality and finding the objects selected by the makers of the game. D was quite frustrated by the final round, being mentally and visually challenged by tiredness and made a great joke of the final round by listing a lot of worms, snakes, pieces of string, balloons on string, various balls and a number of round or roundish fruits. We were all in fits of laughter and I later thought this would be a great drinking game!