It's Back to School Time! - Happy Halloween 2021

Halloween 2021 was an occasion that we, especially the kids, had been looking forward to. After the highly successful DIY party last year which saw the kids dressed as Zombie Spider, Girl Devil and Scary Pumpkin as they battled against Beast X to save Blackie the Cat, I was feeling doubtful if I could pull off anything now that I have a baby who clings onto me 24/7.

The kids were so sweet as to offer to chip in to help, saying "We don't need it to be complicated. No need many games. Just one or two will do. It will still be very fun!" Well, how could I, the fun-loving mum who gets a kick out of party planning, disappoint them, right? So I spent a couple of weeks brainstorming, getting the props, designing the games, setting up the decor and putting everything in place. 

Inspired by Squid Game, which my kids know of but are not allowed to watch, our theme this year was "Back to School" and my aim was to let the kids try out a series of childhood games which were popular back in those days. Yup, sounds fun already, right? Let's have a look at how it went!

The Setup

We decided to do a main backdrop and keep other decorations simple this time round. Most of the materials were bought from Daiso which is my favourite place to source for party supplies.

Besides getting some ready-to-stick banners which includes a 'bloody' one that had a handprint and was perfect for our fridge, we also bought some skeletons, a giant spider and ornaments too. The highlights had to be our R.I.P. grave which was done using a recycled cardboard box and toilet paper for the wordings, and our main backdrop was a gigiantic spider web which we made using garbage bags and twine. Not bad for creativity, right?

For the wordings, I downloaded a Halloween font and printed out the letters. Since there were drips of 'blood' below every letter which made them difficult to cut out, I came up with a smart idea to colour the empty space black using a black marker so that it blends in with the background and there wouldn't be white space in between. Good idea, right?

The kids had fun helping me to set up and even though it was not elaborated or fanciful, there was a sense of achievement when we saw everything in place. 

To jazz up the Halloween mood, I also ordered these themed macarons from Annabella Patisserie and bought some chocolate balls from Marks & Spencer, which were awarded to the kids as points for every game they play. Having a scoring system and colourful treats made things more colourful and exciting!

The Makeup 

Other than our usual sticker tattoos and face/hand painting, this was the first time we bought fake blood to use in our makeup too. The girls had fun experimenting with it and I think the dressing up part is one of the main reasons why Halloween is so fun.

I have to give credit to the boys of the house, namely Asher who was so game to dress up as a clown and let us paint his face, as well as the hubby who was kind and generous enough to let the kids draw anything they want on him - which was how he ended up with a purple sword on his forehead. Haha.

The Characters

Now, let's meet the characters! Since the theme is back to school, we decided to come up with a string of school related characters. Presenting to you...

- Miss Popular

- The Teacher

- The Einstein

- The Class Clown

- The Bully

- The Cutie Pie

You have to watch the video below to see how we did a catwalk and got into our respective roles. It was hilarious and we couldn't stop laughing.

Apart from the clown wig and nose, all the other outfits were put together from our wardrobe and Halloween stash. Yup, I think I managed to keep everything, including games props and decor, below $80. Woohoo!

The Introduction

Being the game master, I usually give a short brief before everything starts so as to get the kids in the mood and give them an overview of what was going to happen too.

Besides telling them that they were gonna play a series of popular childhood games that Papa and Mama used to play when we were young, the main emphasis was on how it is okay to lose (unlike in Squid Game), how failures are part of success, how we can motivate each other to keep going and how determination plays a crucial role when the going gets tough. Yup, I take every opportunity to impart values and lessons in my kids, haha.

My wish is for them to treasure the simple joys in life and always remember that we do not need expensive toys or technology gadgets in order to have fun. It's never about what you play but who you play with that matters in the end.

I also gave the kids a mission for the night and that was to save our class pet from the bully! Yup, as usual, the hubby is the antagonist and is up to mischief. This time, he has stolen our beloved dog and we need to stop him from bullying, and then befriend and teach him to be kind instead.

Let the FUN Begin!

Now, let's get to the games! There was a total of eight fun games for the kids to play.

Game #1 - Five Stones

I remember playing this fun game with my friends right after PSLE so I wanted to let the kids try it out too. After demonstrating the different stages to them, they took turns to try, earning points for every stage they cleared successfully.

Game #2 - Marbles

If five stones is more for girls, then this one is more for the boys and the hubby used to play it as a kid too. I had to google for the game rules so I could show the kids but it was fun seeing them using their shooter to knock the marbles out of the circle.

Game #3  - Yo-Yo

Everyone loves yo-yo, right? It's amazing how a simple round toy with a string wrapped around can bring so much joy. This was one of the kids' favourite games of the night and they had fun just trying to keep the yo-yo going up and down, no tricks needed!

Game #4 - Zero Point

Was this one of your favourite games in the past? Well, it was definitely mine and I had such fond memories of playing it with classmates back in those days. I taught the kids how to make a rope using the rubber bands and we had fun jumping although I realised they all needed more training on how to jump higher. Haha. I was very happy to play too because it brought back memories - the difference is now I end up landing like an elephant and can no longer conquer one inch.

Dinner and Dance Time

We had an interval after that so that the kids could enjoy their dinner first. Same as last year, we ordered McDonalds and they said they wanna keep this as a tradition. Haha. Okay, as long as you guys are happy! As our food was delayed, we took the chance to do some dancing first because that is also another family tradition of ours.

We danced to two old school songs, namely YMCA and Macarena, and you can catch snippets of our dance in the video below too. It's always fun dancing in our Halloween outfits and I am glad the whole family is spontaneous enough to do it together.

Game #5 - Bubble Glue

Moving on to the second half of the night, it's time to blow some bubble balloons! I remember doing this many times as a kid and the distinct smell of the glue. Haha. It's nice to let the kids play once in a while too while reminding them to blow out, not sniff in. They had a go at blowing the biggest balloon ever and amazed me by how determined and cautious they were in not letting it burst.

Game #6 - Chapteh

This is one game I concluded we are all very bad in because we couldn't even hit the chapteh more than a couple of times. It's not easy to aim and coordinate using our feet. Oh well, at least we tried and hopefully we can be better next time!

Game #7  - Blind Man Bluff

The kids and I have played this a few times and they are always very ecstatic and love this game very much. This was the first time the hubby joined in and we had fun taking turns to be the blind man and catching the rest. We made a rule that you have to catch the person, feel the hand and make a guess at who he/she is. It was really fun! This eye mask I got from Daiso was perfect for the game too, it looks cute, right?

Game #8 - Treasure Hunt

Time for the finale, it's time to solve some mysteries and go on a treasure hunt! 

While I stayed with the kids and carried the baby with me everywhere as I filmed them playing, the hubby was tasked to go hide the treats and then hide himself for the final part of the game. He had done a voice recording prior to this game and it revealed to the kids that their class pet has been kidnapped! When they heard it, they looked around and were surprised to see that our dog was gone! In order to save him, they had to solve clues to reveal the final hiding spot so they could save their pet from the class bully. Good storyline?

One by one, we solved the clues and moved from place to place. We were led to go downstairs and as part of the finale Trick or Treat, the kids got all dressed up, feeling excited to go out in the night. We went all round picking up dozens of treats which were probably gonna last us for months, haha. The joy is in finding them more than eating them, you know what I mean.

This finale game was the one that took me the most time to prepare. I came up with rhymes relating to monsters and each of them pointed to different spots in the house. I hid the clues them the night before the party and had to make sure that the kids don't stumble upon them by chance, including the hidden treats for them. Surprises are what make these games so fun too! Some clues were easy to solve while others were more challenging and it was good seeing them working a team to think of the answers. 

The game ended when we found the last clue and discovered the bully's hiding spot. The kids said "Bully, no bullying!" three times (Dora lover, anyone?) and he regretted his actions and gave our pet back to us. So the kids hugged him, became friends with him and everyone lived happily ever after. Hee.

Movie Night

Wait, we are not done yet! As yet another Halloween tradition, we cleaned ourselves up and got ready for a movie night! It's always a family-friendly Halloween movie and they had chosen to watch Night Books this time, having patiently waited weeks for this day to come. We huddled on the sofa, ate our Vampire Fangs crackers and enjoyed each other's company after an exciting and fun-filled night of celebration.

So, that was how we spent Halloween 2021. Everyone had a blast and we will definitely remember this not-so-spooky but super fun night for a long, long time to come.

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Here's the long-awaited video that showcases the happenings from that night. It will absolutely make you laugh in your seat so sit back and enjoy! Thanks for reading all about our party too, till the next Halloween!