Halloween/ birthday party. How can I make it fun for a 12 and 6 year old ?

[chuffingalong]

Hi, this is a bit of a long story, but here it is. My Aunty died very recently and my mum is now the legal gardien of her daughter who's birthday is on halloween. My cousen is going to be 12. I have a 6 year old daughter who's a sensetive little soul, so it has to be a very tame halloween party. Witches and pumpkins are about as much as she can deal with. [hgrin]
My cousen doesn't have any friends down here as she hasn't got a school place yet. It's only going to be our family and one of my daughters friends.
Can anyone think of any ideas we could use for our party that would entertain a 12 and 6 year old? Both girls are pretty much up for anything and like a good laugh. My daughter is a bit of a wimp sensitive child, but appart from that she's wonderful. [hwink]

I thought about getting a sky lantern for my cousen to send up to mummy, after the party. I thought it'd be a nice idea and a way of thinking of her on her birthday.
Is that a good idea though? I don't want to make it morbid.

bump

anyone? [hsad]

12's older than I have experience with, but didn't want you to be unanswered, so here are my best ideas.

What about fireworks, even just sparklers? You can get indoor ones if space is an issue, or cake sparklers for a birthday cake?

Do you want to play games? 12 might be a bit old for games. If you do, what about the game where you have to make a mummy by wrapping toilet roll around a willing adult? Could be a race with the two little ones verses the big one?

How about some craft activities? Could appeal to different ages perhaps. Something like making a witches broom or wizard's wand.

For food, how about making their own scary face pizza? With ready made bases of course.

12 might be a bit old to want to be facepainted, but would she be interested in doing the facepainting - like a sort of scary makeover?

Best I can do I'm afraid :)

12 is an odd age, she may enjoy some silly games at a party. The Guides haloween party used to be full of silly games like pin the spider on the web, the closest to the middle gets a sweetie. We decorated cupcakes with black icing, silver balls for eyes and fizzy strawberry laces trimmed up for spiders legs. Apple bobbing and eatibg a doughnut off a paper plate without usibg your hands was fun. Chocolate bar game, big bar of dairy milk (or cheaper alternative) gloves, hat, scarf ( or mittens if you are cruel) a dice and a knife and fork. Sit in a circle with choc on a tray or something flat and firm with cutlery, hat, scarf, gloves nearby, if tgey roll a six get to pit on hat, scarf and gloves and cut a cube off, one cube at a time and eat before eating the next one, meamwhhile tge rest are tgrowing the dice to get a six, next who does has to put on scarf, hat and gloves and pick up where the last one was.

A night of silly games with her friends might be nice and they could involve DD. Maybe later in the evening, you and your mum do somethibg special with her, I am not keen on the paper ballons that are powered by flame as I see the unpleasant consequences that happen when they finally land. Does Aunty have a favourite spot (beach or view) you could go for a walk earlier in the day and share memories.

It's hard at that age to show emotion at a party that is meantvyo be fun.

Lost my cousin when her girls were 12, 10 and 6 and my Gran took tgem under her wing, birthdays are hard and emotional, but they like family contact to share emotion, it's hard witg friends, puttibg on a brave face etc.

Thank you both. I love the idea of that chocolate game, that's right up her street and mine I know they'd both love the mummie game too with the toilet roll. We'll definatly use those.

I did think of doing a bit of story telling too, we could turn off the lights and use tourches. It can't be too scary of corse, but could be fun.

I thought about bobbing for apples, but both girls are soo competaitve, they'd end up soaking wet for the rest of the evening.

I'm quite looking forward to it now I have some fun ideas. I won't do the lanturn thing, as I recently found out that even the bio-degradable ones are harmful. My cousen actually told me that when I mentioned it. She said she'd rather light a candle for her in the church she had her service in.

she doesn't have any friends down here as she hasn't started at a school yet, so it'll be just our family and friends. There are a couple of cousens about her age, so it should be nice for her.

Thanks again for the ideas. [hsmile]