Does your little one get a Boo Basket? The idea of creating a Boo Basket is not something I have ever done before, but it's a lovely tradition to begin with your little one.
As a child, my parents discouraged me from participating in Halloween festivities. It was probably because Halloween used to be less of a deal than it is now. I think the only thing we did was snack on popcorn and tuck into treats while watching Hocus Pocus. For my little one, though, I'm all about the spooky fun.
Our favourite way to kick start all the Halloween festivities is to gopumpkin picking to find the biggest pumpkin we can possibly find. Then we may try do some baking and crafts during half term finishing with a Halloween trail around our local town centre. So I thought that it would be fun to introduce a new tradition with a Boo Basket for my little girl.
So, what is a Boo Basket?Basically is a fun basket that you put together that is full of spooky activities and items to enjoy during October. I'm really excited to show you what's inside her basket and perhaps give you some ideas if you are thinking about putting one together.
What Should You Include in Your Boo Basket?
This all depends on you really. Boo Baskets are meant to be simple! We've picked up so many spooky things from Poundland, B&M and Home Bargains, so the items you include don't need to be expensive.
Similar to our Christmas and Easter baskets I wanted to include something that my daughter can wear, something to read, something that I think she will want and something that she will need. With that in mind there is a whole range of spooky fun things for my daughter to enjoy during October just in time for fright night.
As always you have to start off with a box, basket or container to hold all those spooky treats. There are so many different kinds of boxes or baskets that you could use, but you will definitely need something that is going to be sturdy and last a while. We picked up a medium wicker baskets many years ago, but you could use a large Halloween bucket if you wanted to.
A Frightful Film
There's nothing quite like snuggles on the sofa watching your favourite spooky stories to wind down from a fun filled day. What's the first film that comes to mind when we think of Halloween? Hocus Pocus of course! What makes a better Halloween film than three evil witches? Head to the 1600s, where Sanderson sisters cast a spell that caused far too much mayhem than they ever anticipated. We cannot wait for Hocus Pocus 2 which should be coming out in 2022!
A Halloween Story
Scary stories for little ones are always perfect for Halloween. Ghost stories, monsters, witches, zombies and things that go bump in the night. Some of my daughter's favourites books of all time is Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Winnie the Witch by Valerie Thomas.
Spooky Style
Children love Halloween costumes, so why not add a little spookiness to their everyday look? Ghostly prints are an easy way to embrace the Halloween mood without splashing out on a costume that your little one will quickly outgrow.
For a most cost-effective approach, choose clothing and accessories that can add a little style to their regular wardrobe. Who says a cute printed ghost tee is just for Halloween? We got some soft cotton long-sleeved tops with a round neckline that are so adorable. This powder pink pumpkin printed top has a muted, pastel orange hue with a black glittery pumpkin face across the front. This would go well with some jeans or looks great under a pair of denim dungarees. This cerise ghost jersey top is so adorable, I couldn't resist getting it as well.
Scary Accessories
Scary accessories are a great option for children who are shy about going full-on frightening. A simple pair of cat ears, bat deeler boppers or an animal mask are a fantastic way to get involved with all thing spooky without being too scary. We included some bat deeler boppers, a witch hat headband as well as a pink and black hair bow.
A Boo Wand
I have seen some of the cutest little boo wands on Etsy and Pinterest, but they can be pretty expensive. So I thought it would be really cute idea to try and make my daughter her very own boo wand instead. It is surprising what some straws, ribbon, string and some scissors can do. What do you think? You can be as creative as you want and use the traditional orange and purple or go for a cute little pastel pink and black?
Creepy Crafts
As a family, we love arts and crafts, so of course we wanted to include some kits for crafting. It's easy to go big or small when it comes to crafting because there are so many options available that are more than reasonable. We picked up a Googly Eye Bat Sewing Kit and a Make Your Own Skeleton that we will use as Halloween decorations. Ready for some spooky fun? Why not try our Pumpkin Apple Stamps or Pumpkin Hand Prints they are lots of fun.
Spooky Hot Chocolate
Hot Chocolate is a fun and festive way to enjoy a mug of delicious hot chocolate with a Halloween twist. What little trick or treater wouldn’t love a mug of Spooky White Hot Chocolate? Just add green food colouring and some purple, green and black sprinkles. And a few more googly eyes of course! You could get a really cute mug or cup to pop your hot chocolate in too. How cute is this little Ghost Mug though?
Cookies in a Jar
Cookies mason jar sets have always been my favourite, so of course we included something we could make together just in time for Halloween. The ingredients could easily be packed into a mason jar by yourself, with a label and ribbon, however you can also buy personalised jars from Etsy or Prezzybox. This time of year, B&M has the cutest cookie sets in a small milk bottle that are perfect to make with the little ones without the mess.
Trick-or-Treating Accessories
It wouldn't be Halloween without a little trick or treating! Ensure your trick-or-treating experience is a night to remember by using props and accessories. We picked up a ghost Halloween trick-or-treating bucket and some sweets, chocolate eyeballs and an assortment of lollipops in the shapes of pumpkins, ghosts and cats. As she will be collecting more sweets when she goes trick-or-treating we also put a torch and some flashing lights into her Boo Basket too.
So what do you think of this cute little Boo Basket? Will you be putting one together for your children?
