Halloween isn’t just about candy and costumes; it’s the perfect teachable moment for Family & Consumer Sciences! This year, transform spooky season into standards-aligned learning with these activities that can be used in culinary arts, child development, interior design, and life skills. From budgeting a boo-tastic party to designing a haunted house to whipping up a spooky cookie treat, your middle and high school students will beg for more. Best of all? Every activity includes FREE downloadable printables, so you can click, print, and teach tomorrow. Let’s make Halloween deliciously educational!
Here’s the Downloadable Activities for the Planning a Halloween Party on a Budget Activity:
Procedure for Teaching the Child Development Theorists Lesson:
- Divide students into small groups or pairs.
-
Give each team a Halloween Budgeting Challenge worksheet (downloadable below!).
-
Provide store flyers or let them use Chromebooks to research realistic prices from stores such as Amazon or Walmart.
-
Have groups share their party plan and explain how they stayed on budget.
Extension idea: Compare results between a $100 party and a $250 party to explore how spending changes with income.
Here’s the Downloadable Activities for the Interior Design Haunted House Activity:
Procedure for the Haunted House Design Challenge Activity:
- Students may work individually or in teams to take an old 3D model home project and reimagine it as a haunted house.
- They must consider design elements like atmosphere, mood, lighting, and storytelling.
- If no old projects are available to redesign, students may sketch or create a new house model as well.
- Use the suggested items listed below and the following worksheets to help make these designs come to life!
Suggested Materials for the Haunted House Design Challenge Activity:
- Cardstock, cardboard, or recycled packaging Foam board or poster board Craft paint and brushes String lights or small LED tea lights (to simulate spooky lighting) Clay, pipe cleaners, fabric scraps for miniature furniture or props Cotton batting or spider web material Small figurines or “ ghost” shapes (cotton balls, tissue ghosts, etc.) Halloween stickers or other decor
Here’s the Downloadable Dracula Teeth Recipe:
Materials Needed for the Dracula Teeth Recipe:
- Chocolate chip cookies (recipe below or store-bought)
- Mini marshmallows
- Slivered almonds
- Red icing
- Knife
- Piping bags or icing tubes
- Small plates or trays for assembly
- bowls, spoons
