Here at the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature (Canada) we're getting ready for our second annual SPOOOKY Halloween party. Last year we had triple the expected turnout and many more are expected this year. Our activities included: a hilarous halloween planetarium show; spooky science demonstrations (with all the bubbling solutions, and dry ice mist we could muster); a flashlight "ghost" (helium filled white balloons with faces painted on them) tour through the darkened museum galleries; appropriate craft activities (e.g. making and decorating halloween loot bags); and other activities, including making slime, feeling "mashed brains", "eyeball stew", "inner innards", etc. We also decorated the science centre and allowed the guests to use the interactive exhibits. We wound up with everyone in costume dancing to the Monster Mash, and gave away prizes (random, not a contest) and loot bags full of goodies. Everyone went home happy and exhausted (especially the staff!) We will improve the activities this year, make a Spooky Treasure Hunt through the galleries, and hopefully be more successful getting companies to donate party loot for the loot bags. Please share your ideas for halloween activities! ******************************************************************************* ******** "Katherine E. Baker" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >Hello Everyone, >We're thinking about putting together an evening Halloween program >for children between the ages of 5 - 8. This program will be >conducted in one or two of the Museum's gallleries. I'd like to know >if any of you have designed and conducted a program like this. I'm >interested in discovering what worked well, what didn't work so well, >and identification of any sensitive topics. >I've read with interest, the thread about the "Day of the Dead" >exhibits and found that information helpful, but I need specific >details and input from other museum educators. >Thanks in advance, >Katherine >Katherine E. Baker, Director of Education >Box 967 WTAMU >Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum >Canyon, Texas, 79016