Pumpkin-Pop-Play, your school's ultimate Halloween day guide!
Welcome to a Halloween 2023!
I'm Magic Gareth, your host for this magical journey of trickery and fun for Spooky Season!
Imagine a class Halloween party filled with fun magic, spooky puzzles, and a ghost made from toilet paper... Well that is what I do! I’m a family magician based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and author of The Party Tricks Handbook: 40 Tricks and Puzzles to Fool Your Friends.
For your class SPOOKTACULAR PARTY I’m about to show you an interactive and engaging game that promotes confidence, curiosity, and MAGIC, that will make your Halloween party an unforgettable hit.
The game includes tea staining paper, writing, artwork, Halloween history, scares, and performance.
And the best thing is that you can string this game out throughout the whole school day!
It is called PUMPKIN - POP - PLAY!
BEFORE WE BEGIN…
We often forget that the act of TRICK OR TREATING used to mean ‘show me a trick and THEN I’ll give you a treat’. We now simply dress up and expect some candy… and it can be SO much more entertaining! For this reason I made a video of ‘tricks’ that you can perform to impress and WOW your friends for Halloween, and actually be REWARDED with your treat.
THE MAGIC OF LEARNING!
It's not just about the tricks that you the kids do; it’s also about expanding their mind, learning new neurological pathways, and improving hand-eye coordination. Magic Tricks can boost self-confidence and personal growth. It nurtures creativity in both the young and old.
Let’s do this!
🎃🎃🎃
... And as this is a game with balloons, here is a FREE offer for you!
PREPARE THE CLASS
Pre-warn the class that there will be a ‘show and tell’ for Halloween. Explain the story of Trick or Treating and they should all try and find a Party Trick to show the class!
At the bottom of this blog are 7 EASY Party Tricks that you can teach the kids in the run up to the BIG DAY! Of course, alternatively the pupils can come up with their own party tricks to show at the party too.
Stress that they will ALL perform their TRICK in order to gain the TREAT!
ON THE DAY
To prepare for the party you will need:
⭐️
A cauldron that contains at least 1 balloon per child in the class
(orange preferred as they will be ‘pumpkins’
allow extra for accidental popping)
⭐️ A balloon pump (and the ability to tie balloons)
⭐️ Paper slips, around the size of a business card (tea-stained for extra bonus CREEPY points. You could use this TEA STAINING as a class task in the run up to the party.)
⭐️ An alarm or timer for each segment
(the alarm could be a spooky fun song or a Wilhelm scream... get creative!)
And now…
THE TRICKS AND PUZZLES
Vanishing coin
You’re sitting around the dinner table and the spooky magician magically vanishes a coin from under a glass!
YOU WILL NEED:
a coin
class
tin foil
2 sheets of coloured card
Scissors
HOW?
On one sheet of card draw around the opening of the glass and cut out that circle.
Stick the circle to the opening of the glass and turn it upside down on top of the other sheet of card. This creates an invisible barrier – a secret compartment, if you will – when you can hide something flat, like a coin!
To Perform: Watch here! The Halloween Blog Party
11 Fingers
Prove you have 11 fingers in 3 ways!
YOU WILL NEED
10 fingers
A sausage
This is based on some sneaky wordplay and maths. Hold both hands up.
1. First you are going to use one hand to count backwards, using your fingers, from 10 - 6. Then on your other hand, you count upwards 1 – 5. You finish up by saying ‘6+5 is? 11!’
2. Next, hold up both your hands again, and you are going to count upwards, starting at 1, putting your finger down at each number BUT you are going to add the number 8 after each number (sneakily skipping 8/8). When you say it out loud you will see how easy it is!
1 8
2 8
3 8
4 8
5 8
6 8
7 8
9 8
10 8
11!
3. Now when everyone is either trying to figure out what on earth you just did, or rolling on the floor laughing, you pick up a sausage (that you had secretly in your pants pocket) and put it between your middle fingers on one hand. Hold up your hand, show 11 fingers and take a BIG BITE out of the sausage.
Walk through paper
Ghosts can walk through walls, but can YOU walk through a piece of paper?
Challenge everyone to cut one hole and ONE HOLE ONLY in a piece of A4 paper, big enough to fit their whole body through! Sound impossible right? Not when you know this sneaky pattern here!
Mind reading
You, as the magician, are going to predict a number that you had NO control over!
Dancing Stick Skeleton
This is super simple and SUPER FUN!
Grab a dinner plate and dry-wipe marker. With the marker, dry a stick person (or skeleton) in the middle. Now gently pour a few drops of water on the stick person and watch them come to life, dancing around the plate on the body of water. This may take a few times to perfect, when you do, you will be pleasantly surprised!
https://www.magicgareth.co.uk/halloween-party-tricks
The Selfie Card Trick
Kids love card trick’s right?
Watch this and learn – its freaky, and COOL!
https://www.magicgareth.co.uk/halloween-party-tricks
Tommy The Toilet Paper
Wonderful weirdness with a Toilet Roll!
I hope you have enjoyed this journey of Halloween Ideas that fell out of my head and turned into Pumpkin – Pop – Play!
Please do share your magical moments with us, and remember, real magic lies in learning and having fun together. Happy Halloween, and may your celebrations be filled with wonder and laughter!
Magically,
Magic Gareth
LINKS
Amazon – The Party Tricks Handbook, Magic Gareth
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Party-Tricks-Handbook-Friends-Illusions/dp/1919631151
Party Games with Balloons, Magic Gareth
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Party-Games-Balloons-Birthday-Balloon/dp/1919631135/
SOCIALS
https://www.magicgareth.co.uk/halloween-party-tricks
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@magicgarethtok
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/magicgareth
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magicgareth
Bonus video – 7 Easy Halloween Magic Tricks
https://youtu.be/VYpzIi9S7Cw?si=HgvDRpcq3yWS3p4
