Following on from the previous nights Halloween party in Ebisu I had to be up early to do a couple of kids Halloween Parties in Hibarigaoka with colleague and friend Lai-Keun. Last year we did a shattering three parties pretty much back-to-back but this year it was 33% lighter though with a similar amount of students.

The first party was for 90 minutes from 10am and was for the really young ones who this year were, on the whole, mostly very well behaved with hardly any tears. All a far cry (pun not intended) from last years one and this time the average age was even lower with most of my kids in attendance such as the three year old twins (below) and the boy in purple (also aged three) in the picture next to that.

Games and activities in this one included: pumpkin basketball; pumpkin sweeping using broomsticks to get the pumpkins into the goal (a box on its side) on the opposite side of the room; a simple craft activity making a halloween bracelet; pass the parcel and some other stuff which I’ve long forgotten about!

For the second round (12.30-2.00pm) Lai-Keun and I went our separate ways as there were 26 lower and higher elementary students in attendance and just not enough space for them all in one classroom. My class was all-female and as I was sole teacher I didn’t take too many photos as I was too busy panicking about how I’d fill the 60 minutes before the snack break and ‘hit the pinata’ finale involving both groups.

I shot off at frantic pace and soon wish I hadn’t as time flew but thankfully I was able to think on my feet and come up with a couple of extra games. Tenpin bowling (using water bottles with halloween labels on them) was fun but I think I put a bit too much water in some of the bottles. So much that the pumpkin had to be bowled at fast pace to knock them over. The biggest success was broomstick football I guess. A slightly more competitive format compared to the earlier lesson where they just raced side-by-side to sweep their own pumpkin (a papier mâché one rather than a real one) into the box. Instead this time the box goals were at either end of the classroom and they had to score first to win.

Overall, another successful days work and well paid too! I’d probably have to say that Halloween is fast becoming my favourite event of the year and I am already excited about next years festivities and what I may wear! Not bad for a boy who lived such a sheltered childhood where Halloween was concerned!

Click on the years below to see my ‘Spook-tacular Halloween’ blog entry for each one

2008     2009     2010     2011