Before you begin
Halloween’s celebrated on 31 October every year in many countries around the world. The word ‘Halloween’ comes from ‘All Hallows’ Eve’. In Christianity, this’s the day before All Hallows’ Day, also known as All Saints’ Day, on the 1 November. However, its traditions can be traced back to a festival called Samhain, pronounced Sow-in. Samhain was first celebrated by the Celts of ancient Europe, around 2000 years ago, to mark the end of the harvest season and beginning of winter. People believe that at this time of year that the barrier or veil between our physical world and the world of ghosts and spirits is at its thinnest. It’s believed that this means the ghosts and spirits can move easily between the two realms and enter into our world, but there are practices and rituals to scare away the ghosts and spirits. You can find out more about where some of today’s Halloween traditions may come from with CBBC’s Newsround Halloween traditions video.
Planning this activity
- This What’s In The Box? game can be played for Halloween. However, you can also play it for another event, such as Christmas, Easter or Hanukkah - just adjust the items in the box to match the celebration.
- You can also play this game throughout the year. You’ll need to use safe natural or household objects or items for people to guess, such as teddies, jelly, acorns or a TV remote.
- Remember to check for allergies and adjust the items as needed. Check if there are any items of food (or packaging) that people can’t touch or be near to, or if there are items that people might not be comfortable using in the activity.
Make your mystery boxes
- You might want to make, prepare and set up the mystery boxes before the session, so no one gets a peek at the mystery items.
- Cut a hole in one side of a small box. Make sure it’s big enough for a hand to go through, but not too big that people can see in. Shoeboxes are a good size. You could use square tissue boxes, which have a handy hole already in. You could also use bags for people to delve into.
- You could attach some material over the hole to stop people seeing, but make sure it’s lightweight enough that it moves for people to put their hand in. Kitchen roll, tissue or newspaper works well. You could attach it using staples or strong tape. If you’re stapling, make sure you don’t end up with any sharp bits that people could scrape their hands on.
- To take your boxes to an extra level, you could decorate them or wrap for the event, such as in Halloween wrapping paper.
- Place the mystery items inside the boxes. For any damp items, you’ll probably want to pop these on a plate or in a bowl, or in a plastic bag, so you don’t end up with a soggy box. You should wait until right before the activity to put any food items in the boxes. You don’t want them sitting out for a long time and growing bacteria.
- Remember to number or code each box, so people can easily write down guesses and you can remember what’s inside each one.
- You may want to put tissues or wipes next to any of the messier boxes, so people can wipe off anything discreetly and not give the answers away.
Time to get guessing
- Arrange the mystery boxes across tables and spaced wide apart.
- Gather everyone together and explain people need to guess what’s in each box.
- Tell everyone at the start that everything is safe to touch, and the boxes only contain things you’d find round a home. There’s nothing spooky, scary, or anything that’ll jump out or grab them.
- Explain that people should put their hand inside each box to feel what’s inside.
- After around thirty seconds, they should guess what the item inside the box is by quietly writing down the box number and their guess. Remind everyone not to show or share their answer with anyone else.
- After they’ve guessed one box, they can move onto another box, until they’ve tried them all.Remind people to wash or wipe their hands between the boxes if they need to.
- For Halloween, the items might represent different things, such as spaghetti representing worms, so they should think about what the item feels like, what they think it represents and what they think it really is.
- Once everyone’s had a go, gather everyone together and ask people to read out their guesses. Did anyone guess the same?
- Now, reveal the answers. Did anyone manage to guess them all correctly?
Have fun getting creative with this. Unless you’re really squeamish, in which case, you might want to stop reading now, and delegate to another member of the team! You should try to choose items with a range of different interesting textures and for lots of senses, such as touch and smell. You can adapt to what you think will work best for your group. You could include things that, with a bit of imagination, feel like brains, spiders’ webs, worms, eyeballs, or any other spooky or gory things you can think of. If you want to include some slime, you could make your own. You can makesimple slime with cornflour, or cook up someenvironmentally-friendly slime, too. Here are some ideas for your mystery box: Make sure you check for any allergies, sensory issues, and fears or phobias. Be mindful to select objects around this.
Reflection
This activity was all about trying new things and possibly stepping out of your comfort zone whilst having fun. Was there any part of the activity that people found scary or any items they didn’t like feeling? Why do you think different people find different things scary, and have different reactions to different textures? Some people might have needed some encouragement to put their hands in the boxes. Did you help anyone that might have been worried? How did you help them?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessmentand take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always getapproval for the activity, and have suitablesupervisionand an InTouchprocess.
- Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
- Craft: Unusual substances
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using unusual substances, such as powdered paint, ash or dirt. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by what’s being used. Make sure you follow all relevant safety guidance or manufacturers guidelines, where available. Make sure you dispose of it appropriately too, in line with safety guidance.
- Food
Remember to check for allergies, eating problems, fasting or dietary requirements and adjust the recipe as needed. Make sure you’ve suitable areas for storing and preparing food and avoid cross contamination of different foods. Take a look at ourguidance on food safety and hygiene.
