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Written By: Makinsey Ekman
The Book We Love
This book has been one of my kids’ favorites since my oldest daughter’s first Halloween. I remember thinking that we had a lot of books, but not very many that were holiday-specific. I saw it sitting on some display at the grocery store and bought it. It was love at first read. I can’t even remember how many times she made me read it that Halloween.
I liked the book because it showed how kindness (each of the animals helping the witch find the items she lost) brought people together. Not only that, but the witch’s kindness in letting every animal join her (even though her broom was too small for everyone) ended up saving her.
Get It Here: Barnes and Noble, Amazon
The Activity We Did
“The witch had a cat and a hat that was black.”
“Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Pumpkin Carving
You Will Need:
- One pumpkin per child
- Permanent marker
- Carving knife or pumpkin carving kit
- Large metal spoon
- Tea light
How To Play:
After reading the book, have your kids pick a character to carve into their pumpkins. You can either free-hand their pick on the pumpkin or find a picture online to trace. Cut a circle around the stem and pull it out of the pumpkin. Use the large metal spoon to get out the seeds and other slimy bits. Use a knife to cut out your drawing before putting in the tealight and putting the stem lid back on.
The Food We Ate
“A witch with french fries tastes delicious to me”
“Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Witch Burgers and Fries
You Will Need:
- 1 lb of ground beef
- French fries (whichever frozen brand you like; I prefer Kroger extra crispy)
- Hamburger buns
- Hamburger toppings if desired
- Knife
- Cookie cutters (optional)
How To Make:
Take the ground beef and form a 1/2 inch thick patty. If you have a witch or witch’s hat cookie cutter you can use this on the patty to form the shape. If you don’t then use a knife to cut out the shape (for a hat I just cut two halves of a triangle without going all the way to the end of the patty and then made a little half-moon shape under that).
Put the patty on a grill and cook until no longer pink on the inside. While cooking the patty, bake the fries in the oven for the recommended time and temperature listed on the bag. Once everything is cooked it’s time to assemble!
Other Fun Ideas
“Then she filled up her cauldron and said with a grin, ‘find something everyone, throw something in!'”
“Room on the Broom” by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Witch’s Brew
You Will Need:
- Large bowl (to serve as cauldron)
- Printable
- Cardstock or construction paper
- Glue
- Scissors
- Stick or something to stir ingredients with
How to Play:
Print out the below file and paste it onto cardstock or construction paper. Cut the pieces out after the glue has dried. This game can be played outdoors for more fun! Have the bowl and stick ready and either play the witch yourself or have one of your kids do it. Have each kids pick a character and act like that animal. When the witch says the line “throw something in” have the rest of the kids grab one of the cut-out pieces and throw them into the bowl. Stir in the ingredients with your stick. Make as many witch’s brews as you want! You can even throw in some leaves.
(Adjustments): If you have older kids you can hide the “ingredients” in your yard and have the kids look for them. If you want more kids included you can find pictures of other objects associated with other animals and add those in.
Other Activities
Some other fun resources for the book, and other crafty ideas that we didn’t do… yet.
- Room on the Broom: There is a brief 30-minute movie based on the book on Amazon Prime.
- Halloween Town: Go to local Halloween town. In Utah, we have Gardner Village which has all kinds of shops and activities for kids.
- Broom Flying: Turn your kid’s bike into a broom and go flying together.
- Witches’ Fog: Do a science experiment with your kids showing them how to make fog. All you need is some dry ice and water. Just be sure to take all proper safety precautions as you can get burned by dry ice.
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