It takes just a few ingredients and a little imagination to makeyour child's Halloween party magical. For example, adapt atraditional children's party game, set up a craft that they canuse while trick-or-treating, or create a spooky mystery for yourguests to solve together. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Witches' Hats Ring Toss

Stuff three large, pointed hats with newspaper or plasticgrocery bags until they stand stiffly by themselves. Have kidsstand behind a line and use the ring-type Frisbees, with holes inthe middle, to ring the hats.

Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

Use white spray paint to design a tic-tac-toe grid on the oldblack sheet. Or try putting masking tape on a black garbage bag.Make 3 beanbags out of orange felt to look like pumpkins. Tossbeanbags onto the grid to get three in a row.

Toss Eyeballs in the Cauldron

Use permanent markers to turn pingpongs balls into bloodshot"eye." Have the kids stand behind a line to toss balls into aplastic cauldron. Or you can toss the eyes into plasticpumpkins. Or try a variety of receptacles and give themdifferent point values.

Limbo never tasted so good

Tie several marshmallows or doughnuts on strings on a limbo barthat you make out of a dowel or broom handle. As the kids limbounder the bar, they try to eat a dangling treat. Have a few kidsgo at once. The fastest eater wins.

Mummy Bowling

Material:

Plastic bowling set, scissors, 20 yards of white gauge or onetwin size white sheet, glue gun, scraps of black felt, greenacrylic paint

Step 1: Rip a white sheet into 2-inch wide strips.

Step 2: Start wrapping the bowling pin with the fabric bytacking one end to the bottom of the pin with a small dab of hotglue. Then wrap the fabric around the pin and tack the end piecewith hot glue to secure.

Step 3: Paint a green oblong oval for the shading behind theeyes. Let the paint dry.

Step 4: Cut small diamond shapes out of the black felt for theeyes.

Step 5: Hot glue the eyes side by side over the green painted area.

Make suspended slime

Kids love to mix things up, and if you're going with a Harry Potter motif, you can call this "potions class."

Put each of the ingredients into a container labeled "eye ofnewt" or "dragon's breath." It will seem even more magical ifyou use parchment and calligraphy to write how they are to becombined.

You can even make a treasure hunt in which each clue leads youto another hidden ingredient. The final clue should lead them tothe instructions on how to put them together. Make sure you haveenough small containers -- or plastic bags -- labeled with thechildren's names, so each can take some slime home. Won't theirmoms be thrilled!

Materials:

1 cup of cornstarch

Food coloring

1/2-to 3/4 cup water

Step 1: Place the cornstarch in a large bowl and add a few dropsof food coloring.

Step 2: Add the water a little bit at a time. Use your hand tomix this mess. Do not add to much water all at once or else youwill get milky, watery goop. You know you have enough water whenthe cornstarch holds together.

Ways to play: Gather a blob in your hand and watch it ooze outbetween your fingertips. Punch the blob and it forms a solid surface.

Storage: When you are finished playing, place the slime in aplastic bag, seal it, and put it in the garbage. You can alsodry your slime by spreading it out on a piece of wax paper andletting it air-dry. Add water when you want to play with it again.

Caution: Making this requires adult help. Don't eat!

Source: The Incredible Secret Formula Book, Troll CommunicationsL.L.C., $5.95

Make a spider piñata

Materials:

For the papier-mâché' ball: 12-inch balloon, 1 cup flour, 3/4cup water, newspaper.

To decorate and hang the spider: black shredded paper, scraps ofred felt, silly eyes, black lightweight poster board, blackacrylic paint, paintbrush, scissors, pencil, hot-glue gun andglue sticks, paper clip, 24-inch piece of black elastic string.

Make a papier-mâché ball:

Step 1: Inflate the balloon and set it in a mixing bowl forstability.

Step 2: In another bowl, mix one cup flour and 3/4 cup coldwater to form a runny homemade glue. (You may also purchase apapier-mâché mix at some arts-and crafts supply stores)

Step 3: Place the glue mixture into a shallow pan.

Step 4: Cut or tear newspaper into 1-inch-wide by 6-inch-longstrips.

Step 5: Carefully dip each newspaper strip in the glue mixture,one at a time. Life strip from pan, pinch it between the thumband index finger of your other hand, then slide your fingersdown the length of the strip to remove excess glue. Now you'reready to apply the newspaper strip to your balloon, smoothing asyou go.

Step 6: Apply one layer of papier-mâché all over the balloon'ssurface. Dry overnight.

Step 7: Apply a second layer of papier-mâché. Dry overnight.

Step 8: Pop the balloon.

Decorate the spider:

Step 1: Paint the ball black. Allow to dry.

Step 2: Insert candy and/or toys into the ball through the holewhere the balloon was tied.

Step 3: Position that hole to the side of the ball where it willbe covered with decoration. Tape it closed.

Step 4: Glue the black shredded paper all over the top half ofthe ball.

Step 5: Trace the spider leg pattern onto the black posterboard. Cut out with scissors.

Step 6: Fold a half-inch of the leg at a 90-degree angle andglue to the ball at equal distances around the midsection of theball.

Step 7: Cut two teardrop shapes out of the red felt.

Step 8: Glue the silly eyes onto the teardrops. Glue them ontothe spider for eyes.

Step 9: Cut a smile out of the red felt and glue onto the spiderfor the mouth.

Step 10: Poke a small hole into the top of the spider's head.

Step 11: Configure the paper clip into a hook. Attach the paperclip to the elastic string and hook into the piñata.

Hang the piñata in a tree or inside an area large enough toallow swinging. Blindfold the "swinger." The elastic string willhelp the piñata bounce, making it harder for participants tobreak.

SOURCE: Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Fun,$15.95.