Halloween Feel Box Game: Concept
Imagine a creepy mad scientist or witch with leftover items from an “experiment” or witch’s brew. Instead of throwing their nasty ingredients away, they put each inside a box. Somehow you—mom, dad, or teacher—happen to have the boxes, and you’re going to share them with a group of kids for a Halloween guessing game. The kids are not allowed to look inside the boxes. Instead, they are told what’s inside—and they get to feel it! Your job, as the Feel Box Facilitator, is to come up with an idea about just what awful items might be in the boxes, and to tell a story that gets kids involved and engaged. As you tell the story, pass around each box, and let the kids reach in to feel the “creepy” object. Wet spaghetti, for example, feels a lot like a child’s concept of veins or worms, while a big, damp sponge could be a brain.
Create a Story for the Game
For a fun and scary game, you’ll have to get into character and tell a convincing story. After you name each item, pass the box around and let everyone feel the objects inside. Feel free to improvise if someone is reluctant by reassuring them with a line like “Don’t worry—it can’t bite you anymore.” Don’t push anyone who’s really scared, though, as this could end in embarrassment or tears. Here’s one sample script: “Last night I decided to visit the haunted house down the street. I thought the house was empty, but there was a witch there. She had just finished making an evil witch’s brew, and she disappeared in a puff of smoke when she saw me come in. I looked around and saw she had left some of her ingredients behind, so I took them and put them in these boxes. Go ahead and put your hand in each box so you can feel the ingredients I collected—they’re pretty creepy! This [a box of wet spaghetti] is a box of veins! And these [a box of peeled grapes] are eyeballs…”
How to Create Feel Boxes
You can use a sectioned box, such as the type used for fruit, but it’s usually most effective to have a selection of small boxes to pass around. Anything including tissue boxes and small shipping boxes works well. To keep children from looking inside, tape a flap of construction paper or fabric over the top of each box. You can also use shoe boxes; just cut a hole in the lid that’s big enough for a child’s hand to fit through and tape the lid down. You can put anything you like into the boxes, and come up with any story you like, but these items are always effective:
Damp, coarse sponge: brainsTwisted chenille stems: spiderPretzel sticks: petrified rat tailsDried apricots: dried-up tonguesThread: spiderwebsCooked, cold spaghetti noodles: worms or veinsPeeled grapes: eyeballsDried apple slices: earsBlanched, peeled tomato: heartFake fur: dead animalTines of a plastic fork: vampire teethSoft flour tortilla: skin (can add a little oil)Feed corn: teethCornsilk: hairRaisins: boogers or rat droppingsSlivered almonds: fingernailsBaby dill pickles with pistachio shells pushed into the tip: witches’ fingersOvercooked rice with raisins in cooking oil: rotting maggots and bugsSmall peeled potatoes stuck together with chenille stems: spiders
