We are half way through October already (someone please slow time down!) and Halloween, otherwise known as Samhain in our house, is on our doorstep!

This is truly my favourite time of year and a festival that, thankfully, the girls have developed a love for too.

Sadly, however, modern day Halloween has become a smorgasbord of cheap plastic nik-naks and one use decor that clogs up our landfills. Whilst we do love a Halloween party or two, we prefer to keep it as nature based and as eco friendly as possible! So here are our top tips on how you too can enjoy a more natural Halloween!

Natural Decor

One of the best parts of Halloween is inarguably the decor. Who doesn’t love dressing their house in spooky attire to frighten the evil spirits away! But have you ever considered ditching the cheap plastic decor you find at the local store, and instead opting for nature’s own?

Autumn is abundant in decor perfect for Halloween. Why not try growing your own pumpkin? Or head down to the local pumpkin patch to get Jack o lanterns of all different shapes and sizes! This is one of our favourite autumn activities and what says Halloween better than a host of spooky cut pumpkins greeting trick or treaters!?

Leaves too can be hung in garlands for an autumnal cosy feel, or try spray painting them black and adding googley eyes to make some rather funky bats. Conkers too can be left o’natural for a more rustic appeal, or can be painted to look like scary eyeballs left from their victims! Sticks too are great for scary decor, why not combine a Halloween craft and biology lesson by making a stick skeleton to frighten guests or make some terrifying grave markers in the front garden?

What’s even better is that children will have a great time creating them and they can be stored away for the next spooky season. It’s a win win!

Ditch The Plastic Costumes

All parents are familiar with the bombardment of plastic based costumes that hoard the shopping aisle this time of year. However, by simply getting creative you can skip the expense and opt for a more natural approach.

Edible natural dyes are a great way to jazz up any makeup and can be make with fruit and vegetable scraps (see our Pinterest for tutorials on how to do this). They are also free of nasty chemicals used in cheap store brought Halloween makeup and much better for the environment!

For costumes why not reuse old clothes or decorate them with leaves, mud and other natural treasures? Nothing says zombie better than a dirt ridden, torn outfit…. Or perhaps try your hand at making your own witches broom! If a costume is desired then try to buy second hand and donate it after to keep extra plastic out of our landfills, it’s the little things that really count!

Eat Nature’s Banquet

Sugar is a huge theme of Halloween and whilst we certainly don’t mind a bit of Halloween candy there are so many more options if you prefer to keep it more natural.

Harvest season has only just finished for us, for others it is still going on, so why not include some of nature’s bounty from the year? Fruit and veg are perfect candidates for getting a Halloween flair. Cut carrots to look like witches fingers, make stuffed pumpkins out of peppers, the options are endless!

Our Pinterest board is full of perfectly healthy and natural spooky foods ready for your picking!

These are just a few ways of having a more natural Halloween, there are so many options for those that don’t mind getting a little creative!

How will you be spending Halloween this year?

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Written by Amy Kingston.