The AADL is offering a bunch of ways to enjoy the Halloween season this year, with a host of wickedly fun activities for everyone—kids, teens, adults, mummies, daddies, wolves of the were and timber variety—we've got something for everybody this Halloween!
HALLOWEEN EVENTS ON AADL.TV (Events being added all month long!)
Halloween Countdown Day One: Bucket List | October 1 at 3pm
Sherlonya will give you a few ideas to come up with a list of activities to make the Halloween season special.
Halloween Countdown Day Two: Pipe Cleaner Spiders | October 2 at 2pm
With a few simple materials, you can fill your space with frightful spiders!
Halloween Countdown Day Three: Sweet and Spooky Bath Bombs | October 3 at 3pm
Maybe it's a treat, maybe it's a trick, but you'll see how simple it can be to make Halloween themed bath bombs. This activity will require some special supplies.
Popsicle Stick Spider Webs | October 4 at 1pm
Join Elle in making spiderwebs to help make your home spooky. Supplies needed: popsicle sticks (3), yarn, and optional toy spiders.
Halloween Countdown Day Four: Yarn Boo Bunting | October 4 at 3pm
If you feel like making your own ghostly decorations, you'll see how simple it can be. All you need is yarn, glue, scrap cardboard and something for the eyes. (We used rhinestones.)
Halloween Countdown Day Five: Halloween Slime | October 5 at 3pm
See how simple it can be to make slime at home. You'll need clear glue, saline solution and baking soda. We'll give you a few ideas to customize the slime for Halloween.
Halloween Countdown Day Six: Halloween Cake Pops | October 6 at 3pm
Thinking about making cake pops with or for some kids? Watch the process and see where Sherlonya ran into some trouble.
Halloween Countdown Day Seven: Halloween Nachos | October 7 at 3pm
You like your nachos how you like them, but Sherlonya will show you a trick to make them a frightful food.
Halloween Countdown Day Eight: Frightful Candy Apples | October 8 at 3pm
If you've considered making candy apples at home, this video might help you decide if it's the fall activity for you.
Halloween Countdown Day Nine: Little Pumpkins | October 9 at 3pm
Here are five simple ideas for decorating mini pumpkins. No carving involved.
Beaded Pumpkins | October 10 at 1pm
Elle will lead you in making beaded pumpkins! Supplies needed: 3 orange pipe cleaners, 1 green pipe cleaner, 1 brown pipe cleaner, orange pony beads.
Halloween Countdown Day 10: Halloween Sensory Bin | October 10 at 3pm
Inspiration for a festive way to create a hands-on activity for your very young child.
Halloween Countdown Day 11: Balloon Jack-O'-Lantern | October 11 at 3pm
Sherlonya will show you how to use a balloon and some other simple supplies to create some surprise-inside fun.
Halloween Countdown Day 12: Trick or Treat Soap | October 12 at 3pm
Is this wiggly jelly-type soap a trick? Or is it a treat? In either case, Sherlonya will show you how to make your own.
Halloween Countdown Day 13: Clay Luminary | October 13 at 3:30pm
Looking to make a durable Halloween decoration? This clay luminary will be with you year after year.
Halloween Countdown Day 14: Halloween Colors Smoothie | October 14 at 5:00pm
Being festive doesn't have to be difficult. With a blender and some fruit, whip up an anytime treat.
Halloween Countdown Day 15: Concrete Pumpkins | October 15 at 5:00pm
Sherlonya and Mr. Sherlonya make a pair of durable outdoor pumpkins.
Halloween Countdown Day 16: Spooky Popcorn | October 16 at 3pm
A special treat doesn't have to be complicated! Sherlonya will show you a festive snack that comes together in minutes.
Last Minute Costumes | October 16 at 7pm
Are people starting to notice that you've dressed as a cat for the last five Halloween potlucks in a row? Join Hanna for three costumes that can be thrown together the day of your Halloween engagement, with materials you may have at home!
Spooky Stars Decorative Garland | October 17 at 3pm
Some meditative paper folding, plus a ribbon and glue dots, and you've got a sophisticated decorative garland perfect for your quarantine Halloween or socially distanced trick-or-treat display!
DIY Tombstone Decor | October 17 at 4pm
Need some more decorations for Halloween? Thinking about a spooooky graveyard? We'll go over the steps to build your very own tombstone decorations out of insulation foam board.
Halloween Countdown Day 17: Dark Lemonade | October 17 at 5pm
It's like your regular lemonade, wearing a black costume.
Halloween Countdown Day 18: Mummy Hand Pies | October 18 at 5pm
With some store-bought elements, Sherlonya will show you how to make this simple savory nosh.
Pumpkin Decorating Showcase | October 19 at 3pm
We'll show you a variety of pumpkin decorating styles to provide inspiration for your own pumpkin!
Halloween Countdown Day 19: Graveyard Dirt Cups | October 19 at 4pm
Sherlonya will show you how to make Halloween-themed "dirt" snacks.
Halloween Countdown Day 20: Halloween Gelatin Story Bin | October 20 at 4pm
Sherlonya shows you how to combine things you have around the house with gelatin to make a Halloween-themed sensory experience for a young child.
Halloween Countdown Day 21: Bloodshot Eyeball Deviled Eggs | October 21 at 3pm
If gross-out foods are your thing, this one is for you.
Halloween Countdown Day 22: Not So Haunted Graham Cracker House | October 22 at 4pm
If you know no one is going to eat this one, Sherlonya shows you how to make decorating a graham cracker house very quick and easy.
Pumpkin Seed Snacks | October 23 at 4pm
Learn a variety of ways to make a tasty snack with pumpkin seeds!
Halloween Countdown Day 23: Cereal Treat Monsters | October 23 at 5pm
Starting from pre-made cereal treats, Sherlonya shows you how to make treats that even small hands can handle.
Halloween Countdown Day 24: Creepy Lawn Eyes | October 24 at 5pm
Everyone walking past your home will feel like they're being watched if you make this simple craft.
TriviaTime! with Katie and Abbie: Hocus Pocus | October 24 at 7pm
Join sisters Katie and Abbie for some fun trivia! Today's theme: Hocus Pocus.
Halloween Countdown Day 25: Halloween Snack Plate | October 25 at 5pm
Sherlonya will give you some ideas for some scary treats to eat.
Blackletter for Halloween | October 26 at 1pm
Blackletter calligraphy is bold, spiky, and spooky... perfect for Halloween! Watch Loren practice Blackletter and use it to make two Halloween greeting cards. For more information about Blackletter: read Loren's blog post!
Halloween Countdown Day 26: Halloween Marshmallows | October 26 at 5pm
These little guys aren't frightening at all, they're quite sweet.
Halloween Countdown Day 27: Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate | October 27 at 5pm
Make a warm seasonal drink.
Spooktacular Banquet: Eyeball Tacos | October 27 at 5pm
Are you ready to make creepy, decorative Halloween foods? Join Eileen at the Spooktacular Banquet to learn how to make tacos that look back at you.
DIY Craft Tube Monster | October 28 at 1pm
Create funny and one-of a kind monsters to chase after your siblings and friends.
Halloween Countdown Day 28: Halloween Glitter Globe | October 28 at 5pm
See how easy it can be to make a spooky glitter globe.
Halloween Countdown Day 29: Halloween Snowflakes | October 29 at 5pm
With some paper and some scissors make some fun indoor decorations.
World Famous Trivia: The Riddle of Dr. Spooky | October 29 at 7pm
It's the world famous World Famous Trivia! Join the spooky Dr. Spooky as he leads you through a ghastly crypt full of riddles and wraiths. It'll be the spookiest!
Halloween Countdown Day 30: Halloween Blondies | October 30 at 5pm
Looking for something to do with excess candy? Try Halloween blondies.
Re-Covering! Halloween Story and Speedpaint | October 30 at 7pm
Enjoy a scary story reading of local legend "Estrid", with an accompanying speed paint cover illustration from the story.
AADL's Halloween Special | October 31 at 10am
Join all of the AADL storytellers for a Halloween puppet show with stories, songs, and fun for the whole family.
Costume Awards Ceremony | October 31 at noon
See who takes top prize in AADL's costume contest, with the spookiest, most creative, and cutest costumes you'll see this year featured in this gala awards ceremony.
Pumpkin Contest Awards Ceremony | October 31 at 2pm
Check out the most amazing pumpkins you'll see this Halloween on the Library's YouTube channel, and witness which creation takes home top prize in a number of categories.
Halloween Scene Contest Awards Ceremony | October 31 at 5pm
It's the AADL's first-ever Halloween Scene Contest! Yard decorations, patios, mantles, tabletops, shoe boxes, basements, walls, spooky stairways—whatever someone can decorate, it might be in the contest. Can you even imagine the creativity and spooky delights you'll see? Don't miss this!
Trivia Time with Katie & Abbie: Spooky Fun | October 31 at 7pm
Join sisters Katie and Abbie for some fun trivia! Today's Halloween theme: spooky fun!
AADL HALLOWEEN CONTESTS (Entries have closed)
Four cool contests Halloween lovers of all ages can participate in to win real prizes! Our costume contest is back, but now you can also show your Halloween creativity by decorating a pumpkin, creating a Halloween scene, or writing the worst spookiest opening line to a story. Watch videos announcing the winners in each contest on Saturday (Oct. 31)!
AADL Costume Contest
Put together your best, wildest, and most outrageous costume and enter the AADL's all-ages costume contest! Gift cards will be award to FOUR overall winners, with medals awarded in categories like Spookiest, Most Creative, Cutest, Best Pet as a Prop, and more!
AADL Pumpkin Contest
Enter a pumpkin into the AADL's first-ever Pumpkin Contest! Carve it, paint it, decorate it—make it amazing and we'll celebrate the very best gourds!
AADL Halloween Scene Contest
Do you decorate your front yard every year? Or a patio, mantle, or tabletop tableau? Enter your TINY, large, or medium-sized scenes into our contest, whether it's a Halloween scene in a shoebox, or a match box, on a wall, in a yard—the sky is the limit. If you can create it, enter it.
AADL Worst Spookiest Opening Line Contest
Opening lines of spooky stories should be gripping, chilling, and ominous. Usually we ask you for the best and brightest, but this time we're asking for the opposite—the worst and dullest! Give us your worst opening line to a scary story. You have a max of 100 words, so make them count.