Song of the Week | Words and Music by Al Start
Learn some Makaton
If you’ve never learnt any Makaton signs, then now is your chance. Watch the video of Al Start (who wrote the song) teach the signs and join in.
Design your own creepy castle
You could draw or paint it, design it on the computer or make a 3D one. It can be any shape or size you like, with turrets, ghosts, animals, cobwebs, cracked windows etc.
Have a spooky party
Throw a party and include some frightening food, ghoulish games and menacing moves. Here are some ideas:
With an adult cook up a big batch of spaghetti (for intestines) and when cold, mix in pickled onions or peeled grapes (for eyeballs), tomato sauce (for blood), or green food colouring, and jelly. Ask an adult to bury a few wrapped treats at the bottom and decorate with small pretend spiders. Take turns to dip your hand in and find a treat!
Play an alternative version of ‘What's the time Mr Wolf?’ Ask one player to dress up as a ghost/witch/character of their choice. They stand with their back to the other players, who are on the other side of the room. The players call out: “What’s the time Mrs Witch etc?” Mrs Witch then calls out a time and the players take that many steps forward. When Mrs Witch is asked the time and shouts “it’s midnight” all the players must run away. Whoever is caught becomes the new witch.
Ask an adult to fill a carved-out pumpkin with treats, small prizes, jokes and challenges and then pass it around in a circle. Each time the music stops, whoever’s holding it gets to pick out a prize.
Choreograph a creepy dance
Use the backing track of Creepy castle and create your own ghoulish dance. How would a ghost, witch, zombie or bat move? Include some of these actions in your final performance. You could try some well-known dances too such as the monster mash. Find some themed music (Monster mash, The Time Warp or even La Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns) and play musical statues, musical bumps… or just have a disco!
Compose a scary soundscape
The backing track for Creepy castle includes a range of blood-curdling sounds and brilliant sound effects. Make a list of the ones you can hear i.e. witchy cackling and try recreating them. For an atmospheric performance, create your own spooky soundscape to set the scene. Explore ways to use your voice (and body percussion) to conjure up the effect of creaking doors, whistling winds and howling wolves. Put these together to create a scary soundscape and begin the backing track from here.
Witchy brew
Read the witches’ spell from Shakespeare’s Macbeth which is full of gruesome ingredients including the eye of a newt and the toe of a frog. Invent your own ghastly spell and include the most disgusting and descriptive ingredients you can. Write it out and decorate it.
Get writing
Enjoy a creepy book
Read one of your favourite creepy books (some suggestions below.)