 ‘Spooky Musical Statues’

Magic Cauldron

This is a classic Perform game - we don't just play it at Halloween either.

 Introduce yourself as a Witch or Wizard. Don't hold back with your character -
make it larger than life with a cackling laugh and lots of heightened drama.
 Tell the children that you need some help make a special potion which can turn
people into any animal they wish to be. Ask them what animals they'd like to turn
into.
 Ask them to make a circle around your imaginary Magic Cauldron and kneel
down.
 Make up a magical spell word together and repeat it a few times.
 Then, one at a time, each child puts an ingredient into the cauldron and say the
magic spell word.
  The ingredient can be anything from a frog's eye to a unicorn's hair to some smelly
socks. The important thing is that they each choose something themselves.
 When everyone has put their word in, you notice some crystal goblets are
lowering from the ceiling above you.
 Everyone takes their goblet, drinks some of the potion and waits to see what
happens.
 Suddenly, their feet start to wiggle. After a while, this infects the whole of the
body.
 At this point, you can announce that the spell has worked and that all the children
have become rabbits.
 Finish off by calling out different animals and watch the children running around
acting them out.

Halloween Crazy

 Ask the children to tell you all the different types of creatures you might find at
Halloween? For example: Witches, wizards, ghosts, cats, owls, frogs, bats etc.
 Give them a gesture or movement for each character.

CHARACTER ACTION
Witch Fly around on broomstick
Wizard Hold out wand and say "Hocus Pocus"
Magic Mirror Find a partner and make the shape of a mirror
Black Cat Stretch like a cat and say miaow
Ghost Walk around the room with arms out saying "ooooh"
Frog Hop around the room saying "ribbit"
Halloween Crazy Everyone runs around the room screaming "aggh"
Zombie Everyone freezes and is very still

 Put some lively music on and call out the different characters. Make it easy at first
but faster and more difficult as they get more familiar with the characters and
associated actions.

Magic
Chair
 Tell the children that you have a magic chair.
 Show it to them. It should be just an ordinary chair though - nothing special to
look at.
 Tell them that every time someone sits in it, something magical happens and it
makes you do something.
 Sit in it and pretend that it has become a Giggling Chair (do lots of giggling).
Repeat a few more times and make it into a Jumping Chair, a Crying Chair and
an Itchy Chair.
 Ask the children to close their eyes and think of what type of chair they want it to
be and how they can show it.
 Choose volunteers to sit on the chair one at a time while the rest of the group
guesses what sort of chair it is.