Children dressed as velociraptors, princesses and their favorite superheroes came to campus not just for candy and fun, but for a little learning experience as well.

Hello Halloween made its return to the MSU Museum on Sunday, allowing both adults and children to enjoy festivities such as pumpkin decorating and live bat and snake demonstrations.

Carla Keefe, a 9-year-old East Lansing resident, said she enjoyed all the events, but she especially liked seeing the bats and reptiles on display.

“I think the bats are really cute,” she said. “They are so small and fuzzy and I’d just like to cuddle up with one.”

Carla’s mother, Helen Keefe, said she and her family have made Hello Halloween an annual event for the last three years.

“This a great opportunity - we like the museum and all the different attractions,” she said.

The live bats on display were one of several events that drew the crowd’s attention.

Bob Purosky, a volunteer for the Organization for Bat Conservation, based in Haslett, said it’s nice to teach children about bats - especially at this time of year.

“They aren’t blind and they don’t fly into people’s hair,” he said. “However, there are nine different species and the largest wingspan on a brown bat is 16 inches.”

The event also included a science theater, which offered some interesting, yet simple science experiments and a flashlight walk through the halls of evolution and world culture.

Kris Morrissey, curator of education and interpretation for the museum, said the event has been held for about 15 years. He said it helps to explain myths and traditions behind Halloween.

“We provide a different kind of Halloween party because the museum is the context,” he said. “This time of year people are thinking of spook houses and stuff like that and there wasn’t anything educational. We wanted to balance education and enjoyment.”