Halloween is now just a week away, so we thought we would share some ideas and tips to make it another great holiday all around. Halloween is one of our favorite holidays and it also kicks off the beginning of the holiday season (which we LOVE!).
Creative Projects Leading up to Halloween
As we mentioned, Halloween is what some call the kick off to the holiday season (not shopping, just a generally more creatively active time of the year). Here are some creative ideas we heard about and saw on Pinterest. We listed a few of our favorites, but be sure to check out all of what we pinned by following our Pinterest boards.
- Cat-o-Lanterns
- Window Cutout Decorations
- Foot Print Ghosts
- Front Door Monsters
- More creative ideas are posted on our holiday board
Most have probably seen this video by now but still fun to share
For more videos of this please check out Creative Lighting Displays
Like above this is Halloween season. You don’t have to be as elaborate as the above video is, but its fun to see the lengths some creative folks go during this time of the year.
Unique Halloween Movement
Have you heard of the Teal Pumpkin movement? Well it is simply is to make Halloween fun for kids that have food allergies (like peanuts, chocolate among many others). This concept is that when kids trick or treat there are alternatives to candy offerings. To be part of this simply buy non-food items in addition to candy. The color of teal comes from the fact that teal represents food allergy much like other select colors that represent a cause.
Some ideas to offer in addition to candy:
- Stickers – Kids love getting stickers, and by grabbing a few different kinds it makes it more of a surprise
- Temporary Tattoos (Water applique)
- Mini coloring books (Sometimes you can grab a bunch for cheap)
- Pencils
- Spider rings
- Vampire teeth (the glow in dark ones are creepy 🙂 )
- Mini Crayons
- and so much more
Some links to help if you want to participate:
- Our Source: Food Allergy Research & Education (directs you to the section on Teal Pumpkin)
- Poster to show you have alternatives to candy for kids
Trick or Treat Safety Tips
We thought we’d share some good rule of thumb safety tips to make sure your little ones have a blast. It’s that time of the year where kids get all dressed up and collect the goodies from their neighbors.
BEFORE TRICK or TREATING
- Consider the costume’s length as if it drags on the ground, your child may trip
- Watch/Dress for the weather (Growing up our costumes were built to be on the outside of coats)
- Discuss route and return time before venturing out (if your child is going without you (group of friends/adults)
DURING TRICK or TREATING
- Only go to houses with the front porch light on
- Never go inside the home of a person you do not know.
- Travel in small groups while being accompanied by a responsible adult
- Use flashlights, stay on sidewalks and avoid crossing yards
- Cross streets at the corner only and stay together before crossing
- Treat bags or sacks should be light colored and have reflective trim for visibility
- Be reminded to look left, right and left again before crossing the street
AFTER TRICK or TREATING
- Parents should inspect treats prior to consuming any. (Growing up I thought that was their excuse to steal candy but being an adult I now understand the importance of this)
- When in doubt, throw it out.
- Kids – Try not to consume too much at once that night, otherwise a belly ache will surely follow)
