All green, nature, and sustainability posts have been moved to Loving Nature's Garden

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Halloween Costume Ideas with Books

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Dressing up is so much fun. It's a time for imagination, creativity and just a bit of scaring. Candy is good too, but not too much of it! My kids have always used the candy they gather at Halloween to supply them with a weekly treat for much of the year. We also give excess candy to a food pantry collection every year.

My kids have always loved homemade Halloween costumes. Sometimes it's a challenge to come up with a good costume idea and a plan to implement it. The Usborne Book of Fancy Dress contains some quality classic costume ideas and is great for kids 8 years and up. For the younger group What Shall I Be has simpler ideas which will end up as favorites in your dressing up box. Or, for the princess who needs all the right accessories, there's the Princess Jewelry Kid Kit.

Face painting can really set off a good costume, or make a simple, uncomplicated costume appear professional. A muskeeter with a mustache is so much more believable, tiger face painting looks better and is more comfortable than a plastic mask, and a clown can't be a clown without face paint. Quality face paints are also easy to use if you have any skill at all with a brush and paint. I've bought paints from both Michael's and from a local costume shop. They lasted for many Halloweens and really made a difference to how great a costume looked.

You might take advantage of the excitement with Halloween to get kids reading. Who doesn't love a scary story - so much better under a blanket now that the weather is cooling! A set of Halloween themed readers is ideal for 2nd and 3rd graders just re-establishing their reading after the summer. Or pick out a Princess item or something for a pirate - better than a big pile of candy because a book lasts all year and brings learning too!

If you choose to click through and order I thank you for supporting this blog and the education of my children. Otherwise, purchasing from your local Usborne consultant or borrowing from the library are great options.

What are your Halloween traditions?

4 comments:

Ruralmama said...

We own the face painting book (given to us by my aunt) and it's really cool. Definitely will be used this year: Boo wants to be a vampire!

Alison Kerr said...

Hey Ruralmama. I've missed our conversations! I'm coming over to see what has been happening in your life.

jugglingpaynes said...

Nice to see your writing here again! No worries about the Carnival. I think it went well for my first time!

My trick every year is to limit the number of costumes. We start going to costume parties in the middle of October, and there have been years when my three kids have had a total of seven or eight costumes.

In the past, I've had to insist that my son make up a costume. I got tired of trying to find famous characters at the last minute in his size. Marina makes up her own costumes, but some years the ideas have been very involved. I never know what Sierra wants to be until a day before the party or trick or treating. Last minute costuming is always...interesting. I'm thinking about the year she was a dragon princess.

Peace and Laughter!

Alison Kerr said...

Cristina, it sounds like Halloween is a favorite time of year at your house!

 
Education and Training Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory