Halloween Safety in the East Valley

Halloween is a great holiday for the kids! They can dress up as their favorite superhero, princess, zombie, or just something plain silly. Kids can get very excited to go out with their group of friends and go door to door asking for candy. However, in all the excitement, it is important to remember safety first. Your children’s enthusiasm can make this way of thinking easily slip their minds. Preplanning ahead can help optimize you and your loved one’s safety this Halloween.

Prepare for Darkness

Halloween is between 5:30 to 9:30 on Thursday, October 31, 2019. Sunset is at 5:37 pm in the Valley, so it is going to be dark. You should equip all your children with flashlights. Not only can a flashlight illuminate their paths while Trick-or-Treating, but it also can make them easier to see. Children can get excited and run ahead of the group. You and traffic shall be able to see them easier when they are carrying a flashlight. You may also want to consider lighter colored costumes or reflective trick-or-treat bags to help see your children easier.

Have a Plan

The younger children should always have an adult with the group. Whether older children choose to separate is up to you; just remember to plan before the evening begins. Everyone should know where the groups will be. Carry cell phones and know everyone’s phone number in each group. Be familiar with the areas you are trick-or-treating. If anyone gets lost, have an emergency plan. Everyone should know how to call 911 or contact the group. Only houses with their porch lights on are participating in the event. When walking, walk against traffic, and make sure you are seen. Always use sidewalks and paths where they are provided.

Sorting Halloween Candy and Goodies

When the night is over, and everyone gets home, be with your children to sort out the candy. Throw away any open or broken sealed goods. You should be hesitant with anything that was homemade or not wrapped. It is always good to be on the side of caution. Allow your kids to enjoy the experience and trade candies with one another. This can add to the experience of the night and leave everyone happy.

Be safe this Halloween and think ahead. Taking simple precautions is key to a safe and fun night. You should also monitor how much candy your children consume that evening and the following days. Do not let them splurge and get sick, but have fun and enjoy it for weeks to come!

Getting ready for Halloween – Tricks for Treaters

22252022_STrick-or-treating is an exciting adventure for a child. To wear a costume and be someone or something else, to walk around in the dark and to get candy just for the asking seems like a dream. As the person handing out the treats, you can add to the excitement and adventure by making your house one of the fun ones on the block.

To start, you could wear a costume yourself. A witch handing candy out of a smoking cauldron (a little dry ice in water in a bowl at the bottom) makes for a more interesting experience. If you have a well-behaved dog, consider a costume for your puppy guaranteed to charm the little visitors.

Another approach involves creating a challenge to getting the candy. Using lights and artificial fog with maybe a few spider webs you can make the route to your door a bit scarier than the standard home entrance. Add one of those CDs that feature scary sounds, screams, moans and groans. Suddenly getting a piece of candy is more than just ringing a doorbell.

You can also move the candy event outside. You might conjure up a graveyard-looking space with lights and fake tombstones – purchased or made with Styrofoam boards and spray paint – and pull out that fog machine from last year to add to the atmosphere. If you sit in a chair in a spooky costume and don’t move until the children get close enough, just saying hello will startle them. You may want to have a default option for the very little ones, although often they are braver than their older brothers and sisters.

If you have children who are too old to trick or treat anymore, consider recruiting them to help create a Halloween experience for the neighborhood. It’s a good way to help them move on from the magic of being a child at Halloween by allowing them to help create magic for other children.

Yes, trick or treating by itself makes Halloween pretty exciting. But if you use your imagination and provide more than a piece of candy, you can also make a child’s Halloween special and memorable.