Halloween is on its way and as any mom will tell you, kids have been thinking about costumes since October 1 if not before. At Green Halloween and Celebrate Green, we advocate parents creating costumes with their kids rather than buying pre-made. This fun activity ensures that we start out the holiday with an emphasis on doing rather than buying and sends the message to our children that we believe in their ability to create what they need. We bet that no matter how far out your child’s request is, together you can find a way to make it happen!
Look around your house and see what you can come up with to turn your pre-teen into a poodle-skirted 50s teeny bopper or a clown. You don’t even have to sew. A glue gun or some iron-on tape can turn a pair of red pajamas and a rolled up piece of felt for a hat into a catsup bottle, some cardboard and a sweat shirt into a bird, and a few dozen empty tin cans into a suit of armor.
But if you just plain don’t have the time to be creative with your child, there are some wonderful alternatives to the poorly constructed, plastic or cheap fabric costumes that get tossed right after Halloween.
Think long term use and consider purchasing just one piece that can be used over and over, not only for dress up, but maybe even for regular wear.
For instance, this beautiful Red Riding Hood cape from A Toy Garden can be worn over clothes, even a coat if Halloween night is freezing. Add a basket and you’ve got a quick and easy costume that can be worn for years.
As an alternative for boys (although certainly girls would love this too), the Great Celestial Cape would make a terrific choice. This nine-foot piece of silk can be used as a cape for Halloween if your Sir Galahad chooses to dress as a prince, but once Halloween is over, he can make all kinds of creative use of the silk—hang above his bed to create a starry night or hang it over a card table to make a playhouse, for instance.
The good: Either of these costume pieces can be used repeatedly for years. They stimulate your children’s imaginations. Kids from the age of four up can enjoy them. You can add your own touches to make your children’s costumes truly unique and reflective of their own imaginations. You’ll be able to dress your children warmly if it’s freezing without the kids complaining that no one can see their costume. These are quality pieces that will not be tossed after one wearing.
The bad: At first glance, both of these items seem expensive especially if you compare them to ordinary off-the-rack Halloween fare. But assuming you are purchasing them to be used beyond Halloween, simply dividing the cost over the life of the cape or silk brings the price down to a very reasonable amount.
About the Authors
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are a mother-daughter team and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family available at www.CelebrateGreen.NET Corey also is the founder of www.GreenHalloween.org.
Photo credit: Holli Dunn.
