Call me old fashioned, but I like Halloween to be a fun, lighthearted children's holiday. I know there are those out there who love the bloody zombies, psycho haunted houses, and severed limb chainsaw stuff, but for me, Halloween is about carving pumpkins, finding a costume out of the old dress-up bin, and making caramel apples. I guess that's because I grew up anticipating the annual TV showing of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, dressing up like a pirate, and trick or treating with my friends 'til our pillowcases were too full to carry.
When my kids were young, I loved that our elementary school had the traditional Halloween parade through the halls complete with class parties, glazed doughnuts, and a bean bag pumpkin toss. I'm all for keeping a little charm in Halloween.
A great way to get into the Halloween spirit with children is to read a seasonal story. So, leave the Zombies behind, get the apples, put on the caramels to melt, and read one of these favorites:
Heckedy Peg - A great tale about a witch and the importance of obeying your mom! Love the illustrations.
Pumpkin Moonshine - Nobody does charming like Tasha Tudor - I wrote a bit about her incredible life and career here.
Tasha Tudor’s first book, Pumpkin Moonshine, first published in 1938
Have a fun, safe, and wonderful Halloween!
Hildilid's Night - A Caldecott winner and great story about overcoming fears.
Stellaluna - The little bat who thought he was a bird. Kind of a retelling of the ugly duckling story.
Have a fun, safe, and wonderful Halloween!
-Janet
My thoughts exactly. We must come from the same family ;)
ReplyDeleteYes! Enough of all the ultra creepy stuff!
ReplyDeleteWe, modern Americans, have a real problem with understanding the combination of fun and creepy. I suppose it goes with the obsession with youth and fear of death. We also have marginalized children and their needs. The term Youth has aged. That is, who one means when youth is used, has aged. The selfish young adult is the new "Youth" of America. Thus are our youthful interests more adult ghoulish and death fearful. Not the child like fear which is more anticipation than fear and fun filled rather than serious and dark undead. Your desire, to return to a time when the excited anticipation of a laugh filled fright, is what we need in this "Modern America"
ReplyDeleteWell put ! Thanks, Dan.
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