My friendly, federal government sent me some Halloween safety tips that I wanted to share. I would have done a quick summary with a link but the email I subscribe to doesn’t refer back to a web page. Those silly civil servants! You can subscribe to the monthly safety tips newsletter if you are so inspired. Health Canada has a more extensive list of Halloween safety tips as well.
Here is what I’m taking to heart as we’re getting ready for the big day:
* Small children should never carve pumpkins. Instead, let your child draw a face on the pumpkin. I read a parenting magazine (they run together) that suggested using Mr Potato Head pieces for the too-young-to-carve set. I think that we might try that.
* Of course, we’ll have to carve something. What is Halloween with clawing stringy pumpkin innards out and watching while an adult attempts to render the intricate design decided upon by a child?
* Make your house trick or treat friendly, with no dark areas or tripping hazards. We have a great big bush in front of our door that gives privacy but deters kids. I think I might camp out in the driveway.
* Keep candles, jack-o-lanterns, matches and lighters in a place that children cannot reach. I guess we need to be reminded of the boring rules at special occasions.
For the ambitious among you, head over to Make Magazine’s Halloween pages for some ideas that are more complicated than I can tackle (but I read them with an awed fascination). I would caution that the projects are likely not to be in line with the safety theme of the rest of this post.