No Halloween Costumes Allowed in School? Don’t Despair!
Hi Penelope,
My daughter’s school has just sent a letter home to parents saying that costumes won’t be allowed in school this year for some kind of safety reason. My daughter is really upset about it, and I was wondering if you had any advice on how to take her mind off it?
Annie
Via e-mail
Dear Annie,
How horrible! I’m so sorry to hear that news, and I totally understand why your daughter would be upset. When my family wasn’t living abroad, I used to love going to school in my Halloween costume and competing with my friends for best Halloween costume idea. My kids are definitely the same way; to them, it’s kind of like having two Halloweens rolled into one.
If your daughter can’t wear her costume to school during the day, why not hold an after school Halloween party for her and her classmates? Even if the boys and girls from her class have already made trick-or-treating plans, they could come over right after school for a pre-Halloween party to compare costumes and eat the plentiful amounts of candy you supply. You could set up a Bobbing for Apples station or even rent a Cotton Candy machine from a party store and serve orange cotton candy--anything to make your pre-Halloween party guests feel special.
In order to really get your young Halloween party guests into the spirit, establish a Most Creative Halloween Costume contest, and give a little Halloween gift bag filled with candy, markers and a Halloween coloring book to the winner. Kids love nothing more than to hear how cool or creative their costumes is, and giving them two chances to hear it will make you the coolest Mom around.
Have a fabulous party!
Enjoy Planning.
Penelope
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