Halloween is probably the most controversial of all the holidays; especially amongst homeschoolers.
Do we? Don’t we? If we do, HOW?
For those of you celebrating the Halloween Holiday with a home school association or local church, you are probably making the safest choice, but traditions die hard and despite the growing number of indoor theme parties and events, there will still be thousands of little ones running around this weekend amidst the leaves, cold weather and dangers that a holiday can bring.
Here's some tips that we have just for you kids, to help keep you safe on Halloween night!
Never, ever go into a strangers house or even ring their door for treats unless your parents are with you and say that it's okay. There are some people in life that aren't very nice to kids and you have to be careful. Always make sure that your mom or dad is within sight when you go out trick-or-treating.
Be careful when you cross a street. Make sure to look in both directions and make sure that there are no cars coming. If you have a little brother or sister with you, take their hand and help them get across the street, too. If the street has a stop light, wait until the cross walk light tells you that it's okay to cross now, but still check before you cross, look both ways.
While we are mentioning traffic-related safety, make sure that your costume does not inhibit your eyesight or peripheral vision. Strangers approaching you can be seen a lot easier if you can see all around you. While the “robot” cost from a large cardboard box is still pretty cool, you cannot see very well!
If you are an older kid or young teen, and going out with friends, make sure that your parents know where you are going and who you are going with. This may seem like a pain but they are your parents and they love you. They just want you to be safe.
If you can drive and are taking a bunch of friends to a party, make sure that you have enough gas to get there. You don't want to run out on a dark street, all alone, like a bad horror movie!
If you parents give you a curfew, be home when they say. It builds trust between you and them and they are doing it for your own safety. If you are going to be late, call them and let them know.
Vandalism is never cool! Throwing eggs at cars and houses is not cool. Someone has to clean it up and it could be you, if you get caught. You can also be arrested and punished as a juvenile. So, don't think that it's fun only if you can get away with it. It's never the right thing to do! Think about how you would feel if someone did that to your house and how bad it would make you feel.
Hurting animals is never acceptable behavior! Some people use Halloween as an excuse to hurt cats and that is just wrong! Not only is it illegal in most places to hurt or torture animals and punishable by law, you should never hurt a helpless living thing.
One source we used for this blog post was http://www.halloween-safety.com/
Please visit the site for a lot more on Halloween safety tips and ideas!
