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Halloween is on my mind for sure this weekend. Getting the kids' costumes ready, making sure I have enough loot to hand out during trick-or-treating and checking the weather forecast, hoping the snow will hold off for the kiddos.
Since my kids are younger, two and five, we've never really ventured too far outside of our neighborhood for trick-or-treating. We have such wonderful, generous neighbors. Everyone knows everyone else (for the most part), and by the time we get around the cul-de-sac, the kids' pumpkins are plenty full and everyone's fingers have gone numb from the cold.
I'm not sure how many more years I'll be able to get away with just keeping us contained in the nieghborhood, so I've decided to make things a litttle more interesting this year for Dane, my 5-year-old, and introduce a scavenger hunt to this year's festivities. Heck, maybe the rest of the neighborhood will want to get involved. Neighbors, are you reading this? I hope so. I know where you all live.
So, you may have heard of Halloween scavenger hunts where you actually look for items to cross off your list while you're trick-or-treating. Pumpkins, certain costumes, spider decorations, etc. In my opinion, the kids already have enough going on in their heads. It's doubtful they'll hang onto a sheet and a pencil. The scavenger checklist will probably get tossed into the gutter (literally, on your street) soon after they leave the house. If going door-to-door, ringing bells, seeing other kids in costumes and receiving treats at every home they visit doesn't provide enough entertainment and excitement, I'm not sure what will. Good luck to the parents of the child who is bored during trick-or-treating. You have many challenging years ahead.
The scavenger hunt I'm suggesting takes place after you return home. Isn't that the best part anyway? Dumping the treats out all over the living room floor or kitchen table, scrounging through it all, picking out favorites, sorting, matching - you get the picture. I can see you nodding. You do this, too, don't you? Of course, you do! It's the most exciting part, even above and beyond the gathering of treats. My scavenger hunt checklist includes over 20 items the kids can check off, if they find that item in their bag or pumpkin.
I'll admit, most of the items will be pretty easy to check off. There are just a few outliers that could pose more of a challenge. You can really make up your own rules for the game when it comes to winning. The person with the most items checked off could win a prize, or kids can eat another piece of candy above and beyond what you allow for every five items they check off. I think I'll probably do the latter with my kids.
If your family is trick-or-treating outside of your neighborhood this year, this game also serves as a great safety check because it forces you to look at each and every item your child receives that evening. Have fun if you decide to do this activity with your kids Halloween night. It gets the whole family involved and makes you feel like a kid again. HAPPY HaUNTING! Get it? Ok, I'm done here.
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