HRM Parent Blog

Ok, so I know we just got through the craziness of pumpkin carving, costume making and trick-or-treating but with less than a month until we start the countdown to the holidays, it’s a perfect time to start thinking about an advent calendar.

Here’s a few ideas to get you started.  The kids will love helping you create your own version and guaranteed it’ll be something you’ll treasure for years to come.  Plus, be sure to get creative and have fun filling it with more than just chocolate….trinkets, money, stickers, erasers and more.

Gather up all the old worn our jeans that are ready for the trash and turn them into this neat pocket calendar to hold all the fun favours.

Leave it to Martha to come up with this adorable set of matchboxes that transforms into a tiny tree as they are opened.

Mini envelopes that you make or buy are an easy way to create your countdown with this easy calendar .

If you like recycling – this is the calendar for you. Old magazines, cards or giftwrap are transformed into these sweet paper pockets to hold plenty of treats.

Who would have thought?  Check out this fast and easy advent calendar made out of a basic shoe organizer.

This one is just too cute and so easy, especially if you have lots of teeny unmatched socks that you’re still hoping to find the match for.

Finally, here’s the one we made a few years ago using felt, glitter glue and lots of tiny embellishments that we had so much fun collecting.  It’s pulled out every year and watching the excitement of our kids as they unveil the daily treasure will never get old.

We love any kind of party, but who’s kidding who…a Halloween party is among the most fun!  Planning, decorating and preparing are just as exciting as the costumes and party time.   There are so many great sites and resources for ideas, recipes and décor that’s it’s almost overwhelming to know where to start. 

Fear no more – thanks to the team at babble.com who have pulled together a fantastic collection of all the things you need to know to host a spooktacular Halloween party.

From handmade costume ideas and do-it-yourself decorations to spooky owl invites and a really easy pumpkin veggie try.

Even if you weren’t planning for a party this year, we’re guessing you’ll want to after seeing some of these great ideas.

Happy Planning!

I made these cute little bites earlier this week for my daughter’s Sparks class and they were a big hit with both the kids and adults.  Quick and easy to make, these jack-o-crackers are a fun seasonal alternative to a cheese and cracker tray.

Ingredients:

spreadable cream cheese

orange food coloring

raisins

round crackers (we used Whole Grain Ritz)

cucumber or green pepper

1. Mix the cream cheese with a small amount of the food coloring and stir to combine -  I used the gel coloring which are more concentrated so you only need a tiny bit.

2. Spread a small amount of the cheese over cracker and add raisins to make eyes and a mouth.

3. Cut a small piece of green pepper or cucumber and add to top to make the stem.

It’s as easy as that!  Whip up a batch this weekend and watch them disappear.

Your average jack o’lantern is usually a cool face carved into a nice, big pumpkin (which is actually a fruit from the same plant family as cucumber and melon, by the way). We carve pumpkins at the Discovery Centre just like everyone else does, but sometimes we make something other than light come out of them. In fact, we like to make our pumpkins spew! Which may sound gross, but trust us, your kids will love it!

If you would like to try this experiment at home, you will need: a carved pumpkin, some dish soap, some dry yeast and some hydrogen peroxide (more on that below). Food colouring is optional!

Take a tablespoon or so of yeast and mix it with warm water – enough to make it a little runny. Next, pour some peroxide into your pumpkin – if your pumpkin is fist-sized, a few tablespoons will be enough, but for larger pumpkins you may need a small container inside to hold everything. Add a good squirt of dish soap to your peroxide (and colour if you like), and then quickly pour in some of your yeast. Foam should pour slowly out of the openings in your pumpkin giving the illusion of a spewing or “puking” pumpkin, as kids like to say. Yes it’s gross, but fun!

The foam coming from your pumpkin is filled with oxygen, which is produced by hydrogen peroxide as it breaks apart into water and oxygen gas. The yeast you added speeds this up because of natural chemicals it contains. The bigger the pumpkin, the more ingredients you’ll need, and the stronger the peroxide, the faster the spewing will go. First-aid peroxide is about 3% concentration, but you can get 6% (or “20 volume”) for bleaching hair. The stronger it is, the more likely it will bother your skin or eyes though, so an adult should handle the high-test stuff.

With our help, the neighbourhood kids on your block will think you have the coolest pumpkins! For more Halloween fun, join us on October 29 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. for Discovery Centre’s Spooktacular Science Halloween Party. It’s bound to be a scream.

For more great things to discover - visit the Discovery Centre on Barrington Street in Halifax, check out their website  or join them on facebook.    

Does anyone else feel like Halloween is coming faster than you want it to and the idea of getting a costume ready is starting to freak you out?  I thought so!   In case you need a little inspiration, check out some of these sites for great costume ideas.   But be warned…it might be hard to choose just one!

Disney’s Family Fun website has more than enough ideas to please any kid.  With galleries and instructions that range from scary to silly and toddlers to teens – there’s definitely something for everyone in your house.

The October issue of Today’s Parent has some fun home made costumes that are beyond adorable, including a cute little garden gnome!  Too cute.

There’s nothing better than ideas from other parents – and that’s just what this is. Lots of Parent’s Canada readers submitted their favourite DIY costume ideas including some for a pregnant belly….what a riot!

Babble.com has a great picture gallery of homemade costumes that are hilarious, adorable and near addictive to keep looking at cause they are so cute.  A good spot to get some inspiration for making your own fun costumes.

Ok, you know we had to include a little Martha – there are so many great Halloween ideas on her site, especially some that kids can make themselves.

While we were on Martha’s site we also noticed a hilarious selection of pet costumes that we couldn’t refuse sharing, should Kitty or Spot want in on the fun.