Halloween is only a few weeks away. Now is the time to think of costumes for your children. You can save a bundle if you get creative and make one yourself.
I remember when my mother turned me into a rabbit one year complete with tall standing ears. I was in the third grade. She fashioned a white outfit with bright pink rabbits that went over my coat so that I would stay cozy and easy to spot. For the ears, she built a frame for each ear with aluminum foil, wrapped more of the matching rabbit costume material around each side, and turned it into a rabbit helmet that tied at my neck.
I was always big for my age. Now imagine running across a rabbit-girl with ears at least a foot tall on Halloween who must have looked like Harvey! In fact, I won a prize that year in the school's Halloween parade.
My mother put a lot of love and effort in sewing that special outfit for me and it always brings back fond memories of the year of the rabbit.
Sewing your own costumes can be thrifty in more ways than one. I even got double duty out of that rabbit suit later as pajamas.
Whether you make or buy your child's costume, be sure to get something bright so he or she will stand out in the dark to avoid being hit by cars.
Another important thing to remember is how cold it can get in the fall so pick up costumes that are big enough to fit over coats.
Make sure you pick up a flashlight and batteries for trick-or-treating night. Equally important is to supply your child with a material tote bag to carry candy. Paper bags can break and cause chaos and candy littering everywhere when they do.
I prefer taking the children out and delegating candy detail to the hubby. This is great exercise and way easier than that constant up and down with the doorbell.
A pancho is not a bad thing to have with you. If it drizzles, you can always throw one on your child at the last minute.
Whatever you do, just have fun and do stay safe with your child.
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growing up. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Ways to Encourage Your Children to Cook!
Helping your children take an interest in cooking and baking is a good thing. Not only will they learn an important lifelong lesson of being self-reliant when it comes to meal preparation, but you can help teach them some other valuable lessons as well.
Cooking and baking require measuring. Sometimes, you need to adjust recipes and work with fractions, which is a great way to sharpen their mathematic skills.
Learning to cook and bake can build confidence when your child masters, perhaps, a favorite recipe. Praise that acquired new skill and watch that child exceeding beyond your expectations as he or she wants to make something more complicated or learn more. You might even have a budding chef in your midst.
Do not criticize only suggest when a mistake is made, otherwise, you will discourage them from wanting to continue. Everyone makes mistakes so just be patient with the extra dishes, tasting spoons, or the coating of flour now on your floor or any accidental spills! This is a valuable lesson for you in gaining patience just as much as it is for your child.
Teaching your child to cook and bake can be a fun activity for both mother and child, especially if you start out making the child's favorite recipe together, side by side as a team. Read the recipe together and walk your child through each step of the process. Don't assume that just because you understand how to read a recipe that a non-cook does. Ask your child if he or she understands and has any questions about the instructions.
For example, your child may ask how long does it take to cook potatoes before you can mash them. You may reply twenty minutes is about right. However, you may fail to provide that little detail about stabbing them first to test if they are soft enough because it comes naturally to you. Trust me, but mashing semi-cooked potatoes is like serving up a plate of glue that even dogs will refuse to eat. I know because I forgot this little detail once.
Another important lesson is helping them appreciate the loving efforts that go into cooking and baking for your family. A person only understands another person's situation is if they personally experience it. Cooking and baking will develop their compassion and understanding for you and later a spouse.
Take your children grocery shopping with you. Show them the fresh fruit and vegetables and give them lessons in proper selection. Help them learn to read the ingredients on the back of jars and boxes of what is healthy and what is not is. This serves as a wonderful introduction into nutrition and healthy eating.
Finally, you can help them understand cost and comparison, which is another vital lesson to be had when you compare one product at the grocery store over another. This is the perfect way to teach children the value of a dollar.
Cooking and baking require measuring. Sometimes, you need to adjust recipes and work with fractions, which is a great way to sharpen their mathematic skills.
Learning to cook and bake can build confidence when your child masters, perhaps, a favorite recipe. Praise that acquired new skill and watch that child exceeding beyond your expectations as he or she wants to make something more complicated or learn more. You might even have a budding chef in your midst.
Do not criticize only suggest when a mistake is made, otherwise, you will discourage them from wanting to continue. Everyone makes mistakes so just be patient with the extra dishes, tasting spoons, or the coating of flour now on your floor or any accidental spills! This is a valuable lesson for you in gaining patience just as much as it is for your child.
Teaching your child to cook and bake can be a fun activity for both mother and child, especially if you start out making the child's favorite recipe together, side by side as a team. Read the recipe together and walk your child through each step of the process. Don't assume that just because you understand how to read a recipe that a non-cook does. Ask your child if he or she understands and has any questions about the instructions.
For example, your child may ask how long does it take to cook potatoes before you can mash them. You may reply twenty minutes is about right. However, you may fail to provide that little detail about stabbing them first to test if they are soft enough because it comes naturally to you. Trust me, but mashing semi-cooked potatoes is like serving up a plate of glue that even dogs will refuse to eat. I know because I forgot this little detail once.
Another important lesson is helping them appreciate the loving efforts that go into cooking and baking for your family. A person only understands another person's situation is if they personally experience it. Cooking and baking will develop their compassion and understanding for you and later a spouse.
Take your children grocery shopping with you. Show them the fresh fruit and vegetables and give them lessons in proper selection. Help them learn to read the ingredients on the back of jars and boxes of what is healthy and what is not is. This serves as a wonderful introduction into nutrition and healthy eating.
Finally, you can help them understand cost and comparison, which is another vital lesson to be had when you compare one product at the grocery store over another. This is the perfect way to teach children the value of a dollar.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)