Guest Author - Jacqueline Geller

Since Halloween is this week, one of our readers, Vanessa Giacoppo, was kind enough to send us some fabulous tips from “Kiwi Magazine,” a publication geared to easing families into an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Vanessa’s recommendations will keep the Halloween experience lively and fun, while preserving funds, health and the environment.

Homemade costumes are not only economically responsible, but a lot more original and fun!

One idea is a “cereal killer” outfit created from a cardboard box and some creative non-toxic paint. A pretend sword can be fashioned from cardboard as well, with some red non-toxic paint dripping from it to emulate blood.

Several years ago, a little girl with long blonde hair simply went to the costumer parade with her hair tied back with a blue bow and her Sunday school dress, which happened to be blue with an apron front. She won first prize as “Alice in Wonderland.”

Any number of regular household items can be used for Halloween outfits that are far more creative than the store-bought variety. Look in the attic for old clothing. Make a princess costume with a dollar store tiara and a fancy shawl. A magic wand can be created out of stiff shirt cardboard, then decorated with sequins and “jewels.”

Boys can be ninjas with black pants, shirts and hoods fashioned from old clothing.

Use your imagination this year to create some memorable outfits. The kids will be begging for Mom to make costumes every year when they see how cool they look!

Send kids out the door with a reusable bag. According to Vanessa, “ChicoBag” has an eco-friendly version to please every little trick or treater. How about decorating a pillow case to match the costume? There are tons of items in the dollar store or the local craft center that will glamorize those treat bags without breaking the budget.

Kids receive a LOT of candy each Halloween and Moms raid those bags all the time. Dentists probably love this time of the year! How about setting an example and providing healthy treats this year? Little packs of nuts, raisins, fruit rollups and other pre-packaged goodies taste as good or better as the typical Halloween fare. Make sure to look at the ingredients on the packages to see if the treat is healthy.

Last but not least, Vanessa recommends using non-toxic face and hair paint to jazz up those hairdos and makeup. “Circle of Friends” hair paint comes with an activity book and five awesome colors, such as blazing blue and gleaming gold.

Happy Halloween!!