Halloween Day

Happy Halloween to you! When I think about Halloween, I think back to 20ish years ago when my brother and I were able to visit our Grandma's neighborhood in Cincinnati and trick-or-treat there...in the eyes of a kid, much better than our small town! And as an added bonus, if our costume required makeup or face paint, Gram was an expert. However, since we were in "the city," Mom and Dad made sure that we stayed together, walked to houses at the same time, and when we were finished, all of our goodies were sprawled out on the dining room table for inspection. "Today is Halloween" addresses such topics--- Halloween rules, if you will, for a safe time. I'm sure many of you remember similar directions from your parents and may now be enforcing them with your own!

All childhood fun aside, I have never ever liked the feeling of being scared (in fact, I'd say I'm scared of being scared!), and am not a fan of the overly sweet myriad of treats, so aside from seasonal decorating, Halloween is pushed down on my "fave" list of holidays. I much prefer cozy family-centered celebrations...which are creeping into our calendars!



TODAY IS HALLOWEEN
It’s the end of October,
Day 31.
Today is Halloween,
And it’s time for some fun.
We can wear a costume
And there’s candy, too.
Halloween fun for me and you

We can dress up and pretend
As we wear our costumes, my friend
A pirate, a princess, or a ghost that says “boo!”-
The choice of costume is up to you.

Stay with your family,
And together you’ll walk down the streets
Ring doorbells at homes
And when someone answers, say “trick or treat!”

When you get home
Give your trick or treat bag to mom and dad
To make sure all the candy is safe
And you'll talk about the fun you just had.

Just in Time...

Now that Halloween is over, we are faced with two things: getting ready for Thanksgiving and all of the leftover candy! I don't quite remember what it was like after Halloween as a child, candy-wise. I know that I had to be a sucker for the chocolate goodies, and then not pay so much attention to the remaining candy in my plastic orange pumpkin. I also know that my brothers and I would not have been given the opportunity to eat loads of sweets in one sitting. What I'm not quite sure of is...what happened to all of the candy? I vaguely remember nearing Easter time and getting rid of Halloween-wrapped treats that had not been eaten!
For those who can't satisfy their sweet tooth enough, "Halloween Candy" is a good listen for you. It again targets the skill of stopping (during music therapy sessions- instrument play; in every day situations- it could be eating candy!) and waiting, this time while singing about eating Halloween treats. I've been using this song with my students a few weeks before Halloween, but it's a good one to keep around just a little while longer to address what they have experienced first-hand.
Hope you had a sweet Halloween!



HALLOWEEN CANDY
Halloween candy in my bag from trick or treat,
Lots of candy for me to eat
I eat and eat and eat a lot
Until my mom cries, “Stop!”