HALLOWEEN FUN

Out-of-the-Box Invitations – To invite your ghoulish guests, send out “pumpkin pal” invitations.  Blow up orange balloons and write party details on them with glow-in-the-dark pens.  Then, deflate the balloons and mail them to guests with instructions to inflate the balloons in a dark room to read the message.  Add plastic spiders and other creepy crawlers in the envelope to make the invite extra spooky.

Party Activities – Create Pumpkinheads.  Give each guest an inflated orange balloon and a permanent marker.  Place guests’ names in a hat, and have everyone secretly select a name and then draw that person’s face on a balloon.  Then, let everyone try to match the Pumpkinhead to the guest.

Creepy Refreshments – Get creative—and creepy—by adding a floating green “hand” to your punch.  To make the hand, freeze green tinted water in a rubber glove, then run the hand under warm water and peel back the glove and place the ice hand in the punch.  You can also make worm-filled ice cubes by freezing water and gummy worms in ice trays.

Halloween Fun tips provided by Balloon Time’s party planning expert, Penny Warner.

TRICK-OR-TREAT BAG DESIGN CONTEST

Kids, do you have an “EEK-O inspired” design idea for a limited edition, reusable, trick-or-treat bag?  See your art inspire Halloween prints on ChicoBag® brand reusable bags sold all over the U.S. and win “EEK-O-Fabulous” prizes.  Plus, you can feel great knowing that ten percent of ChicoBag® proceeds will be donated to Green Halloween®, an initiative helping to make Halloween healthier and more sustainable while keeping all the fun!

The contest is open to children ages 1–13 as of November 5, 2011.  Create a design that best captures the “Spirit of a Green Halloween” using the design template and your medium of choice.  Entries must be postmarked by October 31, 2011.  All online submissions must be uploaded by November 5, 2011.  For complete contest rules and a template, visit chicobag.com/green-halloween-2011.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS  

Halloween is an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday, here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics, www.aap.org.

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you.  Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
• Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind trick-or-treaters:
  -Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
  -Carry a cellphone for quick communication.
  -Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  -If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  -Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  -Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
  -Don’t assume the right of way.  Motorists may have trouble seeing trick-or-treaters.  Just because one car stops doesn’t mean others will.
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

SCARY FACE PANCAKES

IHOP’s Scary Face Pancake Giveaway is returning on Friday, October 28, offering kids 12 and under a chance to design and dine on their own Free Scary Face Pancake creations from 7am to 10pm.  The pre-Halloween giveaway launched as a playful take on IHOP’s popular Funny Face Pancake.  The Scary Face Pancake is an oversized signature buttermilk pancake with a whipped topping mouth and strawberry nose, and two mini OREO® cookies and candy corn on the side to allow kids to create their own Halloween hotcake.

The Scary Face Pancake will also be available for purchase throughout October, and like all IHOP “Just for Kids” menu items, it is Simple & Fit and less than 600 calories.

Find an IHOP close to you by visiting www.ihop.com; locations in Boise, Meridian, and Nampa.