Kid activities

5 Easy Last-minute Halloween Costumes

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Do you need a last-minute Halloween costume for yourself or your child using items you likely have on hand? I’ve got you covered.

1) Baseball player: Put on a baseball jersey (or grab an old, white shirt and get artistic with markers to draw your own jersey) and a matching baseball cap, black or white leggings/pants tucked into tall white socks, and sneakers. Bonus items: Draw on eye black with eyeliner and grab a baseball mitt/bat.

2) Mickey Mouse: Throw on a black turtleneck/long-sleeve shirt, red pants/shorts (over black leggings), and black Mickey ears. Bonus items: Draw a black circle nose on your nose with eyeliner and wear yellow shoes, if you have them.

3) Rain cloud: Grab an old white/light gray solid color t-shirt and pants (or turn the shirt inside out so that it’s free of print/pattern) then freehand draw a large cumulus cloud shape on the front of the shirt with a marker and use fabric/hot glue to adhere cotton balls to the outline and interior of the cloud drawing. Draw rain drops on the shirt beaneath the cloud and on the pants using blue marker. Bonus items: Wear rain boots and carry an umbrella. (Note: do not wear the clothing items while gluing and drawing on them… that’s just not a good idea.)

4) Birthday baby: Grab an old white t-shirt and draw a “1” o “2” on it in big, block print using a marker. Throw on pants or a tutu, sneakers, and a birthday hat. Be sure to rock a big, goofy grin. Bonus items: Hold a cupcake (real or fake) or a noise maker, and smear frosting around your mouth.

5) Table: Grab an old brown/white shirt and use fabric/hot glue to adhere plastic cutlery, a paper plate, and a paper cup to the shirt in the form of a place setting. Bonus items: plastic food glued to the plate… keep it light weight though or it may fall off. (Note: don’t glue while wearing the clothes… be smart.)

Easy, Cheap, Mess-free Inside Play Ideas

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Stuck inside and trying to figure out how to entertain little ones without a huge mess? Here are our favorite inside activities.

1) Obstacle course: grab some plastic food storage containers or plastic solo cups and painters tape, then clear some space and set up an obstacle course. Twirl, hop, and weave the wiggles out.

2) Shaving cream in the tub: strip the kids down, pop them in the empty bath tub, then squirt a pile of shaving cream for each child. Add some washable toys (plastic boats, rinse-able dolls, small cars, sand shovels, etc.) for extra fun. Then just turn on the water to clean up.

3) Fingerpaints in the shower: use painters tape to adhere fingerpaint paper at kid-appropriate height to the shower walls, squirt finger paints on a plastic plate (one plate per child so as to avoid skirmishes), strip the kids down, pop them in a dry shower, and let them paint. Just remove the taped paper and paints, and turn on the shower to clean up the mess.

4) Bubbles in the bath: turn on some fun music, fill up the tub, plop the kids in the bath, then blow bubbles. For extra fun, try adding Gelli Baff (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012BP34TU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1460303393&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=gelli+baff&dpPl=1&dpID=61y5XBN-7GL&ref=plSrch) to the water.

5) Costume dance party: pull out the dress-ups, turn on some music, then boogy down.

6) Picnic snack: spread a sheet or blanket on the floor, then have snacktime picnic-style.

7) Shakers: grab an empty oatmeal canister or an empty cereal box, have the kids place dried pasta, dried beans, plastic beads, or pebbles into the container, secure both ends of the the container closed with painters tape, decorate with stickers, crayons, etc. Then shake, shake, shake!

8) Make masks: Grab paper plates, scissors, popsicle sticks (or disposable chopsticks), painters tape, and crafting supplies to make masks. Cut eye holes in the plates, use the painters tape to secure the popsicle stick (or disposable chopstick) to the back of the plate to use as a handle. Then let the kids decorate with crayons, stickers, stick-on gems, etc.

9) Bowling: place plastic solo cups or plastic food storage containers (the tall cylindrical deli containers are perfect) in a triangle formation on the floor to act as bowling pins. Then stand back and roll a rubber ball to bowl over the “pins”.

10) Putt-putt: tape some empty paper towel rolls together or use an empty wrapping paper roll to use as a club. Tape a plastic solo cup sideways on the floor with the opening facing the golfer. Grab a small rubber ball and use your cardboard club to putt the ball into the solo cup “hole”.