Halloween Monster Craft with Duck Brand Duct Tape

When I heard that Duck Brand Duct Tape had even more new styles of duct tape and looked at their site and saw that they had a page listing crafts to do with duct tape.  So I searched the web for more and found these Halloween Monsters made using recyclables and duct tape.

So I wrote Duck Brand Duct Tape to see if they would send us some duct tape to do craft with our Girl Guides and they agreed.

I received many different colours, different patterns and even glow in the dark tape!

So our Halloween meeting was last night so I brought some recyclables and and the tape and they went to work.

I was busy while they did it so I don’t have any photos of the process but here are their finished results:

They were supposed to make them stand up on their own and balance which they don’t but they had tons of fun and they really liked the patterned duct tape.

So in the future, if you are looking for a unique craft to do for Halloween, consider making Duct Tape Monsters.

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

WordGirl Celebrates Halloween

The WordGirl Word of the Month is…

SPOOKY*

*adj. Eerie, Scary

Be sure to check out the WordGirl Halloween Special on October 26 and a BRAND NEW episode on October 29.

The new one is called Scary with a Side of Butter and is about an evil artichoke! Join WordGirl and Captain Huggypants to see what happens!


*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

5 Most Important Halloween Safety Tips for Children

Halloween is coming soon and I want you to have fun but I also want you to be safe so please follow these 5 important safety rules for Trick or Treating.

1. NEVER Trick or Treat Alone

No one, not matter how old, should ever trick or treat alone. If something happens, there is no one to go get help. Everyone should have a buddy at least, bigger groups are even better.

2. Children under 14 Should Always Have Older Sibling or Adult Supervision

A child, especially one that is so excited to be trick or treating, can easily forget or choose not to follow the rules, whether they be traffic rules (not crossing in the middle of the road), your own personal rules (like watching younger siblings or not going to certain houses) or other rules (not crossing people’s yards, being polite, not going in houses.) Use your own judgement on if your child is ready to go out without an adult or not, the age is just a guideline.

3. Don’t Criss Cross Back and Forth Across the Road – Follow Traffic Rules

I know around here, less houses are giving out candy which can make it more tempting to go back and forth across the street instead of up one side and down the other but this is DANGEROUS. It’s dark and there are cars around and many Halloween costumes are not that easy to see because they are dark. Don’t risk it.

4. Watch Your Visibility

There are two types of visibility. Making sure you can be seen (using reflectors on your costume for example) and making sure you can see (face paint is better than masks, if you choose a mask, use large eye holes. Keep hoods down or back away from the face.) Both are important.

5. Always Have an Adult Inspect Your Candy

It needs to be inspected as sadly not everyone is trustworthy and it should be done by an adult or with an adult supervising at least. Throw out any: homemade goodies, treats with wrappers that aren’t on properly or otherwise don’t look right.

What would you put as Number 6?? Let me know in the comments

REVIEW: Giotto Make Up Pencil–Perfect for Halloween

Whether it be for a Halloween costume, a costume or themed party or a party with kids, these pencils make applying face paint easy. No more paintbrushes, cups of water and accidentally wiping your face paint off before it dries.

Giotto Face Paint pencils are non-toxic, chemical free, lead free, paraben free and have been tested for dermatological use (for use on skin)  The primary ingredient is palm oil and the makeup is encased in a wood pencil to keep your fingers clean while applying. They are made in Germany by LYRA and are sold here in Canada in Lavish and Lime.

How To Use

1. Open box
2. Pick Up Pencil
3. Draw on Face

Yes it’s that easy. Use the tip of the pencil for small lines, or use the side of the end for a bit thicker line. The instructions mention using a brush or sponge for larger areas so you can probably draw on a sponge and then apply to the skin. I didn’t have a sponge to try it. It washes off with soap and water and comes in a 6 colour set:  white, yellow, red, blue, green and black.

As you can see, it’s lighter than your average face paint. It’s also smooth and doesn’t wipe off if you touch your skin, nor does it need time to dry.

“Normally face paint makes my skin itch but my skin isn’t itchy at all with this one!” – Alastrin, 5 years

Perfect for Halloween or any other time, these pencils retail at $19.75 at Lavish and Lime.

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

REVIEW: Dressing My Son as Robin from Wholesale Costume Club (Batman and Robin)

Halloween 2012 is almost here, do you have your child’s costume yet?

Batman Theme

Our family has never done a theme before but this year we are all going as characters from Batman and Robin comics and movies. Daddy is Batman, the girls are Catwoman and Batgirl and my son is Robin. I am still working on mine. My brother is hoping to go with us as The Riddler and our friend might go with us as Joker. 

My Son as Robin

For my son’s robin costume, we got on from Wholesale Costume Club. They have a good selection of Batman and Robin Costumes as well as costumes for just about everything you could think of.

They have two types of Robin costumes: Justice League and Teen Titan Robin. They basically look the same but the first comes in 0-6 and 6-12 months sizes while the Teen Titan comes in 2T-4T. 

If you have two sons, one being Batman and the other Robin would be an adorable idea.

How It Fits

I got a Toddler size for my 18 month old son which is listed as size 1-2 and it fits pretty well. It’s basically the 2T.  It’s baggy enough to fit over warm clothes. It’s a little long in the legs but we can easily pin it so it won’t go over his feet. The only problem is that the mask is too big, but what toddler keeps a mask on anyways? We will just paint a mask on his face for Halloween.

When buying clothing online, it’s often difficult to decide what size to buy. Each costume has a size chart with specific measurements so you can measure your child at home and match it up instead of relying on whether the size they say is the same as your child.

The cape is detachable and the mask is by itself, the rest is a one piece suit that closes in the back with a piece of Velcro. It’s made from flannel and can be hand washed.

I am impressed with the costume, it is good condition, looks like it will last pretty long and looks adorable on him. Add black face paint for a mask and shoes and it will be perfect.

I can’t wait to get the rest of our family’s costumes and see what we all look like together. I know it will be great!

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

INFOGRAPHIC: “Did You Know?” Halloween Facts –Costumes Megastore

Note from Kathleen: It’s October 1, time to start the Halloween Celebrations at my house! I thought the below infographic would be the PERFECT way to start off the month.

Planning to attend a special Halloween party in 2012? Are you ready to savor some of the mouth-watering chocolate candies? It’s time to decide your Halloween costume and have fun with your loved ones. This day allows you to hide your true identity and helps you let out your wicked side. Be creative and go viral with complete enthusiasm and creepy Halloween dress this season.

You can visit an online store and grab some exciting masks and wigs to add to the mood. It will also help you enhance your overall appearance. A few costumes are such that don’t require any props to go with them. There are many online stores that offer best quality Halloween costumes.

It’s quite simple to find out a perfect Halloween costume online that suits your personality, be it funky girlish costumes, typical storybook or pirate dresses. Also, remember to buy a couple of selective Halloween decors and party supplies from online Halloween stores. All these would make the occasion livelier.

This Halloween in 2012, you can go to: www.CostumesMegaStore.Com to buy Halloween costumes, masks, props, wigs, and party supplies. Don't forget to checkout their 2012 Halloween costumes collection here.

REVIEW: Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space DVD Pack

I love holiday movies, no matter what the holiday. I have a collection that I like to add to. I was very happy to add to my Halloween collection with these two short movies from Dreamworks Animation.

Scared Shrekless is the latest Shrek movie. Did you see Shrek the Halls a few years back?

In Scared Shrekless, the gang gathers to celebrate Shrek’s favorite holiday: Halloween!  But instead of the usual tricks or treats, Shrek ups the ante and challenges everyone to spend the night telling scary stories—the last one to be scared Shrekless wins.  The DVD includes spooky spoofs on classics horror movies and features the voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas.

If you know your horror movies, you will find these spoofs quite funny.  The video also has the Shrek cast doing a spoof of the music video of Thriller by Michael Jackson which is pretty funny. I love the zombie donkey!

Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space finds Susan, B.O.B., The Missing Link, and Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. dispatched as special operatives to investigate a mysterious alien presence on Halloween.  As the night unravels, innocent-looking pumpkins are revealed for what they really are – mutant aliens!  Luckily the monsters are there to smash the mutants’ wicked scheme to take over Earth.  Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space features the star-studded cast of voice talent from the original hit film including Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland and Rainn Wilson.

I actually haven't seen the original Monsters vs. Aliens so I was a little lost with who everyone is and what their relationships to each other were but if you have seen it, it will make perfect sense I'm sure. You can watch it without knowing who they are though. This one was more funny than scary and was downright corny at times but would make a fun quick video for a child 6+.

TRAILER:


TECHNICAL INFO/DISC BREAKDOWN

Halloween Party Double DVD Pack:
Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space are each presented in widescreen with English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles.  The disc breakdowns are as follows:
Scared Shrekless
•    “Thriller”
•    Puss In Boots “These Boots Are Made For Walking”
•    Previews


Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
•    Karaoke Music Party with:
o    Ginormica
o    B.O.B.
o    Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. and The Missing Link
•    Modern Monster Movie-Making
•    Previews

Both Discs also have World of DreamWorks Animation:
•    Shrek “I’m A Believer” music video
•    Shrek video
•    How To Train Your Dragon “Fly High” music video
•    How To Train Your Dragon video
•    Kung Fu Panda “Kung Fu Fighting” music video
•    Secrets of the Furious Five video
•    Kung Fu Panda World video
•    Madagascar “I Like To Move It” music video
•    “Penguins of Madagascar” video
•    Megamind “Mega Rap” music video
•    Megamind video


*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

REVIEW: Disney's Belle Costume from Costume Super Center

I was recently able to review a costume from The Costume Super Center. It's your one stop spot for Halloween Costumes.

There are tons of different types of costumes to pick from in many different categories. I chose to look at Disney Costumes.

It was a tough decision with a 3 year old and 5 year old as we could only get one dress and they (of course) each wanted a different one. I ended up getting the Disney's Child Belle Costume pictured at left.

The girls were ecstatic that they were going to be able to play dress up but I must admit that the dress didn't quite live up to my expectations.

Pros:

• The Price. $20.00 for a costume is amazing.
• It shipped without incident
• You can choose to purchase matching accessories (wand, tiara, shoes etc.)

Cons:

• The sparkle overlay was an understatement. It was like opening a can of confetti as the sparkles were just EVERYWHERE for the first 4 days. 
• The front of the dress is longer than the back (which you don't see in the photo) which seems a little strange to me.
• The Belle brooch and pink bow that sits at the chest just flops downwards on the dress on both of my girls. It doesn't show as it does in the photograph. The skirt isn't as wide as the photo either. I think the photo was a bit misleading.
• It's not made for constant wearing. (see below.)

I think the costume would have been perfect for Halloween or a Disney party but doesn't seem to be made to be worn often as a dress up dress. My youngest daughter wore it every day for 4 weeks and it already has a rip in the sleeve. It's ripped at the bottom too but that's because she's short and she keeps stepping on it.  It's not made for a preschooler to wear it all day for days on end, only taking it off to eat or sleep. 

The Costume Super Center doesn't only have costumes for kids. There are adult costumes, "adult" costumes, teen costumes and all types of themed costumes (western, nurses, horror, dance girls, cowgirls, angels, from different decades, TV and movie, witch, tween, Super Heroes, Gothic, Animals and more. 

Review: Python Printables Games

Python Printable Games has tons of paper puzzles, games, trivia, colouring pages and read-aloud stories on many different themes for a small price.

Here are just some of the themes: Holidays (Halloween, Christmas, Mother's Day, Valetine's etc..), Vampires, music, 30th birthday, 40th birthday, 50th birthday, camping, BBQ, picnic, slumber party, TV trivia, superbowl and more.

I reviewed the Halloween Party Games (50+ printables). Although it's called Halloween, it has some Thanksgiving ones too. I got them just in time for the Canadian Thanksgiving last weekend. We did some of the trivia at our family dinner. I was glad that they weren't country specific. In fact, one trivia quiz had a question about 4 different countries that celebrate Thanksgiving.

There was two Stephen King Trivia Quizzes too that I gave to my mother and brother.

The ones designed for kids and teens will be great for my nieces and the Girl Guides that I work with. I plan to use one of the Left-Right Halloween games at our Girl Guide Halloween meeting. We will pass out goodie-bags that are all a bit different and then read the story. Every time left is said, you pass your bag left. Every time right is said, you pass it right. At the end of the story, you open your bag.

My preschoolers will love the Halloween colouring pages. I think the puzzles and games are great. There is even a newlywed Halloween game that looks pretty fun.

They come in PDF format and you can print as many copies as you like. They can be downloaded instantly as soon as you've checked out your cart. The puzzles are better quality then the free ones around the net too.

You can follow Python on Twitter.

FREEBIE!
They have some free Halloween colouring pages available that come with a $5 voucher towards your next purchase from Python (good till November 30)

* I recieved a set of games to review from Python in conjunction with Tomoson. All opinions are honest.
This Product Was a Free Giveaway

GIVEAWAY: $50 bundle of Halloween downloads

Giveaway Closed

One lucky winner will win a $50 bundle of Halloween downloads. The bundle includes the following e-books:

Fancy Filled Tutu with Bonus 40 Tutu "Recipes"
Pumpkin Polly Patterns
Paper Piecing Project: Pumpkin Patch Pillow
Frayed Applique: Too Cute to Spook!
Little Miss Spider Applique Patterns
How to Applique the Easy Way
Hocus Pocus Patterns
Just a Little Something for a Happy Halloween Table Runner

I was able to check out the Fancy Filled Tutu one for free and it looks pretty good. I didn't try it out because I'm not crafty, there is not way I could make it. I love the "recipes" though which tells you what colours to use and what kind of items to add to the tutu to make certain themes such as summer, winter, Christmas, Easter, Ladybug, Bunny and more. I think these e-books would be great for those who are looking to create their own Halloween costumes this year and the next few years!

You can click the links above to find out more about each e-book but make sure to come back to enter.

This giveaway is open WORLDWIDE but only till October 22 so the winner has some time to throw together a costume. So enter now! Comment on this post for your first entry, then if you choose, you can do some of the following to gain more entries.

Extra Entries:

1 - Tweet about this giveaway and comment again with a link to your tweet. If you want to follow or reference me, I'm @callista83

2 - Email 3 friends about this giveaway and BCC me at callista83 AT cogeco DOT ca

Good Luck!

Happy Halloween!

A gift for you from me. Feel free to snag for your website or blog or wherever else.

HALLOWEEN CANDY ALERT 2

From AM 980:

With Halloween fast approaching comes a warning to parents and kids regarding Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold milk chocolate coins imported from China.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public not to eat, distribute or sell the candy.

It is sold across Canada by Costco and may also have been sold in bulk packages or as individual pieces at various dollar and bulk stores.

The chocolate contains melamine which is the same chemical responsible for killing several babies in China , and sickening thousands more.

HALLOWEEN CANDY ALERT

Be extra thorough this year when you are checking your children's Halloween candy as they are coming out with CHARGED candy which has added caffeine. Just in case caffeine drinks weren't enough. They are even available in the small sizes for Halloween. They aren't supposedly marketed for kids but they are right next to all the other chocolates.

I first heard of this in this article in Good Housekeeping Magazine.

More info here and here.

Halloween!

In honour of Halloween, here are some finds around the net:

All Hallow's Eve Eve at From Here to Paternity
Captain Underpants Ruins Halloween in N.Y.
Halloween Printables - masks, craft, puzzles and more
Listing of Websites with Jack-0-Lantern Patterns
Halloween Printables from DLTK (kids)
Free Online Halloween Games

Happy Halloween!

Winter Bazaar - Week 2

How to Participate
Other Participants This Week

Welcome back! Hope all Canadians had a good Thanksgiving. This week I have some Halloween games to play with your kids. (if you have them!)

Ghost Toss

1. First you have to make the ghosts, it's really simple! Take a kleenex and bunch it up. Put it in the middle of another kleenex and fold down to make a ghost shape (the bunched up one is the head). Tie a ribbon or elastic around to hold the head together. Add eyes and mouth with black permanent marker.

2. Now set up your game. Find three containers of different sizes and arrange them at one end of room. Stand a few feet away (about a foot for each year of age) and try to throw ghosts into buckets. It's not as easy as it looks as ghosts float a bit.

3. If you want to keep score, make containers with smaller mouths more points as they are harder to get ghosts into.

Pass the Witch's Broomstick

1. For this one you need a kiddie sized broomstick. A regular sized one will work but it's harder to do. Even a pole will do.

2. Children sit in a circle and pass the broomstick while singing the song (see below.) When music stops, whoever has broomstick in his/her hand has to stand up and "fly" it around the circle while everyone else claps their hands. About two times. Then keep going. This way no one is actually out. Also anyone who drops it has to fly as well.

3. Song: Pass the Witch's Broomstick, Round and Round the room. While the music's playing, quickly pass the broom. Anyone is out, if the broomstick drops. Or the one who has it when the music stops. I know the tune but can't find a clip of it online sorry. Just make up a tune if you want.

Till Next Week!

Winter Bazaar - Week 1

Every Wednesday from now until the end of March, I'll be posting an activity you can do to celebrate the season/holiday that is coming up. I'll try to post things for both adults and children, families and singles, men and women. Let me know if you try the idea!

To find out more about the Bazaar, see more participants or to participate yourself, click on the banned above.

Week 1 - Halloween

What better way to celebrate the upcoming Halloween season than to get yourself scared silly!

Read some horror/thriller novels! If you don't like long novels, try a scary YA novel. Here are some suggestions:

Chasing the Dead by Joe Schrieber
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
The Husband by Dean Koontz
Lisey's Story by Stephen King
The Ruins by Scott Smith
The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural, edited by Deborah Noyes
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Nightshade by John Saul
Black Creek Crossing by John Saul
Reign of the Dead by Len Barnhart
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

If you're a fast reader, you could always still join the R.I.P. II Challenge!