Connect with us

Lifestyle

Tricks and alternatives to make Halloween a treat for the whole family

Published

on

Halloween is just around the corner and while the spooky season could also be a favorite for kids, it may be a mixed bag for parents. Between sugar rushes, costume coordination and safety concerns, what was supposed to be a fun evening can turn into more tricks than treats. But before you spoil the holiday fun, know that there are numerous ways to keep the holiday spirit alive while keeping your little ones secure. Whether you are looking for an alternate to the traditional trick-or-treat circuit or need a refresher on safety suggestions, we have kid-friendly activities for you to enjoy without the chills.

Here are some tricks to make Halloween fun – without the nightmares.

Alternative locations:

Trunk-or-Treat events: Trick-or-treating is becoming a favorite amongst families who want to bypass the unpredictability of door-to-door trick-or-treating. Held in church or school parking lots, these events allow children to collect candy from creatively decorated cars without having to worry about traffic and safety.

Nursing homes: Lift your hearts this Halloween by visiting local nursing homes. Many of them invite trick-or-treating to bring joy to their residents, creating a possibility for intergenerational bonding. Plus, it’s a safer and quieter environment for younger children.

Boo at the Zoo: Zoos are getting scary too! With special Halloween-themed events, most local zoos offer family-friendly ways to enjoy the holiday. Expect animal displays, festive decor and loads of secure activities for kids – perfect for those looking for something outside the usual trick-or-treating routine.

Local Halloween parades or neighborhood block parties: Do you would like to feel the Halloween spirit without the door-to-door noise? Local parades and neighborhood events offer music, games and loads of treats. It’s a vibrant, communal way to rejoice while keeping track of the little ones.

Shopping malls/malls: Skip the streets and head to the mall. Many malls offer indoor trick-or-treating to keep children secure and shielded from the weather.

Churches: Many churches offer their very own version of Halloween, often called a Harvest Festival. These events feature games, food and fun in a friendly atmosphere, providing a laid-back, faith-based alternative to trick-or-treating.

School events: If trick-or-treating looks as if overkill, school-hosted Halloween parties can provide kids with a familiar, supervised space where they’ll exhibit their costumes, enjoy activities, and rejoice with friends – all under one roof.

Featured Stories

Safety Tips:

LED lights that attach to kid’s shoes or wrists: The key’s to make sure kids can see after dark. Attaching LED lights to your shoes or wrists is a easy and effective way to make them stand out, especially in busy or dimly lit areas.

Understanding the colours of kids’s buckets: While some may even see it as an aesthetic alternative, candy buckets of a certain color can represent various things for trick-or-treaters.

  • Blue often symbolizes a child who could also be on the autism spectrum or non-verbal. The National Autism Association was formed “Blue Bucket” initiative. promote awareness and understanding.
  • Purple often reflects children with epilepsy. Epilepsy Foundation “Purple Pumpkin Design” was created to raise awareness and protect children while trick-or-treating.
  • Turquoise candy buckets symbolize allergies. Parents often give their children turquoise buckets to signal food allergies, especially peanut allergies. So when you see kids with these colourful buckets, consider giving them nut-free candy or non-food treats.
Photo: AdobeStock

Confectionery inspections: It’s a Halloween tradition, but a very important one: Check all the candy before the kids dive in. Look out for signs of tampering, potential allergens, edibles containing THC or CBD, or anything unpackaged. Trust your instincts – and when unsure, throw it out.

Plan your route and emergency meeting locations: Plan your trick-or-treat route upfront, especially when you’re going to an unfamiliar area. Prepare a game plan and select a few emergency meeting places in case someone gets separated.

Alternative activities:

Movie Night: Are you feeling the door-to-door grind this 12 months? Host a Halloween movie marathon at home. From kid-friendly movies to spooky classics, it’s a good way to enjoy a cozy, spooky family night.

Family Game Night: Make it game night with a Halloween twist. Play classic board games or create your individual Halloween challenges. This is a fun, interactive alternative that engages the whole family.

Pumpkin carving party: Nothing says Halloween like pumpkin carving! Gather your pals and family, break out your carving tools, and see who can create the best jack-o’-lantern. It’s an inventive and fun way to immerse yourself in the spirit without leaving home.

Halloween, Halloween activities, alternative Halloween ideas, pumpkin carving, theGrio.com
Photo: AdobeStock

Haunted houses and theme parks: For families with older children, haunted houses and theme parks are stuffed with Halloween attractions. Many of them offer “lighter” options like corn mazes or fall festivals, perfect for combining your vacation with a little adventure.

Drive-in movies or special theater shows: Drive-in theaters and local movie theaters are great places to show Halloween movies. Whether it’s a horror classic or a family favorite, seeing it on the big screen is what makes it special.
Ghost tours, cemetery walks and Renaissance fairs: If you would like something a little out of the abnormal, consider a ghost tour, a cemetery walk, and even a Renaissance fair with a spooky theme. This is an academic and awesome Halloween twist that older kids and parents will love.

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Lifestyle

Elaine Welteroth and Jonathan Singletary welcomed their second child

Published

on

By

Elaine Welteroth, Jonathan Singletary, Elaine Welteroth has baby, Black famous mothers, Black mothers, Black maternal health, birthFUND, theGrio.com

Elaine Welteroth has a brand recent bundle of joy!

The 37-year-old media personality and founding father of birthFUND welcomed her second child, a son named SantiGold, together with her husband, musician Jonathan Singletary, in early November.

While Welteroth said People Magazine that she and her growing family are “healthy and happy” – she admitted that she has been affected by sleep problems since welcoming the most recent member of the family.

“I’m not sure my brain is working at full speed,” she told the web site. “I’m sleep-deprived, but I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Recalling the precise day she went into labor, she stated that she just knew it was the day.

“His birth was largely orchestrated by God,” she explained. “I just instinctively said, ‘I’m going to send my kid to school, and when he comes home, he’ll have a little brother.'”

In addition to her general spidey senses, Welteroth had an impulse to be outdoors, so she went to the park.

“The moment I sat down on the grass, I felt the first contraction,” she said. “I assumed, ‘Let’s go, honey.’ “It’s happening.”

Still, there was no immediate sense of urgency for the young mother of two, even stopping to do some Reiki within the park together with her midwife. Shortly thereafter, she returned home for what she described because the “most beautiful” and “peaceful” home birth. SantiGold’s peaceful delivery could also be a part of the inspiration behind his name, which she said means “peace” in Thai.

“I think you’re more confident in the process the second time around,” she noted, adding, “You can trust the method more. The baby was born inside three hours, I could not consider it.

Welteroth, who welcomed her first child, a boy, together with her husband in April 2022, has long touted her second pregnancy as a “redemptive pregnancy.” Its first stage was marked by complications and anxiety. Halfway through, after learning concerning the full scope of the Black mother’s health crisis, she began working with a midwife and decided to have a house birth. She also learned what number of families couldn’t afford the life-saving care of midwives and doulas, which led her to launch the FUND birth fund earlier this yr.

Elaine Welteroth shares her pain story in Advil's 'Believe My Pain' campaign

It was through the organization’s official opening that she learned she was pregnant together with her second child, announcing the primary group of beneficiaries. Now her organization is preparing to reward 41 more families.

“I started with the mantra: ‘We are the ones who have to save ourselves,’” she said. “I’m just very, very proud of our team and that we can help women and families, especially in this moment when we see how the system is failing families. I am truly encouraged and hopeful.”

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

The ultimate Black-owned gift guide for Divine 9 members

Published

on

By

When it involves honoring the wealthy legacy of the Divine Nine, selecting the proper gift is about greater than just aesthetics – it’s about celebrating the history, culture and unwavering bonds of Black Greek letter organizations. Whether it’s Founders’ Day, inheritance ceremonyor just to point out like to a valued senior or fraternity brother, a meaningful gift reflects the pride, strength and purpose these organizations embody.

From stylish accessories to memorabilia that captures the essence of those organizations, these Black-owned brands can assist you to honor the spirit of service and sisterhood – or brotherhood – that outline the Divine Nine experience.

Truth 2 Code

(Photo: True 2 The Code)

Truth 2 Code offers a variety of fashionable accessories for members of the Divine Nine. Adding street style to classic Greek pieces, the True 2 Greek collection allows members to point out off their letters and private style.

Estelle coloured glass

(Photo: Estelle Colored Glass)

Although they might not be sold as a Greek seller, Estelle coloured glass prepares amazing gifts for members of Greek literary organizations. With a wide selection of coloured glassware designs, consider giving your favorite soror or fraternity brother a set of glasses of their organization’s colours.

(*9*)

DVN

(Photo: DVN)

DVN is a Greek clothing brand that hopes to redefine traditional Greek accessories by offering designs that completely fit people’s on a regular basis style. Founded by Danielle Render, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., DVN combines progressive design and meticulous craftsmanship to create jackets, necklaces and custom pieces that allow all D9 members to “represent their affiliations with confidence and authenticity.”

Vontélle Divine glasses collection

(Photo: Vontélle)

Designed for us, Vontélle is a Black woman-owned eyewear brand offering optical frames and sunglasses that complement Black facial expression. Vontélle “Divine” Collection combines the brand’s mission to create better-fitting, vibrant, fashion-forward styles with colours and patterns inspired by historically black sororities and sororities.

Betty Plus promotion

For over 30 years Betty Plus promotion, Black, a family business, is a one-stop shop for Greek accessories, clothing and custom embroidery. Offering deals for every Divine 9 organization, Betty’s Promo Plus offers collections of transition gifts, holiday gifts and more.

Fashionably Greek

(Photo: Fashionably Greek)

Fashionably Greek provides a various range of trendy and customizable clothing options, offering clothes and niknaks for all D9 sororities and choose fraternities (Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi). Its products are perfect for any occasion, from homecoming to social events and even to the office.

University nativity scene

University nativity scene is certainly one of the biggest Greek accessories stores. This Black family-owned business offers a big selection of merchandise for each D9 and non-D9 Black Greek organizations. Customers can shop online or visit a store near Tennessee State University in person.

Macy’s Divine Nine Fraternity and Sorority Collections

(Photo courtesy of Macy’s)

Macy’s Divine Nine Brotherhood collection AND Kasper Sorority Collection pay tribute to the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations by offering men’s and girls’s clothing that highlights the distinct colours of every organization. These business-style garments are perfect for members to subtly have fun their affiliation at work events and/or branch meetings.

Black-owned brands will be able to shop from Oprah's 2024 favorites list

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Why Denzel Washington quit drinking at 60

Published

on

By

Denzel Washington, alcohol use, sobriety, drug abuse, Gladiator II, Denzel Washington retiring, theGrio.com

Denzel Washington has been sober for nearly a decade, but he had one particular vice: wine.(*60*)

In a brand new profile, the 69-year-old actor talks about his history with wine, drugs like LSD and growing up in New York within the Seventies. Esquire magazine..(*60*)

“Wine is very difficult,” he warned. “It’s very slow… It’s not like boom.”(*60*)

He explained that, unlike harder substances, he had “the perfect idea for wine tasting and so on – and that’s how it was in the beginning.”(*60*)

“And this is a very subtle thing,” he added.(*60*)

Washington said his habit really took off in 1999, when he built a house with a ten-thousand-bottle wine cellar and “learned to drink the best of it.”(*60*)

He added: “My passion was wine, and now I was pouring $4,000 bottles just because it was left.”(*60*)

The “Gladiator II” star eventually developed an intake management system; he frequently ordered the 2 best bottles of wine available at his favorite liquor store.(*60*)

“And my wife says, ‘Why do you only order two?’ I said, “Because if I order more, I’ll drink more.” So I limited it to 2 bottles and drank each in the course of the day,” he told the publication.(*60*)

Even though she drinks wine day by day, the “Equalizer 3” star said she never drank alcohol while working or preparing for a task, even while filming “Flight,” which tells the story of an alcoholic pilot.(*60*)

“I would clean up and go back to work – I could do both,” he said. “Regardless of the months of shooting, bang, it is time to wrap up. And then boom. Three months of wine and time to get back to work.(*60*)

The actor admitted that when he was younger, it was easier to take care of this pattern.(*60*)

“Two months off and we’re going. But the drinking was a fifteen-year pattern. And truth be told, it didn’t start in 1999. It began earlier,” he explained.(*60*)

Washington, who was born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, described what it was like growing up there within the late Seventies. Spending time on projects with individuals who exposed him to heroin, cocaine, hard alcohol and more, he admits that he experimented but personally “never got hooked on it.” (*60*)

In fact, much of those formative years experiences were passed on to a few of Washington’s best and most complex figures. Still, he said, “I am unable to consider a single role where I said, ‘Man, that is me.’ Completely me? No, no.(*60*)

Since he quit drinking, he appears like “everything is opening up to him.”(*60*)

Will one of Denzel Washington's last films be

“It’s like you’re seventy,” he said. “This is real. And it’s okay. This is the last chapter – if I get one other thirty, what do I would like to do? My mother lived to be ninety-seven.(*60*)

The husband and father of 4 also pays more attention to fitness today, due to Lenny Kravitz, who introduced him to his trainer.(*60*)

“I’m doing everything I can,” he said.(*60*)

As he noted in the course of the “Gladiator II” press session, he’s also enthusiastic about upcoming projects which will become his last – and yes, they include two more “Equalizer” movies.(*60*)

“People love these daggone ‘Equalizers,'” he said. (*60*)

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending