The Ellis County Press: Five Tips to Make Your Halloween Safe

Five Tips to Make Your Halloween Safe
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Editor on 10/21/2009 09:21:00


Just because Halloween celebrates scary things doesn't mean you want any safety
scares of your own. With a little bit of planning and these five tips from the
FEDERAL CITIZEN INFORMATION CENTER, you can ensure your ghouls and goblins have
a frightfully fun time this year.
1.      LOOK UP your local trick-or-treating time and rules. (See if yours is
listed on the USA.gov Halloween page: http://go.usa.gov/l3m). Then plot out a
map of safe neighborhoods for trick-or-treating. Let older children take the map
with them if they're trick-or-treating on their own.
2.      STICK reflective tape on dark costumes—it will help drivers see you.
And make sure your kids can see clearly. Face paint may work better than a mask
when it comes to visibility. Read about applying face paint safely in the
Federal Citizen Information Center's FED-INFO Newsletter
(http://go.usa.gov/l3p).
3.      PICK a perfect pumpkin for carving. It should be sturdy, not soft, with
a flat bottom so it doesn't topple over. If you're worried about carving
accidents, encourage your kids to paint creative faces on their pumpkins
instead.
4.      CONSIDER using a glow stick or battery-powered lights instead of candles
to light the way for trick-or-treating or in jack-o-lanterns, especially around
little kids who could get burned or drapery that could catch fire.
5.      SCREEN candy before your kids eat it. Toss out anything with opened or
damaged wrappers and homemade treats, unless you know the giver personally.
For more tips on having a safe, healthy and fun Halloween, visit USA.GOV'S
HALLOWEEN PAGE (http://go.usa.gov/l3m) or check out the tips from our GOVGAB
BLOGGERS (http://go.usa.gov/l3y) on how to make the most of this spooky day.
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