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MFE Presents: A Safe and Healthy Halloween

Is it safe to trick or treat this year?

MFE Presents: A Safe and Healthy Halloween
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MFE Presents: A Safe and Healthy Halloween

MFE Presents A Safe and Healthy Halloween

What are some rules for trick-or-treating?

For many parents and families, the COVID-19 pandemic seems like a never-ending scary movie killing holiday fun. One of the most important questions for families: Is it safe to trick or treat this year? Safe Kids Worldwide says Halloween will look a little different. However, a few things will remain the same: trick or treating. Whether you follow traditions or try alternatives, follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations. Also, get familiar with the standard Halloween safety tips for traffic, costumes, parties and masks.

Teachers/Providers: Work with parents and families to help ensure their little pumpkins and ghastly ghosts have a fun, safe, healthy and happy Halloween.

Parents/Families: Use the scary-healthy snacks, safety tips, creepy stories and walks, and spooky fun activities below to create memories that will last a lifetime.

MFE Presents: A Safe and Healthy Halloween (video)

Scary-Healthy Halloween Treats

Little ghosts and ghouls love to dress up and trick-or-treat for Halloween, but all the sweets can play tricks on their teeth. Sugar and leftover food, combined with bacteria in the mouth, produce a weak acid that can cause cavities. While doctors and dentists agree that children should not eat large amounts of sugary treats, candy consumption is unavoidable at this time of year. Try these “7 Tips To Prevent Halloween Treats from Playing Tricks on Children’s Teeth” to help keep your child’s mouth healthy this Halloween.

Discover MFE’s Top 10 Scary-Healthy Halloween Treats (with one bonus treat) as alternatives to sugary treats:

  1. Monster Smoothie Bowls
  2. Compost Crudites with Ranch Dirt Dip
  3. Mac-O-Lantern and Cheese Bowls
  4. Spider Web Deviled Eggs
  5. Candy-Coated Pears
  6. Rotten Deviled Eggs
  7. Green Apple Monsters
  8. Cheese Monsters
  9. Veggie Skeleton
  10. Pumpkin Spice Granola Cups
  11. Spider-Web Guacamole

Make masks part of costumes.

Halloween Safety Tips

Get familiar with the standard Halloween safety tips, from appropriate costumes to driver safety. Make safety a part of your holiday planning. For convenient spooky fun, the AAP recommends making masks part of the costumes. However, this recommendation includes a word of caution about decorating and substituting Halloween masks for COVID-19 recommended masks.

At-Home Halloween Fun

It may not be a “traditional” Halloween, but it’s still possible to have fun at home. Host a spooky decorating competition, cook a few scary-healthy treats, ghastly game night or host a small party for ghouls. Check out a few ideas from The Family Dinner Project.

Spooky Halloween Activities, Stories, Walks, and Events

Take the Corn Maze Stem Challenge, decorate Halloween Jars, paint Halloween Rocks and make an Exploding Pumpkin this Halloween! Also, check out the MFE Events Page or your local public library and parks department for creepy stories, scary STEM challenges, ghostly walks and more Halloween fun.

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