Halloween is just a few weeks away, and then after that it will be Christmas but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s tackle everything one at a time. Halloween itself will require a whole lot of your time especially if you’re a parent. Expect to be handling the Halloween costums designs and worries of your kids for their school play and party or for their trick-or-treating on the 31st. And with all those things in mind, you will always have to shoulder the burden of costs. How to come up with Halloween costumes while working on a budget.

It is true that your life would be easier if you say buy Halloween costums from the store or rent one from a costume shop. But if you have four kids and all of them wants a costume that can be quite a burden for your wallet.

Also, if you’re going to rent or buy one, you will have to tackle the stress of your kids fighting over which one would be the fairy or which one would be Spiderman. While your kids argue you go down memory lane and reminisce of the time you were a kid. There’s no quarrel over costumes because in the first place you have to make your own.

This, of course, lights up a series of light bulbs in your head. Why not have my kids make their own Halloween costums. It’s economical, its fun to do, and you can show your kids the value of work. However, if you follow this path be prepared with some resistance especially if you have promised your kid a great costume last year or if you have spoiled them a little along the way.

In the end, it is your decision to make. Plus, homemade Halloween costums are not always the crappy things that children always thought they would be. With extra effort and a lot of imagination, you can make your kid a Halloween costume better than the ones they sell at the mall.

To encourage your kid avoid the usual white bed sheet with holes for the arms, eyes, and mouth costume.
This is not a great idea, unless your kid wants that. But as someone who has been around, try to be more creative and spend time on your kid’s costume.

Try to remember that nowadays, its okay to have costumes of celebrities and superheroes. In fact your kid might be badgering you of a batman costume. That one can be tricky but with the right materials you can make one from a black cloth, ski mask, kid’s tights, and that pair of boots your kid has in your room.

Other costume ideas include a cat or kitten costume which involves leggings, sweatshirts, stockings or rope for the tail, and probably a paper at mask. A devil costume is also quite easy to make. Clothe your kid in all red or black and buy that head band horns which you can practically see everywhere during this time of the year. You can add a cape if you want and of course a forked staff. Just make sure your kid knows that the staff is for props only and not for poking his neighbor.

Materials you will need for your budget Halloween costums are readily available in most shops or most of them you can even find in your own home. Again, you can create a great costume while working on a budget, all you need is time to spend and imagination to burn.

The perfect and scariest Halloween costums would not be enough without the mask. Since the face is first thing that people gaze on to when he or she meets somebody, a Halloween mask worn during a party would definitely determine how scary can you get.

Today, there are so many Halloween masks being sold in various bookshops and specialty stores out there. You can choose from your favorite characters from horror, thriller, or sci-fi movies. You can even find masks which as truly Halloween inspired such as ghosts, ghouls, and monsters.

In most specialty stores, the most popular Halloween costums masks include gaping wraith mask, glow in dark hockey mask, meateater mask, Batman the dark knight Joker mask, deep sea mask, devil’s rejects Captain Spaulding mask, whispers hooded mask, Harry Potter dementor mask, elegant devil mask, leatherface deluxe mask, Batman the dark knight grumpy clown mask, that’s not funny clown mask, got your goat mask, red skull mask beanie, white skull mask beanie, skull mask blue beanie and so much more. If you are into departed celebrities, you can even find some which are created in their memory.

But, if you are the type who gives so much emphasis on creativity, uniqueness, and resourcefulness, then you should try making your own mask. The following are just some of your options in making your very own Halloween mask:

1. Improvised latex Halloween masks. Many people would agree that latex or hard plastic masks could be quite uncomfortable once worn. And why not? These are made from synthetic plastic materials and can even be harmful when not used properly. So if are not into wearing latex masks sold in specialty shops, you can create your very own latex inspired mask.

Here, you’ll be needing poster board or light weight cardboard, elastic or tongue depressor, and various embellishments to make the mask stand out. The instructions are quite simple, you need to cut the board with the shape of your face, cut it out, punch holes in each side of the mask and decorate it using various embellishments such as poster paints, feathers, glitter, and everything you wish to put in. The good thing about this is you can make your mask as scary and as ghoulish as you want it to be.

2. Simple paper and cloth masks. This is quite popular and easy to do because all you will be needing is a used cloth which can come from a used pillowcase or shirts, permanent markers, a pair of scissors, and lots of duck tape. Doing a paper and face mask is easy because all you have to do is lay the cloth flat and cut a hole in the center of the cloth. Afterwards, you need to take a piece of paper and draw the mask that you like. Then, turn the cloth inside out and lay the mask face down.

Using the duct tape, tape the sides of the mask down to the cloth and cut the eye holes. Let the duct tape grip the cloth and paper well then you can now decorate your Halloween mask using markers and other crafts and embellishments that you want to include.

3. Your very own printed mask. If you are not the type who is into work stuff such as cutting, pasting, and drawing, you can still make your very own Halloween costums mask through the use of computer. Today, there are so many sites, which offer Halloween mask patterns, which are ready for printing.

You can choose from a wide array of styles and characters depending on what or who would you want to portray. If you are knowledgeable on various computer programs and software such as Photoshop, you can design your very own Halloween costums mask and print it out.

It is great to be a kid during Halloween. You get to have lots of candies from your neighbors that you will enjoy throughout the rest of the week. As a parent, you should know and teach your children some safety tips.

First, the Halloween costums you make or purchase must be flame resistant. Make sure that this is not too long because they could trip and fall. To check, make them walk around the house and ask if the length is okay.

When they are going out, make sure they have their loot bag in hand and labeled so no one will get it by mistake.

Never let your kids go trick or treating alone. They should be accompanied by an adult. If the parents can’t do it, assign someone older to go with them. You can also check if the neighborhood committee has plans to do this in groups so your child is able to go with them.

When your children go around the neighborhood, tell them never to knock or enter the house of someone they don’t know. They should only visit houses of people you or they know personally. If the house they are visiting has a lighted jack lantern, tell them not to go near it because their costume could catch fire if they get too close.

If the house they are going to does not have the porch light on, it means that no one is home so they should just move on.

They must also never accept candies from strangers since they may bump into a few of them while they are walking down the street.

So it is not too late, make sure that they go trick or treating only in the later afternoon or evening. If the sun has already gone down, tell them to only walk in streets that are well lit. Before they cross, make sure that they look both ways and walk. Never run.

As an added precaution, let your kids wear reflective tape or carry a flashlight so drivers will be able to see them when they are crossing the street.

With all the excitement going on, your kids might want to take some shortcuts to get to the next house. Since it is dark, tell them not to do it and just stick to the main road.

Your kids should also be given a few quarters or maybe a cellular phone. Who knows, they may need you to pick them up.

You should give specific instructions as to what time your children must return home. Once they arrive, welcome them and then examine all their goodies. You are not doing this to get your share of the loot but to check if these are safe to eat. There have been instances in the past where candies handed out were tainted and some kids ended up in the hospital. If you don’t want your child to be a victim, examine each one carefully. If everything checks out, give it back and let them enjoy it.

Halloween is supposed to be fun especially for the kids since it is not everyday that they can go out, wear a costume and bring home a lot of goodies. As a parent, make sure that you have done everything possible to make them understand the dangers of going out at night so they will be able to come home safely.

Halloween is more than just trick-or-treating; Halloween is a time for children to dress up as their favorite super hero or movie character. Traditionally the kids Halloween costume has been designed to be ‘scary’, but there has been a steady change in that line of thought. If you are looking for a Halloween costume for your children and don’t know what is popular this season, here are a few ideas to help you out.
Spiderman
The Spiderman trilogy was an instant success with adults and children alike. Apart from Spiderman costumes, costumes based Spiderman villains like the hob goblin and venom are also popular this season. A hot Spiderman costume is the black Spiderman costume from Spiderman 3. Make sure you buy Spiderman gloves with the costume they are usually sold separately.
Star Wars
Star Wars costumes have been popular with children for a long time now and there is a wide variety of costumes to choose from for both boys and girls. Star Wars costumes are well known for the amazing variety of accessories that are available with the costumes. Some of the popular accessories include the Darth Vader helmet, fake light sabre and Anakin Skywalker’s glove. The Princess Leia costume is extremely popular with girls.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Like the Spiderman trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean costumes are also a hot choice this season. Popular Pirates of the Caribbean costumes include Jack Sparrow (captain) costumes. Make sure you buy the proper accessories to go with the Jack Sparrow costume, if you are not sure what you need just ask for a Pirate Play Set. This Pirate Play Set includes a plastic toy gun, plastic dagger and eye patch. Make sure you buy a pair of boots to go with the costume as well. Another popular costume from the Pirates of the Caribbean series is the Captain Morgan costume that comes with a full length jacket much like those worn by English gentlemen in the movie. There are also pirate costumes available for girls.
Shrek
Shrek is perhaps the only animation movie to span a trilogy. The most popular costume from the Shrek series is the green Shrek costume that comes with a Shrek face mask. Just like the movie, there are also Princess Fiona costumes available for girls. If you loved Shrek, there are Donkey costumes available for your dog!
Aladdin
The timeless classic from Walt Disney was an instant hit with kids. Princess Jasmine costumes are extremely popular with girls, and the latest Aladdin costume available is the Genie costume that comes with a face mask and fake muscles.
If you are still not sure what you need, you can search for Halloween costumes online. In fact, you can actually order Halloween costumes and accessories online. All you need is your child’s size and you can have the latest costumes delivered to your doorstep. Most websites accept major credit cards and costumes are usually shipped out the same day. If you are buying more than one costume you might be eligible for free shipping too. For more Halloween costumes visit www.costumehub.com.

Article Source: articles-at.smartnetworld.com

David Huffman is the author of this article on Halloween Costumes. Find more information about child costumeshere.