DIY Halloween Costume Ideas for Parents and Kids

If your kids are still young enough to partner with you on a Halloween costume, you likely want to come up with a really creative idea. Costumes for kids and parents are some of the cutest combinations, and there are quite a few to choose from! Here are just a few of our favorites:

Garden Duo [parents.com]
Art mimics life in this costume that transforms you into a gardener tending to a precious little flower. Simply wear a gardening outfit or dress as a life-sized package of seeds, then create a flower costume for your son or daughter by gluing paper petals to a headband. Best of all, this costume also works for multiple children (think a whole garden of flowers).

Eaten by Sharks [babble.com]
If you’re a family with a sense of humor, you’ll all get a kick out of this surfer and hungry shark costume. Parents should carry a faux surfboard and wear a wetsuit, while you can make or buy tiny shark costumes for your little sharks.

Westminster Dog Show [huffingtonpost.com]
This incredibly creative costume will ensure that no one else at the party has the same costume as you. Mom or dad can wear a smart blazer with a number pinned to the back to dress as a competitor in a dog show, while your child will look adorable as a prized pup.

Boo! Read About the History of the Jack-o’-Lantern

Carving pumpkins is a beloved tradition in most households, but this history of the jack-o’-lantern dates back much farther than just your own family’s Halloween festivities. Here are a few interesting points about the history of the spooky, silly jack-o’-lantern.

  • The name “jack-o’-lantern” is derived from a 17th century British term that described a man carrying a lantern, usually a night watchman. Townspeople began to call the mysterious lights that they often saw over the wetlands "jack-o’-lanterns" because they thought that they were ghosts or spirits.
  • Irish tradition also uses the term jack-o’-lantern in a story about Stingy Jack, a man who was forced to wander the earth for all eternity with only the light from a dull ember.
  • In some parts of Great Britain, it became customary for children to carry jack-o’-lanterns door-to-door on All Saints Day to represent the souls of deceased relatives.
  • Irish immigrants brought the tradition of the jack-o’-lantern with them to the United States, and they soon began to use the more readily available pumpkin instead of the turnip.
  • Pumpkin carving and the jack-o’-lantern didn’t become a part of Halloween tradition until the late 19th century, almost 200 years after it was initially invented.

History of the Jack-O’-Lantern [History Channel]
What’s the Origin of Jack-O’-Lanterns? [Mental Floss]
Why Do We Carve Pumpkins on Halloween? [About News]

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