If you know me a little, you already know that I am Belgian.

In Belgium, we always celebrated All Saints Day and the Day of Deaths on 1st and 2nd of November instead of Halloween and I cannot say that they are subjects very funny to write about.

In Belgium also, the weather is always rainy, so, since I work in a school, children are often inside rather than outside and I always have to find an activity for them so that they are not bored.

This week I also had to find some Halloween subjects to write about.

So, I found the solution: instead of writing an article dedicated to Halloween and called “top 10 Halloween Kids Costumes” based on articles and information written by adults, I asked the children what are the Halloween costumes they would like to dress on October 31st.

I must acknowledge that I was terribly disappointed. When I was a child, I adored being dressed up as a princess, baroness, White-Snow, etc. For Carnival, the boys were all dressed like Robin Hood, The prince of Arabian Nights, cow-boy, indian, musketeers…

But what kind of costume do the 2007 children like?

I asked the children at school what kind of costume they want to dress for Halloween.

The answers were diversified even though they did not have much of magical touch.

“What kind of Halloween costume would you like for Halloween, Sylvie?”

“Scream’s costume including the mask of course, Madame Domi!”

She is only 10 years old! I thought that her answer would be a Cinderella or Esmeralda costume. It was not! She wanted to dress the Scream’s murderer costume. Why? Because Scream was the most interesting movie she saw!

Anaïs answer was the following one:

“I want to dress a rich witch costume, with a pointy hat, a black wig, a large hooked nose with a big button on it, long nails like claws and pointed shoes”.

Agon hesitated between the Devil’s costume: the same as in the bible, with a tail, a fork, horns… or a pirate costume.

“As Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean?” I asked to him.

“No, sometimes pirates are skeletons and I want to be a skeleton-ghost-pirate.”

Another one answered:

“I want to dress the Monster Mash costume, Madame”.

The kid probably heard talking about the Monster Mash when he watched The Simpsons’ Halloween show. I love the Monster Mash song but never saw the Monster Mash in person and I do not think that someone saw this monster and knows what kind of costume he dresses.

The youngest children interviewed want to dress a Superman or a Batman costume.

My greatest surprise was Cynthia’s answer, who we call Brutus because she is not a delicate young girl. Cynthia wants to dress a princess costume.

So, the top 5 Children Halloween Costumes are:

Scream’s murderer costume,

Witch Costume,

The Devil’s costume,

Pirate costume,

Spiderman or Batman costume.

I will interview my +40 years old friends on what they would like to dress as Halloween costumes!

I think I will be surprised!

All kids love Halloween, but many parents don’t because of worries surrounding trick-or-treating.

You don’t want your children to be out on the street on their own; you’re not keen on the quality of the treats they bring home; and you may even be worried that someone could put something in a treat bag that would be unsafe. …but all your little munchkins want to do is get out there and have some fun! What can you do?

Well, there are a whole range of options available, and 5 of the easiest are right here for you:

1. Organise a trick or treat tour.

The TOUR element is the important bit. Choose a route with a number of pre-arranged stops, and agree with the householders at those stops what to give as treats and how much. It’s a good idea if you can do this with other parents in the area. Make sure that the kids know that there is a plan and they have to stick to it – or else forfeit their treats! Make sure that there is a chaperone available to accompany the kids on their rounds too.

2. Tell ghost stories around the fire.

If you don’t live in town or near other families with kids to help you with a tour, have some old-fashioned spooky fun at home. Have an open fire or gather a few candles on the table and take it in turns to tell gruesome ghost-stories. After each story toast a few marshmallows on skewers. The person voted spookiest story-teller wins a prize.

3. Have a competition to keep the gang busy.

Got a few kids you can pitch against each other and keep them busy? Great! Have a competition to make the best Halloween creature. A ghost-making competition is a good one, as all you need are a few old sheets (from a charity shop if you don’t have any) and the colouring and craft supplies you probably already have at home. Think of a prize to give to the winner – and to forestall arguments, make it something that is big enough to share with all the others. The great thing about this sort of competition is that it works for any number of kids from 2 upwards.

4. Host a Halloween party.

We don’t often see old fashioned Halloween parties nowadays and more’s the pity. Some traditional tricks and games will keep kids (and grown-ups!) happy all evening and won’t break the bank either. Think: apple bobbing; find the eyeballs (pickled onions in a big pan of water and tea-leaves – which feels disgusting!); and the finger in the matchbox. Ask your own parents and grandparents for more ideas – they will remember doing all of these things as children.

5. Find alternative activities in your area.

If you want a quiet life, have a look in your local area for organised activities that you can take your children along to. Organised activities can be more expensive than doing it at home, but you don’t have to worry about arranging it yourself. Schools and youth clubs may be organising parties, and visitor attractions may be doing something special for Halloween this year. Check online listing sites and local newspapers and magazines for details.