NYC Halloween Events 2008

New York City is a fun place to be on Halloween. There are so many different ways to celebrate with your little ones. The events listed below will help to make the day thrilling and memorable.

Bronx
-Boo at the Zoo (October 11–13, 18–19 & 25–26): Families will enjoy magic shows, spooky stories, music, costume parades, storytelling, musical hayrides, pumpkin painting, giveaways and much more at the Bronx Zoo. This year they have a special offer where one child in Halloween costume will receive a free child’s limited admission ticket with the purchase of one full price adult limited admission ticket. (718) 367-1010.

-Halloween Fun Run in Van Cortlandt Park (October 25, 2PM. – 4PM): Kids ages 2-10 years old can race in their costumes as part of this free Halloween Fun Run in the Bronx. Meet at the Tortoise and Hare Statue at Broadway & 246 Street. (718) 430-1890.

Brooklyn
-Halloween at the A-scarium (October 25-26, noon – 4PM): Kids (ages 6 and up) will enjoy celebrating the holiday at the New York Aquarium. Deadly creatures from the deep will be featured at this annual Halloween festival. In addition to the Haunted Pavilion, there will also be arts and crafts. This event is free with aquarium admission (costumed children are admitted for free). (718) 265-FISH.

-Monster Mash (October 31, 5PM): Kids of all ages will enjoy celebrating Halloween at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (especially since the museum just finished undergoing a huge makeover). Visitors will be able to touch slithery snakes, have their faces painted, hear spooky stories and more. Visitors are encouraged to come in a costume. This event is free with regular museum admission. (718) 735-4400.

Queens
- Halloween Haunted House (October 25, 26, and 31, 4PM – 7PM): Kids (ages 4 – 12) will enjoy hayrides ($2 per person) and fall foods (mulled cider, pumpkins and apples will be sold). Admission to the event at Queens County Farm is $4. (718) 347-3276.

-Halloween Festival (October 25, noon – 4PM): Enjoy a day filled with games, hay rides, crafts, pumpkin patches, goodie bags and much more at this free event in Queens’ Fort Totten Park. (718)352-4793

Manhattan
-Spooktacular Halloween Celebration (October 31, 4PM – 7PM): Kids will trick-or-treat, create origami, make crafts and more at this annual family favorite at the American Museum of Natural History. I (Kimberly) attend this event each year with my family and we always enjoy it! It costs $10.00 per person ($9.00 for Museum Members). (212) 769-5100

-Clifford the Big Red Dog’s Spooktacular Halloween Party (October 28, 6PM – 7PM): Kids can make their own spider cupcakes; design a Halloween mask; listen to stories and much more. Parents/guardians can bring their cameras for fun photo ops. with Clifford the Big Red Dog. The cost for this Scholastic Store event is $10 per child. (212) 343-6166

In addition to the events mentioned above, there are many events planned at local parks and libraries. Visit http://www.nycgovparks.org for Parks events. Library events can be found at http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org (Brooklyn); http://www.nypl.org (Bronx & Manhattan) or http://www.queenslibrary.org (Queens). Enjoy!

(For a more comprehensive list of NYC area Halloween events, visit here.)

Keep Kids Safe & Seen This Halloween

FYI:

“With Halloween right around the corner, child pedestrian safety expert Moira Donahue with Safe Kids USA, is encouraging parents to remind their little ghosts and super heroes to be safe when out trick-or-treating.

Halloween is supposed to be about scares that are fun, not frightening. But statistics show it’s one of the most dangerous days of the year for kids when it comes to walking safely.

To keep Halloween spooky rather than scary, Moira Donahue with Safe Kids USA and FedEx have teamed up to develop safety tips for parents and drivers:

How to keep kids safe:

* Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks
* Make eye contact with drivers and watch for cars that are turning or backing up
* Wear face paint and makeup; a mask can restrict a child’s vision
* Wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes that prevent trips and falls
* Only trick-or-treat in well lit and familiar areas
* Carry a flashlight or glow stick to increase visibility to drivers

Driving safely on Halloween:

* Be sure to drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances
* Take extra time to actively look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
* Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are during the typical rush hour period, between 5:30-9:30 PM.

For additional tips, fun safety message e-cards and a Halloween safety checklist go to: www.usa.safekids.org/wtw/halloween2008.html”

Old Navy Halloween Celebration

Old Navy is having a Freaky Funday Halloween party in every one of their stores on October 25th and 26th. Some of the fun includes:

• First 100 customers both days receive a trick-or-treat back and a game piece offering either 20, 50 or 100 percent off purchases that day
• Costume Contest – Saturday October 25 only. All participants receive a coupon for a free graphic tee
• Shopping discounts – discounts will be announced at random throughout the day (examples include: 13 percent off all black items or 31 percent off fashion items, $10 off $50)
• Halloween Candy!
  
  
  (They also have some cute, reasonably priced costumes for sale ...)

Pumpkin Masters Tips & Contest

Pumpkin Masters is helping moms celebrate the October tradition of pumpkin carving and decorating with many items including the following :

-A Deluxe Kids Fright Lights - includes 30 colored pegs with interchangeable shapes to give pumpkins a festive glow

-A Dig Those Decades - pattern carving book that offers groovy designs from decades past

And

-A Pumpkin Carving Kit - kit includes specially designed saws, patterns, a Pounce Wheel and drill

My oldest son Michael has been in “Halloween mode” since last month, so I was really happy when Pumpkin Masters let me know about their new line of carving kits and accessories. They also sent over several goodies. I’ll post the Coleman family pumpkin pictures later this month. Every day since we received the package Michael keeps asking me if we’re getting a pumpkin today…

On another note, Pumpkin Masters offer a wide variety of helpful tips (Pumpkin Selection, Carving Tips, Pumpkin Preservation, Illumination Tips and Party Planning) on their site. Also, be sure to check out their Carving Contest where you can win up to $1,500 for your original carving creation.