Mission: Halloween

6. Carve It Out
Don’t forget about the great pumpkin. This year, you’ll have lots of time on Saturday to carve it. Try a carving template for more ambitious designs (DLTK Crafts for Kids has lots to choose from). For some virtual carving practice, the whole family will like this online game. If you carve Jack in advance, don’t leave him outside overnight as animals tend to find jack-o-lanterns a yummy treat. Roast the seeds and enjoy them for an afternoon snack—here’s how.

5. Capture the Moment
Make sure all your cameras are charged and ready to capture smiling faces of the little goblins and ghouls (once those costumes are on, it’s hard to restrain everyone from rushing out the door).

4. Stay Safe
To keep the inbound kids safe, take a minute to ensure your walkways are free of any tripping hazards (flowerpots, branches, skateboards…) and make sure your front path is well lit. For your outbound gang, make sure everyone has a flashlight (we love these battery-free ones from Ecotronic that just need a little squeeze to light up and have a wrist strap perfect for children).

3. Map It
No mission goes off without a plan and this one shouldn’t either. Together with the kids (if they are old enough), plan your route ahead of time and stick to it. This helps to manage expectations and allows others to find you if needed.

2. Plan the Candy
Kids everywhere are dreaming of the bags of candy they’ll be bringing home on the big night. To avoid them losing their teeth and you losing your cool, you need to agree in advance on just how much candy can be eaten and when. Read our “candy management” guide for ideas and come up with a plan that works for your family.

1. Have a Back Up
The shuttle has a back-up engine in case of technical failure. You should have a back-up candy bag on board your mission because there’s no worse disaster than a broken candy bag.

Blast off! Let Mission Candy begin.

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