Green Halloween Costumes

My green Halloween theme continues this week with Halloween costumes. Remember when we used to actually MAKE our costumes? I would spend WEEKS planning the perfect costume, scouring the house and garage for the appropriate materials, and building my masterpiece.

This year, let's get back to the basics and steer clear of the costume-in-a-bag. Sure the bagged costumes are easy but are they fun? We know they are not so great for the environment either. Get your child’s creative juices flowing with homemade costumes and have some fun in the process!

1. Make your own costume from items in your closet or garage. Do you have an old uniform that you can repurpose? What about those 80's prom dresses hanging in your closet?

2. It’s amazing what you can create with a large box, some paint, and your imagination. Cut wings out of cardboard and paint red with black dots. Add a headband with feelers, black pants, and a black shirt and you've got yourself a ladybug. Or do yellow and black stripes for a bumble bee. Or multicolored wings for a butterfly.

3. If you’re not feeling creative you can buy a used costume at a 2nd hand shop or find one on Craigslist.

4. Prior to Halloween, organize a costume swap with your friends, family, and neighbors. Invite everyone to bring their gently worn costumes to exchange for a "new-to-them" costume.

5. Keep those batteries out of the landfills and use a crank powered flashlight to light the way during trick-or-treating or for a game of flashlight tag.

6. Bust out an old pillowcase for trick-or-treating instead of buying a plastic candy pail.

Share your memories! What was YOUR favorite Halloween costume?