Are You Ready For Halloween?

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With Halloween right around the corner, do you have all your ducks (or pumpkins, as it were) in a row?

No?  No worries.  Here are some Halloween goodies that can help you get your spooky on- in a kid-friendly way.

What’s Halloween without carved pumpkins?  Pumpkin Masters has the kits and accessories that you and your kids will love to use to decorate that perfect pumpkin.   Choose from carving kits, patterns, tools, jack-o-lantern lights and flashing strobe lights, and more.  Looking for spooky, cute, or something in between?  How about mom,dad, or older kids- do they want to create a real work of art (that’s maybe a little more complicated)?  Got you covered. America’s favorite go-to tools  are easy to find and come with all that is needed to have a safe, creative, affordable and of course a fun decorating experience.   Our new favorite? The Surface Carving Kit– this is a really fun and interesting way to shave your pumpkin into some amazing designs, and play with the lighting as well.  It comes with three interchangeable carving tips, 12 patterns, one tool and pounce wheel.  For more, visit http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/

Another fun pumpkin option is the Hallmark Pumpkin Talker.  Available in Batman, Cinderella, and Scooby Doo, you use the template to carve a pumpkin that looks like your image of choice. When you’re done, put the Pumpkin Talker device into your carved jack-o-lantern to hear it talk in the character’s voice when it senses that someone is near.  We tried Scooby Doo, a favorite of my son’s.  It sounds just like the lovable dog from the show, and the template was very easy to use.

Also available from Hallmark is the Halloween Pics ‘n’ Props.  A fun way to celebrate the holiday, create fun pictures to share with friends and relatives or online, or make silly Halloween cards to mail out. Choose your favorite props, and even pose in front of the haunted house backdrop for the perfect picture. You can even print out your favorites and place them in the  included matching photo album.  (Perfect coffee table book, and much more fun and personal then that wine book no one ever looks at!  LOL) For more, visit http://www.hallmark.com

After a long morning of pumpkin carving and photo shoots, you might want to unwind with the family.  Prefer a good book?  The new “Room on The Broom” book by Julia Donaldson, UK Children’s Laureate (2011-2013), and illustrator Axel Scheffler—the same author and illustrator team that created the critically-acclaimed book series, The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.  There is also an adorable line of toys from Kids Preferred that coincides with the story, with a plush Witch, Cat, or Dragon.  The book is very cute, and we very much enjoyed it as a family.  My son loves the book (available in full or board book) and likes to read it to his stuffed Witch.  You can also find Room On The Broom on DVD.

For more, see www.kidspreferred.com and roomonthebroom.com/us

Rather watch a movie? These new not-so-scary stories-on-DVD arrive from the nationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Scholastic Storybook Treasures”THE HALLOWEEN STORIES COLLECTION, VOLUME 2” includes 14 stories perfect for early and pre-readers.  These adorable movies bring best-selling children’s storybooks to life and promotes a love of literature. Filled with skeletons, witches and more seasonal spooks, families can encourage creativity and music appreciation with the classic sing-along Dem Bones, learn about Latin American holidays with The Day of the Dead, and more.   For more info, please visit www.scholastic.com