Photo: Jacqueline Hockridge.
Hallowe’en was a bit different this year.
Depending on where you live, door-to-door trick-or-treating may have been strongly discouraged or banned because of the pandemic, or was allowed with restrictions such as wearing a mask and social distancing.
Many kids found ways to celebrate Hallowe’en in spite of the restrictions, for instance virtually over video chat or at home with immediate family members.
Many people who wanted to hand out candy had to get creative. Some families set up chutes or slides to send the candy a socially distant two metres (six feet) to trick-or-treaters. At least one person even created a candy handing-out robot.
Others used a candy line, where candy was hung for trick-or-treaters to help themselves.
Other families put a box of candy out, asking kids to take one.
Children’s author Joel Sutherland organized a social media hashtag to give kids a Hallowe’en boost. At exactly noon on the Friday before Hallowe’en, children’s authors were encouraged to tweet a Hallowe’en photo, joke, video or some other treat with the hashtag #kidlithalloween.
Twitter users can find the posts from the online flashmob of Hallowe’en fun by searching #kidlithalloween.
THINK AND DISCUSS
- How was your Hallowe’en different this year, from other years? What did you do that was different?
2. Do you think the COVID-19 rules about trick-or-treating were too strict? Or, do you think they didn’t go far enough? Why (or why not)?
3. If you dressed up, what was your costume this year?
4. Pretend you’re in a city where trick-or-treating wasn’t allowed. What could kids do, to still have fun on Hallowe’en? Try to come up with a list of five things.
5. Families shelling out had to be creative as well, with ramps or candy clotheslines. Can you think of some other ways to give out Hallowe’en candy at a safe distance?
LINKS
In Ottawa, Ontario, the Public Health department started #HalloWise on Twitter, with tips on how to celebrate Hallowe’en safely. Here is their pdf of alternative Hallowe’en ideas: https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca/en/resources/Corona/HalloWise-Half-Page-5×7-Postcard-v2020.1-EN-Editable.pdf
