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Soooo…Halloween was a total bust for us this year. We’ve gone trick or treating in years past with no problems, but this year was different. I’m not sure exactly what went wrong, but I am here to share the story along with the cute costumes that I planned for the boys to wear.
First, a moment of honesty. I am frugal. So when a friend gave us a box of costumes a couple years ago, I thought they looked perfect for a two year old…but when I went to open the box and get the boys ready (two days before Halloween), I was a bit surprised to see they had already outgrown them. *grumble* that would mean I would have to BUY costumes just two night before Halloween. I shuddered at the thought of what would even be left on the shelves (no thank you, gremlins or zombie ninja turtles).
So I had exactly two nights to pull something together for the boys. I looked around my house for inspiration and saw this:
(our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Sticky Wall (directions to make will be at the end of this post)
Great! I remember seeing a lady on Pinterest dress up as the palm tree in Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. And I know I was supposed to be working on a costume for the boys, but it was just too good to pass up. I knew I would be dressing up as that tree.
Unfortunately, inspiration and free time strike at very different times of the day. So while I had this idea, I did’t actually get it together until Halloween morning. Even with my procrastination, I was pretty happy with the results!
Easiest.Costume.Ever. All I did was cut some green construction paper into leaf shapes. Then I ran them through my VariQuest Sticker Maker and stuck them on my chest. Put on a brown dress, brown/black tights, and brown boots. Done. I was now a tree. The letters were just foam puzzle pieces from the dollar store stuck on with double sided tape.
Now back to the original plan of making the boys a costume. After some debate, I decided I would make an extra large book jacket and one of my boys (whichever one fought me the least) would go as the actual book. Again, super easy idea and the results came out oh-so-cute…
Posterboard, paint, and a little creative fun was all it took to complete the project (the black pieces on top were duck tape straps so I could keep the cover in place as it was meant to be worn over my boy’s clothes). My other son would go as the librarian (plaid shirt, docker pants, pretend glasses and a librarian name tag). Simple enough, and good enough to pass as thoughtful Halloween costumes during our trick or treating.
Halloween night finally came and guess what? My boys were non-cooperative. Nobody wanted to wear the book. The name tag was even too much to ask for as it got ripped off repeatedly. So what was left? Two boys wearing regular, everyday (NON Halloween) clothes. *sigh* Was I about to give up? No way. I was determined to put them to work to get them (me) free candy. We still went door to door (ok, We went to exactly 5 houses) and I tried with every ounce of my being to get one of them to even hold the book I made. FAILURE. We were done for the night.
Oh well. Maybe next year we will have more success. Until then, I share this post hoping that I may help someone come up with their own last minute costume (book week? Spirit week? Library week??) It’s a cute idea, if your kids will wear it…
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How to make a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom sticky wall:
Supplies:
– Clear contact paper (also called shelf liner)
– Construction paper for the tree
Directions:
* Cut out a large piece of contact paper.
* Using the duck tape, stick it to your wall STICKY SIDE OUT.
* Cut out the tree shapes and stick them right onto the contact paper.
* Lay out a tray of the foam letters (I also like to set the book next to the activity for reference).
At this point, I just stepped away and watched my boys re-enact the story in their own words.
This is such an easy way to bring the book to life. And then there’s the fine motor practice of sticking and unsticking the letters from the contact paper. We love our Chicka Chicka Boom Boom wall and don’t plan on taking it down any time soon 😉
Do you love doing activities based on books? Make sure to follow me on Pinterest where I have a whole board dedicated to Activities Based on Books!
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