One of the most anticipated nights each year for kids is Halloween. What fun it is to dress up as a spooky ghost or beautiful princess and gather lots of fun treats from neighbors or at fall festivals!
Unfortunately, for many kids and their parents, Halloween can be a stressful night. Many of the candies given out each year contain nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, and wheat. These are some of the most common food allergies. Finding a bag filled with all the things a child is allergic to is no fun at all.
In 2014 the Food Allergy and Research Education Organization adopted the Teal Pumpkin Project nationally. The purpose of the project was to make Halloween fun again for kids suffering with food allergies. The project works like this: You place a teal pumpkin outside your home. Those trick or treating see the teal pumpkin and know you’re giving out non-food treats that are safe for everyone! What a relief for parents of kids with food allergies to see teal pumpkins out and about.
If you want to participate , be sure to place your teal pumpkin in a visible location on Halloween. Then, plan to give out treats like:
- Glow sticks
- Slime
- Slap Bracelets
- Bubbles
- Temporary Tattoos
- Bouncy Balls
- Pencils and Erasers
- Magnets
- Hair Scrunchies
- Bookmarks
- Stickers
- Mini Boxes of Crayons
To learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project ideas, click here: https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/living-teal/teal-pumpkin-project.