Halloween: Oct. 31, 2015

Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts and vampires. Today, Halloween has evolved into a celebration characterized by child-friendly activities, such as costumes, trick-or-treating and carving pumpkins into jack-o’-lanterns.

Trick or Treat!

41.2 million

The estimated number of potential trick-or-treaters in 2014 — children age 5 to 14 — across the U.S. Of course, many other children — older than 14 and younger than 5 — also go trick-or-treating. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2014 Population Estimates, PEPASR6H <http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/PEP/2014/PEPASR6H?slice=year~est72014>

117.3 million

Number of occupied housing units across the nation in second quarter 2015 — all potential stops for trick-or-treaters. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing Vacancies and Homeownership, Table 8 <http://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/data/histtabs.html>

78.7%

Percentage of U.S. households that agreed that their neighbors could be trusted in 2013. Source: 2013 American Housing Survey <http://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15-61.html>

Fun Halloween Facts for the Classroom and Safety Tips for Parents

Halloween is less than two weeks away. Hopefully the kids have their costumes and trick-or-treat plans are set. Here are some interesting facts about Halloween and some tips to go over with your kids to make this Halloween a safe one:

• Five Tips to Keep Your Halloween Safe - written just for kids

• Five Tips to Keep Your Halloween Safe - for parents 
• Halloween Facts from Census
• Halloween Health and Safety Tips
• Novelty Makeup - safety tips for using face paint
• Today in History

Time Change Reminder and Halloween Safety

From USA.gov




Don’t forget about the Time Change on Sunday, November 1. Set your clocks back one hour--the change officially starts at 2:00am on November 1. The majority of the United States observes daylight time, but there are some exceptions, including Hawaii and most of Arizona.
If your kids are going trick-or-treating, check out some Halloween Safety tips. They include:
Ensuring that your child's costume is flame-resistant.
Accompanying young children and ensuring that all children walk along sidewalks.
Instructing children not to enter homes.
Examining all candy before your child eats it.
Have a safe and happy Halloween!