Spooktacular Safety Tips

It’s that time of year again to put on the scariest costumes, visit haunted houses, carving pumpkins and the kids’ favorite trick or treating!  Every kid looks forward to dressing up like their favorite character, their favorite witch or ghost.  Before you travel with your kids and friends, this upcoming week keep these safety tips in mind.

                The costume for the night gives the residents excitement of guessing who the child dressed up like.  All costumes should be short enough that they don’t drag on the ground and cause the child to fall.  Masks and props always bring the costume together but make sure the masks has enough ventilation and eye sight while the props should be flexible and plastic to prevent injury.  Since trick or treating is normally during the hours of 5 and 9 at night, your child should have a reflective strip on their costume or bag and carry a flashlight or glow stick so drivers can see you on those not so well lighted streets.  Wear the most comfortable shoes, you don’t want to be sore after walking a short distance!  Once you have met all these tips, it’s time to go get candy!!

                When out and about on the streets visiting neighbors, travel in a group with a responsible adult.  Your chaperone and you should only visit houses with the lights on but never enter them!  Although you may think you can see all the decorations in the yard, you shouldn’t cross it because you may not see a decoration or trip over a cord.  Trick or treating is meant to be fun memorable night, not a night to be sent to the ER for an injury.

                This year make your experience enjoyable, memorable and even cost-efficient!  When thinking of your costumes, come up with something creative and something you could make yourself.  Way back to when I was little, my mom made most of mine and my siblings’ costumes!  One year, I was a bag of groceries, my brother was a basket of laundry while my sister was Dora the Explorer, like she was every year.  Those costumes were all from household items and created the most memorable costumes we ever had!  Plus if you have younger children, they can help you make the costume making it more fun for them and give them something to brag about!  So this Halloween try something new, and follow these tips to guarantee your family a spooktacular Halloween!    

Hartslog Day 2014

Sorry I'm so late posting this, I've been a little busy!  Last Saturday (October 11th), myself and Alison (Queen Ambassador) participated in the annual Hartslog Day Parade!  Although it was quite cold and drizzled a little, we had a great time seeing the face of children light up and smelling all the wonderful food!  Before the parade, Polly (a family friend) was standing beside this little girl who wanted to meet the "princess" aka the Fair Queen!  I soon found out this little girl's name was Marissa and someday wanted to become a princess and wear a crown just like me.  Meeting this little girl reminded me of myself when I was her age wanting to become a princess and do the princess wave.  Not only did I make Marissa's day, she also made mine so much better!  A special thank goes out to my friend, Eric for driving me around in his father's restored '87 Ford F150!  It was a great time to spend with him and Alison!

Happy National 4H Week!

“What is 4-H?”  That is a question that many have been asking since 1902.   A.B. Graham of Clark County, Ohio, started one of the first 4-H clubs.  Graham called it the “Tomato Club” or “Corn Growing Club” to attract the farming community.  Studies had shown that farmers weren’t growing with technology and not accepting the new ways so Graham and many others reached out to the children to teach their parents.  In 1912, these clubs were named “4-H clubs” after Jessie Shambaugh developed the four leaf clover pin. 

 Since 1902 4-H has changed in many ways.  The main idea of 4-H is simple: help young people and their families gain skills needed to be active in their communities to create an innovative economy.  Through these clubs, members gain communication skills, life skills and leadership skills from ages 8 - 18.  Members can also participate in many conferences where they develop some of these qualities and make friends from all over the state of Pennsylvania.

Many think that 4-H is made for kids that live in the countryside and all you do is raise animals.  There are two assumptions in that last statement that are wrong!  Did you know that Jackie Kennedy, former US First Lady, was a 4-H member along with Faith Hill, David Letterman and even former Vice President Al Gore?  They took the skills that they developed through 4-H and used it to their abilities to help make a better life for themselves!  As for only raising livestock, that is one of the more than 150 projects that members can choose from!  Members can learn to quilt, to sew, to make ceramics, and even grow their favorite vegetable in their backyard.

I have recently finished my last year of 4-H and developed so much from it that I still use today.  I started with my projects of quilt, glass etching, tye-dye, cake decorating, flower arranging and public speaking. Over the years, I learned to sew many things and even sewed 4 of my 6 homecoming dresses for my high school homecoming dances!  Through public speaking, I’ve gained many friends and the confidence to speak in front of people.  Doing these projects gave me qualities to fix simple things such as a tear in my jeans, liven up my apartment with some artificial flowers and even quilt a t-shirt quilt that represents my high school years.  4-H has taught me so much more than just agriculture so why not get your child involved.  If they are between the ages of 8 and 18, contact the Huntingdon County 4-H Extension Office at 814-643-1660 to learn more and get the contact information for the leaders of our 19 4-H clubs in Huntingdon County!