The costumes. The candy. The games. Staying up late. For children, there are few days throughout the year more exciting than Halloween. As we all know, though, this year’s Halloween feels different due to the pandemic. Trying to keep the season’s fun alive for the kids, our Residential team has been hosting “Spooktacular” events.
“Our first concern is the safety of these kids, but we also know how excited they are for Halloween,” said Dana Szalay, Director of Residential Treatment. “It is great to see how much fun they have with these activities. For at least a little while, it is just a normal Halloween for them.”
This week, the children played “GHOST” – similar to Bingo, but with a supernatural spin. They also participated in a pumpkin hunt, during which they searched for miniature foam pumpkins on the C&FS campus. The pumpkins could then be redeemed for prize, so the race was on!
One of the best things about Halloween is how it gives an opportunity for kids’ personalities to shine. On Wednesday, the children (and staff!) competed in a costume contest. The superheroes, witches, pirates, and ninjas also held a door-decorating competition. And it wouldn’t be Halloween without special snacks. The kids made eerie, edible spider webs out of chocolate and pretzels.
Finally, there will be a Halloween scavenger hunt later today. An amazing group of volunteers from Spectrum assembled video clues that children will follow to find their goodie bags. While the Spectrum team typically attends the annual Halloween party, they were unable to attend this year due to COVID precautions; however, they helped to make sure the day was extra fun.
“I think one of the most meaningful things for the kids is when they see how much effort people put into making their Halloween exciting,” said Dana. “It makes them feel special.”
Thank you to the Spectrum volunteers and our Residential staff who made these Halloween events possible!