The Teal Pumpkin Project: An Allergy-Friendly Halloween
I love Halloween and I REALLY loved celebrating as a child. It always seemed like such a magical day (and happens to be my mother’s birthday as well, so you can imagine how much sugar I consumed over 24 hours). My favorite part of the night was when my brother and I would empty our orange pumpkin pails all over the carpet and sort the candy. For me, this was extra fun because my brother has a nut and peanut allergy. His allergy=more candy for me!
It was not until I became a teacher that I realized how serious allergies in children could be. My brother would just throw up or get a few hives, so he was fortunate there. Over the years I have had several students with very serious food allergies that were far more serious than I could imagine. I have participated in countless trainings and I know how to use an Epi pen, but I still get a little sick to my stomach when I am on lunch duty or have a food treat for students that I know is safe. I still worry…
This is the first Halloween that the Teal Pumpkin Project has been brought to my attention. How wonderful is this campaign to raise awareness of food allergies and make the evening a little less scary for families and children with food allergies.
HOW DOES THE TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT WORK?
Anyone can participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project by:
-Painting a pumpkin teal and displaying outside of your house
-Printing off a poster or sign, indicating that you have non-food treats available
-Making sure to have plenty of non-food treats available for trick-or-treaters who need them (yes, you can still pass out candy, but separate the candy from the non-food treats)
WHAT ARE SOME NON-FOOD TREATS I CAN PASS OUT?
–Rainbow Crayons from Art 2 the Extreme
-Pencils -Spider Rings -Playing Cards
-Stickers -Vampire Teeth -Bouncy Balls
-Bookmarks -Glowsticks -Mini Notepads
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT?
Visit the FARE (Food Allergy, Research, and Education) Blog or Foodallergy.org for more information, links, and ideas.
The Art 2 the Extreme household will be participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project for the first time this year. Trick-or-Treaters will be getting our Mini Mustache Rainbow Crayons. We still have candy, but hopefully our Mustache crayons will bring a smile to some young faces.
Do you participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project? Does someone in your family have a food-allergy that makes trick-or-treating a little more challenging? I would love to hear your experiences or how many times you have come across houses that participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project! Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts!
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