Celebrating Halloween: The word Halloween or Hallowe’en dates to about 1745 and is of Christian origin. Today’s Halloween customs are thought to have been influenced by folk customs and beliefs from the Celtic-speaking countries. Some of the customs are believed to have pagan roots.
From at least the 16th century, the festival involved people going house-to-house in costume (or in disguise). Participants usually recited verses or songs in exchange for food. In Scotland, youths went house-to-house with masked, painted or blackened faces, often threatening to do mischief if they were not welcomed.
From at least the 18th century, “imitating malignant spirits” led to playing pranks in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. Wearing costumes and playing pranks at Halloween spread to England in the 20th century. The traditional illumination for pranksters abroad on the night in some places was provided by turnips or mangel wurzels. A mangel wurzel is a large white, yellow or orange-yellow swollen root developed in the 18th century as a fodder crop for feeding livestock. They were hollowed out to act as lanterns and often carved with grotesque faces. In the 20th century they spread to other parts of England and became generally known as jack-o’-lanterns. It was not until mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century that Halloween became a major holiday in North America.
Today we honour Halloween by hollowing out and decorating pumpkins and going door to door in costume, a noticeable similarity to the way the festival was celebrated hundreds of years ago.
Halloween Pumpkin Apple Stamps
These Halloween Pumpkin Apple Stamps are a fun way to celebrate Halloween! This is a kids craft that will keep children busy creating works of art.
Materials:
Apples
Orange craft paint
Green craft paint
Paint brushes
Cutting board
Knife
White paper
Directions:
#1. (Parent step) First cut your apples in half, dry inside and outside with paper towel
#2. On a paper plate or scrap paper, squirt a little orange paint on one, and green on the other
#3. Using the inside of the apple as a stamp , dip the inside of your apple in orange paint, making sure it’s completely covered in paint, then stamp on your white paper
#4. Using a paint brush, paint a leaf and stem of the top of your pumpkins
#5. Once your pumpkins dry, use black markers or crayons to create Jack-o-lanterns for some Halloween fun!
For the full article and pictures, visit: http://www.frugalmomeh.com/2015/09/pumpkin-apple-stamps.html#_a5y_p=5790936
Global Montessori has been providing infant/toddler daycare, preschool and elementary school programs in Langley and surrounding areas since 1988. In addition to daycare programs, Global Montessori also provides before and after school care for kindergarten and elementary children for parents who require the extra care.