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Halloween activities are fun for all ages

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By MEGAN HUSSEY

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 31, 2009

Those young and young at heart enjoyed Halloween festivities Friday in central and east Pasco.

About 195 princesses, ghosts, superheroes and pirates, along with a few doctors, nurses and firefighters, converged on Kids' Stuff Preschool in Land O' Lakes on Friday for the annual Halloween costume parade.

Students ages 18 months to kindergarten participated in the parade, where they walked in front of the school to the tunes of "Halloween Is Almost Here and I Can Hardly Wait," "That's What Halloween is For," and a variety of theme songs from "Star Wars" to "Dora the Explorer."

"I checked classrooms to see what costumes the children would be wearing, so I could play the theme songs for their characters," said Christine Reed, Kids' Stuff music teacher. "They get so into character when they hear their song."

The older set also enjoyed a Halloween costume celebration Friday at The Edwinola retirement community in Dade City.

Staff members and residents dressed up for a Halloween party and costume contest Friday afternoon.

A number of parents and grandparents attended the Kids' Stuff parade which, according to Kids' Stuff parent Laura Knobl of Land O' Lakes, is "something to look forward to every year."

This will be the last Kids' Stuff Halloween parade for Knobl, whose son Drew, 7, is a Kids' Stuff graduate, and whose son Nathan, 4, is in his last year at the school. Nathan dressed as a Power Ranger for the costume parade.

"I got a little teary this morning when I realized this is my last parade," she said. "As a parent it's so much fun to see all the different costumes. And the kids love it."

Edith Huertas, whose 4-year-old granddaughter Mia Jordan dressed as Barbie in the parade, agreed that the event is a worthwhile component of the Kids' Stuff fall schedule.

"This is something wonderful that the kids get to share with their parents," she said. "And we as grandparents always come out for events like this."

Fun is a priority

The costume parade, according to Kids' Stuff assistant director Jackie Genovese, is part of a fall/Halloween instructional unit at the school. The unit allows students to enjoy a variety of activities including making applesauce, studying fall weather trends, going on pumpkin hunts and hayrides, finger painting with fall colors, cleaning out pumpkins and roasting pumpkin seeds.

"You should see the hilarious expressions on the kids' faces when they clean out the pumpkins," Genovese said.

These activities teach skills such as weighing, measuring, balancing, colors, counting, charting, graphing and vocabulary.

"Fun is a priority here," said Genovese, "with lots of learning added to the recipe."

And it was the same at The Edwinola.

"It's a whole day of nothing but fun and eating," said Nila Premer, activities director at The Edwinola.

Premer dressed as a pirate for Friday's activities, joining other staff members who dressed as a skeleton, Superman, a witch, an Army officer, a graduate, a French maid and a hula girl.

Residents also got in on the act, dressing in costumes that included a "spooky boxer" and a cowboy. Others wore crazy hats and temporary tattoos for the occasion.

"Spooky boxer" Donna Kellin made a special contribution to the festivities, by making a scarecrow that was posted at the party.

"I got the stuff to make it at the Scarecrow Festival," said Kellin, adding, "This celebration is just to have fun. I wish we had Halloween every day."

Being young again

Also dressed up for the occasion were friends Laura Spelios-Jones and Mary Napolitano, who came to the party dressed as the Bobbsey Twins.

Napolitano, born in 1924, and Spelios-Jones, born in 1947, had fun playing "twins'" at the event.

"She was in the womb for a long time," said Napolitano, pointing at Spelios-Jones.

"Don't we look like we're ready for a party?" Spelios-Jones said.

Residents enjoyed decorated cake and cupcakes at the costume party, as well as soda, iced pretzels, trail mix and "finger cookies" - edible treats in the shape of fingers.

Kellin claimed the first-place ribbon in the costume contest. And in Premer's eyes, all the residents were winners.

"For them this is about having fun and being young again," Premer said. "They're reminiscing about their childhood memories of Halloween."

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