Trick or Treat
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When should children trick-or-treat without adult supervision?
Kids go through many rites of passage throughout childhood. There is the first time they go to school and leave parents behind for several hours per day. Another rite is sleeping over at a friend or family member's house or even summer camp. Still another may be being allowed to attend a movie alone with a friend. Small rites of passage signify a child is getting older and is ready for more responsibility and trust. Such may be the case when parents conclude that their children are ready to engage in Halloween fun without an adult chaperone.
There is no set age when a child can walk around the neighborhood trick-or-treating unattended. Just as with other tests of responsibility, such as staying home alone or being able to ride bikes with friends, it is up to parents to gauge their youngsters' readiness.
Halloween for older children often is less about candy and more about hanging out with friends. Therefore, parents probably needn't worry that their kids will be traveling solo since a large group of children will likely be visiting homes together.
Many parents find that anywhere between ages 11 and 13 are good times to let their children go trick-or-treating with friends. However, this decision may be based on several factors.
n Time of day: It's best to limit a first time trick-or-treating without parents to daylight hours. What looks familiar during the day may be less familiar after sunset. It's generally safer for kids to be out and about before night falls.
n Other participants: Parents should weigh the personalities of their kids' friends as well. For those who are assured that others in the group are mature and responsible, there's no need to continue to clip the proverbial wings of trick-or-treaters. But if parents are leery of any shenanigans that may take place, it may be better to wait things out a little longer.
n The neighborhood: Is the area relatively safe with limited vehicle traffic? If so, then parents may feel more comfortable letting kids on the younger range of that age spectrum trick-or-treat without them. Urban neighborhoods or ones where houses are separated by a lot of land may warrant some adult supervision.
n Constant contact: Parents who utilize GPS apps to keep tabs on their children's whereabouts may feel more comfortable letting them trick-or treat with friends. These apps will show exactly where the child is at the time and can trace the route kids take. Many children get smartphones while young, which can alleviate concerns about getting in touch or keeping track of kids left to their own devices.
What to do with leftover Halloween candy
What can be better than spending a day with friends, decked out in costume as you accumulate a mountain of sweet treats? That's what trick-or-treaters do every Halloween, and sometimes the cache of candy is more than a person can consume in a lifetime. When October rolls into November and Thanksgiving is on the horizon, few people want to be staring at a witch's cauldron full of chocolate bars. Rather than be wasteful and throw it away, they can utilize that candy in many different ways.
• S'mores cookie: Turn miniature chocolate bars into a campfire treat with a cookie twist. Press premade cookie dough into a round cast iron skillet and bake until cooked throughout. Add chopped up pieces of chocolate and marshmallows on top, and place under the broiler a few minutes until melted and gooey. Slice up to serve or dig in with spoons.
• Confectionary pizza: Purchase premade pizza dough or make your own. Bake the dough on a pan with no toppings. Afterwards, spread a layer of peanut butter or hazelnut spread on top. Then set up a fixings bar with various candies that others can add to their pizza slices. Options include chocolate candies, miniature pretzels, marshmallows, or gummy candies.
• Stained glass cookies: Turn hard candies (like Jolly Ranchers®) into works of art. Fill sugar cookie cutouts with hard candies in the middle. When the cookies bake, the candies will melt and then turn soft after cooling.
• Candy-topped brownies: Brownies are delicious on their own, but they're even better with some embellishments. Mix chopped caramels into the batter, or add other candies for flavor and fun.
• Candy bark: Melt down any chocolate you may have and spread it on a baking sheet. Sprinkle chopped up leftover candy on top and allow to cool. Break into pieces for a homemade chocolate bark.
• Gingerbread house: Save the candy in a zip-top bag for freshness and reserve for decorating gingerbread houses around the holidays.
• Birthday pinata: If there is a birthday on the horizon, use the Halloween candy to stuff the pinata.
• Parade route: Veteran's Day parades are held each November. Start a new tradition in town where donated candy will be tossed out to the crowd by those marching in the parade.
• Donate: Various organizations will gather and ship leftover candy to troops stationed overseas or donate the goods to first responders, veterans and others.
Halloween Happenings
Area Trick or Treat, and Trunk or Treat Nights, and other Halloween events
*If no special event is listed, then the times are the town’s trick or treat night.
SUNDAY, OCT. 25
Callender City Park Trunk or Treat: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Rain date: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 30)
Dayton Methodist Church Trunk or Treat: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 28
LVCTA Trunk or Treat (Lehigh): 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Regular trick or treating, see Oct. 31 below.)
THURSDAY, OCT. 29
Eagle Grove Downtown Business Walk plus Trunk or Treat: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (Regular trick or treating on Oct. 31, see below.)
FRIDAY, OCT. 30
Duncombe: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Gowrie: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Harcourt: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Lehigh: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Manson Business Trick or Treat: 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by Augustana Lutheran Church's Trunk or Treat: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. (See Oct. 31 for regular trick or treat hours.)
SATURDAY, OCT. 31
Badger: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; plus Halloween
Fun Night at 7 p.m., Badger Fire Station
Barnum: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Coalville: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Dayton: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Eagle Grove: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Farnhamville: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fort Dodge: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Humboldt: 5:50 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Manson: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Moorland Trunk or Treat: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.;
Haunted Trail at the old ball diamond,
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for no scares;
7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for bigger scares
Otho: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Pocahontas Trunk or Treat
on Main Street: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Pilot Mound: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Rockwell City: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Stratford: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
SUNDAY, NOV. 1
Boxholm: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Second Street; Trick or Treat in the neighborhood 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.