What’s up with the teal pumpkins?
|Can you imagine what trick or treating must be like for kids who are allergic to ingredients in candy bars and suckers? It would be disappointing at best and downright dangerous at worst!
That is why you’ll be seeing more and more teal pumpkins pop up in neighborhoods near you. The Teal Pumpkin Project™ is designed to promote safety, inclusion and respect of people managing food allergies. This nationwide movement offers an alternative for kids with food allergies, as well as other children for whom candy is not an option, and keeps Halloween a fun, positive experience for all!
I know several Wabash Valley homes and neighborhoods started displaying teal pumpkins last year, and I LOVE IT. A little love and thoughtfulness can go a long way to making Halloween safer and more fun for kids with food allergies!
If you’d like to join the movement, all you have to do is collect some non-candy treats (see ideas below) and display a teal pumpkin in the form of a painted pumpkin, yard sign, and/or flyer. You can find the free printable signs and flyers over on foodallergy.org.
A few non-food treat ideas:
- Glow sticks
- Spider rings
- Temporary tattoos
- Stickers
- Bubbles
- Bouncy balls
- Stamps
- Pencils
- Mini pumpkins
- Noisemakers (like kazoos and whistles)
Any ideas to add?
If you’d like to get involved, visit the Food Allergy website, to take the pledge, put your home on the map of allergy-friendly locations, print a free flyer, and find out more about the Teal Pumpkin Project!
Will you be participating?