by Ina Winslow

Created on: February 16, 2008

What could be more fun at Halloween than designing a homemade costume with your child? Your child will stand out from all the Spidermen and Disney princesses crowding your neighborhood's doorsteps. And you just might make a memory to last a lifetime.

For inspiration, turn off the TV and DVD's, and put aside the magazines. Recall your own favorite stories from childhood and your children's favorites. Remember the nursery rhymes, fables, mythology, historical figures, and even the silly jokes and clichs, any of which might evoke a memory of a timeless image just right for a kid's costume. Next, take a look at the materials you have at hand.

Nearly any article of clothing or accessory that children use for playing dress-up has potential for a Halloween costume. Does an elastic headband, a feather and a long string of beads suggest a flapper from the Roaring 20s? Would a white lab coat, a zany bow-tie, horn-rimmed glasses and rubber gloves be the perfect attire for a mad scientist? Start by opening up your closet and taking a look; you never know what Halloween being or creature might jump out at you!

Red Riding Hood wore a cape. So did Dracula. Or maybe you picture a cape worn by a witch, a spy, Sherlock Holmes, a magician or the Phantom of the Opera. Invite your child to brainstorm with you and you might come up with a dozen more possibilities.

Old hats are so versatile and inspiring that they require an entire article of their own!

An individual object can even spark a costume idea all by itself. Imagine the possibilities in a simple wooden dowel or a bandanna. A dowel can be dressed up as a king or queen's scepter, it can serve as the Pied Piper's instrument, the staff that holds a court jester's puppet, a magic wand, an orchestra leader's baton, or-with a large white marshmallow glued onto each end-a majorette's baton.

That cowboy bandanna has a long history on both sides of the law: it's been a sheriff's neckerchief and a bandit's face mask. It can also be a gypsy fortune teller's head scarf, a clown's handkerchief (just the size to match his big red nose), a pirate's or a biker's headwrap, a hobo's bindle, or a halter top to wear with a hula dancer's grass skirt.

What can you do with an old white sheet? Buy a box of fabric dye, do some simple cutting and stitching and you can turn that sheet into anything from a Halloween ghost to a toga for a Roman emperor, a robe and blindfold for Justice, or the Statue of Liberty's gown.

Even if you plan to do little or no

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