September. Fall colors start creeping in, temperatures drop, frost threatens us each night. And there is one thing on my mind--Halloween! In particular, Halloween outfits. I always start thinking about Outfits as early as possible because I refuse to don a store-bought disguise for this special winter. As I plan my next sure-to-wow-'em costume, my thoughts always wander back through the extended.

My earliest memories of Halloween Costumes were, much to my chagrin, commercially made. Think plastic body suits that tie at the neck, non-breathable masks with slits for eyes, nose and dental. Tweety Bird, Fred Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Bugs Bunny and every other popular cartoon character. We always bought them big to allow room for that hooded sweatshirt and long underwear we would inevitably be wearing underneath once we trudged from house to accommodate in the bitter Halloween rain/snow/wind that always was.

Fast-forward a few years to the beginning of my do-it-yourself days. During middle school my parents stopped partaking in how to find the ultimate Halloween costumes. It was up to my friends horrifying than to decide what we wanted to be and ways we wanted to do it. We were sleep walkers, Little Bo Peep, mermaids, bananas, and old ladies. Each started as a small seed of an idea, then grew and formed through the weeks before October 15th. We had so much fun planning, searching our closets, attics, and basements for just appropriate items to complete a dressing up. There was such satisfaction in developing and completing a costume that was unlike anything we had ever been before and unlike anyone else's costume.

My love of halloween stayed with me through my young adult many years. College brought more resources for costume save yourself. The craft store and my hot glue gun were among my best friends in late September. We were flowers, witches, Little Red Riding Hood, and Batman, Catwoman, and Robin. These memories will last a long time to come.

Even as an adult, I am lucky enough to still feel a real love for homemade Halloween Costumes. With regard to elementary educator, I visit dress up every calendar year. I can go back in my mind and mark my years teaching as I think of what I was for Halloween each year. A witch, a rodeo clown, the tooth fairy, Raggedy Ann, scarecrow, ballerina.the list goes on.

And now I see share this special season with my two young sons. I am lucky enough to be able to create costumes for all of us, teaching them on-line in making something yourself. They will learn how to think a good idea, how to expand upon it, how make use of of the resources we offer to create something which was never imagined. It teaches patience, perseverance, critical thinking, problem solving. The list goes on. Who possess guessed that a 'silly' holiday like Halloween could teach such valuable lessons and be such an ongoing learning experience.