Pictures from Halloween

Oy! What a busy day yesterday was! When you read all of this, you'll need to realize that I was also suffering a mild concussion (I'll write about that later on my HP blog).

At the girls' school there was a Halloween parade that featured costumes made by the kids themselves. I loved this idea and was excited to see what the kids made in their classes. Benches made a ring on the field next to the school. The classes paraded around three or four times. It took that long for the kids to warm up and begin waving and smiling at all of the parents--and there were a lot there. Inwe described her costume as an Indian Princess. A dad came in to do face painting for the kids. Larien's class made themselves into trees. They also had hats with leaves attached.

After the parade and dancing, I joined two other moms for a "carnival" in the kindergarten class. Larien sat with me and helped out. Finwe stayed in the backpack. What I did was a science experiment with a spooky twist that I learned when I taught hands-on science after grad school. The children were captivated and very excited to do science with me.

Later on Halloween we took the kids to Trick or Treat on the Lawn at UVA. From 4pm-5:30pm, kids of all ages can trick or treat at the residences in Jefferson's Academic Village, aka the Lawn. The Rotunda is the centerpiece of the Lawn. The UVA students dress up and are incredibly personable with the children. And there are lots and lots and lots of children at this event. In just thirty minutes the girls had more candy than they could carry in their bags. Finwe enjoyed himself by looking at everyone and walking around the Lawn as a dragon. We saw a few people that we knew. Talked a bit. Found a bathroom with no line. That was the end of their trick or treating. The girls loved the event despite the large numbers of kids. Part of the fun is getting to see all the different costumes in the light of the afternoon. Inwe also liked the fact that she didn't have to ring a doorbell (the students just sit or stand on their stoops). She and Larien would say Happy Halloween or Trick or Treat. We then went out to dinner with the girls still in their costumes. Oh, they were so happy. Inwe walks along the sidewalk before the trick or treating begins.Larien greets her friend from school on the Lawn.

Finwe squeals in delight at all the costumes. I adore this picture.