CommonCents SHELBY COUNTY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION’S for Kids & OCTOBER 2013 NEWSLETTER HALLOWEEN EDITION - BOO! Top Tips for Halloween Fun! BE COMFORTABLE! Find a costume that is both fun and functional. Wear your best sneakers for the long walk, make sure your costume fits so you don’t trip and stumble. Try to find a costume without a mask so that you can see and breathe clearly. Flame resistant costumes are the best choice. BE SEEN! Carry a flashlight and wear reflective tape or glow sticks so your guardians and oncoming traffic can see you at all times. AVOID FIRES! Instead of putting a lit candle in your jack-o-latern, opt for a flameless LED candle. CHECK YOUR STASH! Before you dig in to your treats, make sure an adult goes through your candy with you. Never eat unwrapped candy and only eat homemade treats from neighbors you know. REMEMBER THE GOLDEN RULES! You’ve heard these important lessons before ... NEVER get into cars or talk to strangers. NEVER enter into a stranger’s home or any home without your parents’ consent. AND ALWAYS watch both ways before crossing streets and cross only when the lights allow. Something Sweet for Our Troops! Dentists across the country are “buying” back Halloween candy from neighborhood kids, then sending it to the troops overseas! In exchange for candy, kids receive gifts and coupons from dentists. What a great way to brighten the day of an American Hero! And not only do kids come out a little bit richer -- but they may be saving themselves rotten gums or “jack-o-latern smiles”! To find a participating dentist near you, visit halloweencandybuyback.com. Check out our website @ ShelbyCountyCU.com HALLOWEEN FUN FACTS! The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips. What’s the most popular Halloween costume? A witch! The largest pumpkin ever recorded broke the world record in 1993 coming in at 836 lbs. Ireland is typically believed to be the birthplace of Halloween. According to tradition, if a person wears his or her clothes inside out and then walks backwards on Halloween, he or she will see a witch at midnight. Fifty percent of kids prefer to receive chocolate candy for Halloween, compared with 24% who prefer non-chocolate candy and 10% who preferred gum. When trick-or-treating first became popular in the United States in the 1800s, more children played mischievous pranks than asked for candy. By the 1950s, though, the focus had switched to good old family fun, with sugar-hyped children dressed in costumes. Your savings federal insured to at least $250,000 and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government NCUA National Credit Union Administration, a U.S. Government Agency HORROR-IBLE JOKES! Q. Why couldn’t the ghost see his mom and dad? A. They were trans-parents! Q. What do goblins and ghosts drink when they’re hot and thirsty on Halloween? A. Ghoul-aid! Q. What did the little ghost say to his mom? A. “I’ve got a boo boo.” Halloween Apps for Kids! High-rated “not-so-spooky” apps for kids of all ages! I SPY Spooky Mansion: Find spiders, ghosts, skeletons and bats based on clues. Plants vs. Zombies (10 and up): Guard the house from funny creatures by blocking them with flora. The Very Hungry Pumpkin: Guide your pumpkin to candy treats. LEGO Halloween Creationary: Build Halloween-themed structures with LEGOs. PUMPKIN PAL: Virtually carve a pumpkin with crooked smiles and cute patterns, without making a mess! LOOK BOTH WAYS ON HALLOWEEN! On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Please make sure you have reflective gear and flashlights, and always look before walking into the street! Cha-Ching, It’s Halloween! With store bought costumes, home decorations, and candy purchases, Halloween is the second highest grossing commercial holiday in American after Christmas! Americans will spend an average of $79.82 this year, according to the National Retail Federation., and the National Confectioners Association says that Americans will buy more than 600 million pounds of candy this year – just for Halloween - for a $2.4 billion on sweets in the weeks leading up to Oct. 31. In total, that’s a whopping $8 billion on this sweet and spooky day!