Green Halloween costume ideas

We once knew a little boy who told his mom he wanted to be a stick for Halloween. “A tree, you mean?” she asked. “No. A stick.” He said. And so the mother and son set about finding ways to make him a stick. On brown pants and a brown shirt they sewed little knotholes and a few leaves made of felt and soon that little boy was transformed into the cutest little Halloween stick there ever was. And not only that; his mom was likewise transformed into the proudest mother-of-a-Halloween stick there ever was too! When it comes to costumes, let your child’s imagination lead the way…

We at Green Halloween think that the people at Care2.com did such a wonderful job at making green costume suggestions that we’re going to quote their whole page (with their permission of course). We'll add our comments in italics.

Creepy costumes

Many Halloween costumes available on today's market contain conventional toxic dyes that pollute waterways, and petroleum-based products that require oil drilling. Now that's creepy! However, Harrison’s Halloween does sell 100% conventional cotton costumes for babies while organic cotton costumes for "wee ones" can be assembled by pairing themed onesies and caps. (Try Kee-Ka's pumpkin body suit with Under The Nile's veggie cap.) In addition, Sarah's Silks (one of our sponsors), Nova Natural and Magic Cabin sell costumes made out of silk, rather than petroleum. (Although these items are pricey, because they are of such high quality, your child is likely to play "dress-up" in them all year long.) Or checkout BoxWorks’ ingenious new templates for making costumes out of old cardboard boxes.

… The more people buy [new costumes…], the greater the pollution and depletion of natural resources. Hence, below are eco-friendly suggestions for renting Halloween costumes or making costumes out of recycled and reused materials.

(You can also join the National Costume Swap Day revolution! Click here to find or host a private or public swap in your area.)

Homemade = Green

A personalized costume not only looks unique, but also reduces demands on natural resources and landfill space. Visit second hand stores [or] the attic or basement… to find recycled and reusable material for making Halloween costumes. Here are suggestions for costumes with an eco-theme: (Care2.com seems to suggest these costumes for adults, but they would work equally well for kids.)

Be a globe: Cut out a large piece of old cardboard into a circle. Make a hole in the middle big enough to fit it around your waist. Use fabric or suspenders to hold it around your middle. Use a globe as a guide to paint it with water-based, nontoxic paint. Make your body black with stars on it, and paint your face like a moon. Or, paint your face like a sun and decorate your body to look like sky and clouds (try cotton ball clouds).

Mother Earth: Wear wispy brown green and blue clothing. Make paper animals, or attach stuffed animals to your body. Color yourself blue, brown, and green. Weave flowers and plants throughout your clothing and hair.

Ocean: Wear a blue top and sand-colored pants. Attach stuffed sea animals, wispy algae and seaweed made from painted newspaper, and paper cut-outs of sea life to your blue clothing. Attach shells, paper crabs and starfish to your "sandy" area.

Butterfly: Make wings out of paper and tissue paper. Make antennae out of pipe cleaners and any round things you have at your house.

Non-toxic and washable face pencils are our suggestion for decorating your child’s face.

Want more ideas for great green costumes and accessories - as well as a recipe for homemade face paints? Check out our new book, Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family.

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