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Halloween
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Let’s Learn About Halloween
There’s nothing more American than extorting neighbors and junk food, so let’s make the holiday inclusive for all. This year, let’s discuss how to make a Halloween night that accommodates folks with disabilities.
When is it?
- Annually on October 21
Read:
- A Tiger Called Tomás (ages 3+)
- Lila and the Crow (ages 5-8)
- The Princess and the Peanut Allergy (ages 3+)
After all these years, I still haven’t found a better book to unpack fragility with kids. This one gives us an engaging enough story and an opportunity to differentiate between hurt feelings because someone is asking you to not put them in danger (inconvenience), VERSUS hurt feelings because someone who claims to care about you doesn’t care if you die (fear for your life!)
Discuss & Take Action
- What traditions and assumptions about Halloween are we clinging to, that make this holiday inaccessible to some?
- Which behaviors and ideas do we need to adjust or let go of so all our friends and neighbors feel welcome?
- Read and engage kids with the discussion guide along A Tiger Called Tomás.
In The Princess And The Peanut Allergy: Both friends have hurt feelings. How do we differentiate between:
- Feeling resentful because we have to give up our preferences to accommodate a disability…
- And/or and feeling unsafe when people prioritize cake flavors over our health and safety
Bonus Halloween Action
- See how your chocolate Halloween candy ranks according to Green America’s sustainability, human rights, and child labor measurements.
Additional resources to dig deeper into this topic:
- Inclusive Halloween Kids Books
- Understanding Autistic Masking With A Tiger Called Tomás
- Luminary Brain Trust Access: #FamilyMovieNight analysis of The Nightmare before Christmas & The Confidence of Mediocre White Boys in Hocus Pocus, and tokenism & whitewashing in Hocus Pocus 2
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