Bonfire Night..
Hot on the heels (literally) of Halloween is Guy Fawkes night. Remember remember the 5th of November. Again this can be a fun night for you and your kids, even without any fire-works being set off. We always advise going to an organised show for safety and more spectacular fun.
However, you can have a great time at home decorating, making food and playing games. But please don’t forget about your pets. Some of them are very scared of the noises. There are some tips at the end to help your pets out.
Have fun finger painting bonfires using red and yellow and white paint. Be prepared for mess and make sure the paint is kid safe.
Create fire-works in art using coloured sand or glitter and a glue-stick. Draw the shapes with the glue then sprinkle the sand or glitter over them and shake the spare off.
Create marshmallow rockets. Have bowls of melted chocolate, sprinkles, popping candy ready. Stick a marshmallow on a wooden skewer then dip into the chocolate and the other toppings. Leave upright to dry.
A fun idea is glow-stick treasure hunt. Around your house or in your garden hide glowsticks. Put them up high or behind furniture/bushes and see how many can be found..
Use sparklers to create names and words and take photo-bursts on your camera to see the results.
There are lots of games to play related to fire-works, search out there for kids games and fire-works night, but one is Hot-Potato. Stand in a circle and throw a potato around. When the music stops whoever is holding the potatoe drops out. Keep going until only one person is left.
If you do go to an organised event, or a communal bonfire, you need to make sure you have some drinks and snacks and plenty of warm clothing to wear. The marshmallow fireworks are fun, along with hot-dogs and toffee apples are a good bet. Warm squash or hot-chocolate is also lovely to keep hands from being too cold.
Gloves, hats and scarves are great to wear, but make sure you do not stray to close to any open flames.
Pets
Pets can get very scared of loud noises, especially around Guy Fawkes night. If your pet is one of these, prepare a quieter private rooom for them with places to hide and snuggle. Use FELIWAY or other calming products in that room, and close your curtains and the door to keep it dark. Make sure they have a favourite blanket/jumper/bed with them and a toy, along with water and food, and make sure the room is warm and cosy. Perhaps turn a radio on to cover some of the noise - classical music works well and can be soothing. If they are really badly affected, ask your vet if they can have a sedative for the worst night. If you are not going out, stay in the room with them, turn the TV on and re-assure them they are ok.
Hopefully we can all have a fun and safe Bonfire night and seek out an organised show for the ultimate wow!