Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) is encouraging Americans to start a new tradition by painting a pumpkin teal and placing it on their front porch this Halloween and offering non-food treats to little trick-or-treaters. Many traditional treats can be harmful and even dangerous to kids with allergies to nuts, milk, soy, eggs, or wheat. The Teal Pumpkin Project also encourages people to raise awareness for food allergies by placing a sign in front of their home or in their window stating that they offer non-food treats. Teal is the color for this project because it is the color of food allergy awareness. The FARE website offers free printable signs and they encourage people to post the Teal Pumpkin Project picture on their Facebook pages. Some ideas for non-food treats on Halloween include:
- Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
- Pencils, pens, crayons, markers
- Bubbles
- Halloween pencil toppers or erasers
- Small slinkies
- Whistles or noise makers
- Bouncy balls
- Finger puppets or other novelty toys
- Spider rings
- Vampire fangs
- Mini notepads
- Playing cards
- Bookmarks
- Stickers
- Stencils