03/11/2015
The nights are drawing in and the mornings are cold and wet with dew. The leaves have turned that beautiful golden red colour and the conkers are falling ready to be picked by the kids for conker games, this can mean only one thing, autumn is here.
During autumn we have Bonfire Night, toasting marshmallows over a burning fire, drawing letters and shapes with sparklers and eating toffee apples whilst watching the beautiful but sometimes noisy fireworks.
Bonfire Night is coming up so we have put together some tips for hosting a Bonfire Night party, and on staying safe this Bonfire Night.
Staying safe
If you are planning on attending a public fireworks display:
*Wrap up warm – Don’t forget to wear your woolly hat and gloves as it’s normally pretty chilly come November.
*Leave your pet safely indoors. Most pets get frightened by the loud bangs and flashing of the fireworks, if you are going out for the evening leave the radio or television on and close the curtains to disguise the noise and lights of the fireworks as much as you can.
*Stay a good distance away from the bonfire, they can get very hot and often spark
*Always wear gloves when handling sparklers
If you are hosting your own party or display:
*Be sure to set the Fireworks off in an area away from houses or trees
*Tape off an area around the bonfire so people cannot get too close.
*Make sure there is an adult supervising the children while the fireworks are being lit.
*Never go back to a firework once it’s been lit, and it’s always a good idea to keep a bucket of water nearby just in case!
*Make sure the bonfire is completely out when you are finished and leave.
Food
If you’re hosting a Bonfire Night party, or just want some Bonfire themed snacks for the kids, we’ve put together a few ideas:
*Easy finger food is ideal for Bonfire Night, especially if you’re planning on eating outside while watching a firework display, so things like burgers, hotdogs and sausage rolls are perfect for this.
*To really fit in with the theme, stick a couple of cocktail sausages on cocktail sticks, cut a piece of pepper into a triangle and stick it on top, and you’ve got sausage rockets!
*Toasted marshmallows are a great Bonfire Night treat; hold the marshmallows over a fire until they’re slightly browned and melting in the middle. Be careful not to hold them too close to the heat!
*If you’re feeling creative and want to get the kids involved, why not try making chocolate sparklers! All you need is a pack of chocolate fingers and some hundreds and thousands: dip the end of the chocolate finger in some warm water, then dip in the hundreds and thousands and leave in the fridge for half an hour to set.
*Toffee apples are another popular treat for Bonfire Night. You can buy these in supermarkets, or if you want to make them yourself just put an apple on a stick and dip in toffee.
Decorations
*Streamers and party poppers fit in perfectly with the theme of Bonfire Night.
*Glow sticks or glow in the dark wristbands are always popular on Bonfire Night, and are also great for helping kids see in the dark, and be seen by you.
Activities for Kids
*Design and make a Guy Fawkes to put on the bonfire. Guy Fawkes was caught and killed for his part in the Gunpowder Plot, and each year one of the ways this is commemorated is by burning a Guy Fawkes on the Bonfire. As a bit of fun, the kids could create a Guy using old clothes, and stuffing them with newspaper to be put on the fire (avoid using plastic or synthetic materials to make sure the Guy burns safely).
* Make rockets!
Step 1: Paint a kitchen towel roll in a bright colour (if you don’t have paint you could roll up some coloured card and stick in place instead).
Step 2: Cut a semi-circle out of coloured card, then roll this up into a cone shape.
Step 3: Cut strips of coloured paper and stick these to the end to make flames.
