DIY Halloween Costumes Made From Amazon Boxes

DIY DUO FIREFIGHTING BOXTUMES

Projects courtesy of Michelle Nhu • Provided by Amazon via Family Features

Even though Halloween may look a little different this year for many families, there are still ways to make the most of popular seasonal traditions, like costumes, spooky decor and festive treats.

Rather than venturing out to look for a costume, get creative at home with everyday craft supplies and delivery boxes to make unique, low-cost costumes – or “boxtumes.” Not only are boxtumes a simple way to save money by upcycling delivery boxes you’ve accumulated, but making them can be a fun activity for the whole family.

Your creations can be as simple or elaborate as you’d like. Turn an everyday hero into a Halloween superhero this year with a DIY Fire Truck Boxtume, or make it a duo costume perfect for siblings by adding a DIY Fire Hydrant Boxtume to match. With Amazon Prime’s fast and free shipping, any crafting supplies or candy you may need – and the box for your DIY creation – could be just one order away.

Share your upcycled box creations on social media using #Boxtumes, and find more inspiration and simple how-to guides at amazon.com/boxtumes2020. Members can also extend their spooktacular fun with Halloween-themed movies, books and music available through Amazon Prime’s entertainment benefits.

FIRE TRUCK Supplies:

• Amazon Prime boxes, variety of sizes • Scissors • Paint brushes • Red acrylic paint • White acrylic paint • Gray acrylic paint • Hot glue • Hot glue gun • Markers, variety of colors (optional)

Instructions:

1. Have your child sit in different size boxes to find one that fits comfortably. Save other boxes for later. 2. Using scissors, cut out top and bottom of box to create truck shape. 3.Using reserved boxes and scissors, cut out two ladders, six medium circles and six smaller circles for wheels, rectangles for front and back windshields, six small squares for windows and equipment doors, four circles for headlights and seven thin rectangles for grill. 4.Using paint brush, paint large box mostly red or get creative and use separate paint brushes to paint white stripes down sides of box and half of front gray for grill. Then paint ladders, grill pieces and medium wheel circles black. Paint small wheel circles and equipment doors gray and windows and lights white. 5.Once paint dries, use hot glue and glue gun to adhere each piece to fire truck as desired. Use markers to outline windows and add dots to small wheel circles and equipment door handles, if desired.

FIRE HYDRANT Supplies:

• 2 Amazon Prime boxes • Scissors • Hot glue • Hot glue gun • 3 empty tape rolls • 1 cotton headband • Red acrylic paint • Black acrylic paint • Paint brushes • Blue pants or skirt • Blue tulle (optional) • Blue felt pieces (optional)

Instructions:

1. Select box that fits around your child’s torso. 2.Using scissors, cut box into eight equal-sized rectangles. 3. Assemble rectangles vertically into octagon and glue together using hot glue and glue gun. 4. Using scissors, cut holes for arms on two sides of octagon. Glue two empty tape rolls to outside of arm holes and one on front to mimic nut on fire hydrant. 5. On flat piece of another box, draw dome shape that will fit your child’s head. Use scissors to cut it out then glue bottom to stretchy, cotton headband. 6. Using paint brush, paint cardboard pieces red. Use separate brush to paint black stripes on corners of octagon. 7. Once paint dries, boxtume is complete. On blue pants or skirt meant to mimic water, glue pieces of blue tulle and blue felt pieces to look like water droplets, if desired.

high school guide

APPLYING FOR HIGH SCHOOL IN A PANDEMIC!

BY JEANNINE CINTRON Jeannine Cintron is the editor at Staten Island Parent and mom of two cute and crazy kids.

Every year in our October issue, we publish a comprehensive how-to guide for parents and students applying to high school for the upcoming academic year. It’s usually complicated enough, when you consider all the various programs, options and deadlines. But this year there’s a new wrench thrown into the process. You guessed it -- Covid-19.

Realistically, the global pandemic shouldn’t first thing you will need to do as you begin your affect the high school application process journey is download the 2021 NYC High School too much. Some open house events and information sessions will be held virtually. The screening process will be different – and more complicated -- since there are no state test scores HIGH SCHOOL OPEN HOUSES and Specialized High Schools Admissions Guide, which you can find at schools.nyc.gov/high. Your child’s middle school should also have copies of the guide available. from last year to consider and attendance/grades at To begin exploring your options, log into may be skewed due to quarantine. Elements siparent.com/highschool your MySchools account and go to myschools. of the application process are subject to change nyc/en/schools/high-school to search for schools without notice, which is something you’ve probably by location, size, courses offered, extracurricular grown used throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The activities and more. Keep a list of the schools that

high school guide

interest you. There are over 700 programs in over 400 high schools available to New York City public school students. When it comes time to apply, you will need to narrow your list down to no more than 12 schools.

If you are thinking of applying to one of New York City’s nine Specialized High Schools, you will need to apply separately. Go to schools.nyc.gov/SHS to learn more about these schools and how to apply for them. All of the links previously mentioned can be found at siparent.com/highschool.

The 5 W’s (and more) of High School Applications

Who can apply? Any child who is a current eighth grader and a resident of New York City is eligible to apply for acceptance at a NYC public high school for the 20-20-2021 school year.

When can you apply? The application period usually ends at the beginning of December, although an official deadline wasn’t yet announced by the time of publication. If your child doesn’t receive an offer or is unhappy with his offer, then he will have another opportunity to apply (Round 2) in the spring. The deadline to register for the SHSAT, the test for admittance to a Specialized High School, will be earlier.

What are your options? Where can you apply? Here in Staten Island, there are 10 district high schools with over 50 programs available, plus one Specialized High School program. There are over 4,000 seats available to 9th graders on the Island, but you can apply anywhere within the five boroughs.

New York City public school students have more school options available than anywhere else in the country! Some programs cater to specific interests and skills while others are more beneficial to students who are new to the country. There are programs that focus on creating specific learning environments.

Attending open houses is a MUST. Visiting a school, even if just virtually, is the best way to explore whether it’s the right fit for you. You can contact schools directly to find out if they have special events or student-guided tours, but plan to attend as many open houses with your child as you can. Show up prepared with a list of questions – about everything from courses offered to daily schedules and extracurricular activities, as well as Covid-19 safety measures and guidelines – and be ready to write down the answers. And here’s a tip: Write your contact information very clearly on sign-in sheets, as schools often notice which prospective students have attended their events.

How do you apply? This part is tricky, but not quite rocket science. And if you do it right the first time, you have a 97% chance of getting an offer the first time around. By do it right, we mean if you list 12 programs on your application, in your true order of preference. The higher you rank a school on your list, the higher the chance will be that you receive an offer.

You should estimate your child’s likelihood of being offered a seat in the schools of interest to him. Some schools extend offers based mostly on zoning, while others screen applicants (2019-2020 attendance and punctuality will not impact applications to high schools for students entering in fall 2021). Be sure to research your preferred school’s admission’s methods before applying. You should also take note of the number of applicants per seat. For example, 10 applicants per seat indicate the school is in high demand whereas 3-4 applicants per seat indicate a lower demand.

Some schools offer priority to applicants based on diversity. High schools that are participating in the diversity initiative will give a certain percentage of applicants in the incoming ninth and tenth grades an admissions priority if they qualify as economically disadvantaged. You can learn more about this at schools.nyc.gov/ enrollment/enrollment-help/meeting-student-needs/diversity-inadmissions.

When the application opens, access your personalized high school application and submit it online with MySchools. If you need help, visit a Family Welcome Center. Staten Island’s Family Welcome Center is located at 715 Ocean Terrace, Building A.

What other options are there?

Some parents would rather their children not attend traditional public school. If you fall into this category, you might be interested in charter schools, one of the specialized high schools, a career/technical school or private schools.

Charter Schools

Charter schools are independent public schools founded by not-for-profit Boards of Trustees. They operate under a contract (or “charter”) of up to five years. Charter schools are New York City public schools and they are open to all New York City students. Many charter schools have unique educational approaches that may include longer school days, a longer school year, or themed programs. Charter schools have a different enrollment process. For information about a specific charter school and its enrollment deadline, contact the school directly.

Specialized High Schools

The nine specialized high schools offer support to students who excel academically and/or artistically. They are: • The Bronx High School of Science • The Brooklyn Latin School • Brooklyn Technical High School • HS for Mathematics, Science & Engineering at City College of NY • High School of American Studies at Lehman College • Queens High School for the Sciences at York College • Staten Island Technical High School • Stuyvesant High School • Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art

Find More High School Resources on siparent.com/highschool

high school guide

Catholic School

If you are considering a Catholic high school for your child, there are a variety of coeducational and single-sex schools, many of which offer partnerships with local Catholic colleges and universities. On Staten Island, there are six Catholic High Schools – two are all boys, two are all girls, and two are co-ed. To apply to a Catholic High school, eighth grade students must take an admissions exam called TACHS (Test for Admission into Catholic High Schools). The deadline to register is October 23, 2019. Learn more at tachsinfo.com.

Career & Technical Schools

These schools integrate academic study with workforce skills in specific career pathways. They offer students the opportunity to graduate high school with industry-specific competencies, skills, training, and even credentials that can lead to college or entry into the workforce. Through these programs, students have the opportunity to earn Advanced Regents diplomas.

Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities may apply to all programs and are subject to the same admissions requirements as their peers. They may take the SHSAT and apply for all audition programs. Testing accommodations will be provided during the SHSAT administration as outlined in the student’s IEP.

Visit schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/enroll-grade-by-grade/ high-school for more information on: • Enrollment for Students with Disabilities • Enrollment for Students with Accessibility Needs • Enrollment for Students Learning English • Students in Temporary Housing • Enrollment for LGBTQ and Gender Nonconforming Students • Students with Children.

It might seem like a lot to take in all at once, but you got this! Go to siparent.com/highschool for direct links to everything you need to know about applying to high school and more: an up-to-date list of schools and programs, applications, school fair dates, open house dates, test dates, deadlines, important pages on the Dept. of Education website as well as the Catholic Schools website – and many more resources vital to the high school admission process.

Need even more help? If you would like to discuss the admission process, speak to your child’s guidance counselor directly. You can never have too much information!

Link directly to all websites mentioned in this article and more at siparent.com/highschool