Leave it to a homeschooler to take all the fun out of Halloween by turning it into a history lesson, right?
Not exactly true, if you've ever been to a renaissance faire or even an SCA event, you just might see plenty of people who take thier historically accurate costumes very seriously and have a blast doing so.
Costume history lessons aren't for everyone. Some people don't like to dress up, some people believe that Halloween is unsavory and others simply prefer to read about history or learn through documentaries or videos.
October is definitely the time of year to experiment with costumes, though. Oktoberfest can be a reason to learn about traditional German costumes, and in the Spring, Purim is another dress-up holiday.
Historically accurate costumes make fantastic educational gifts because kids who enjoy dressing up can get into character and explore history by stepping into the mind of a historic figure, much like reading a good novel and later dreaming that you're in it.
Red Light Costume Exchange in the University District and in Capitol Hill offer vintage and historical clothing for costumes all year round, for sale or exchange.
in North Seattle, Vintage Costumers has a huge selection of historic costumes for purchase or rent.
Comments
Thank you for the great article and info. I think I am guilty of being a homeschooler turning Halloween into a history lesson but we do enjoy history so much!!! I am the new parenting and education examiner, you got the homeschooling job before me. Great for you. Thank you also for the great tip of the book exchange.
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