Robot Zombie Costume Time

School just started last week for the big boys and this week for my preschooler. I am in the depths of the challenges that come with back-to-school transitions. I feel like our family is just treading water and hoping to come out happy and balanced in a week or two once all of these new schedules, routines, etc. settle in.

But while that is our world at home right now, the grocery store's packed candy aisles and decorations reminded me today that Halloween is upon us. My kids have already been asked several times by friends and family members what costumes they plan on choosing for Halloween. I need to catch my breath before I can tackle that holiday. But I know soon enough we'll be raring to go on this monster-sized season.

Book: Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon is not a Halloween book, but it's a great one to pull out as we think about dress-up and costumes. This book features two robot buddies who try to one-up each other in dress-up play. They pile costume upon costume until they are dressed in hilarious ways. The illustrations are composed of simple shapes, layered upon each other to create the robots and their costumes in a delightful, colorful way.

Craft: Shape Robot, Zombie, Monsters
I love an easy craft project that my boys of varied ages can all do together. The book lends itself to such an easy project. I simply cut out a variety of shapes out of colored paper. I provided glue, and I asked the kids to create their own costumed robot. They had a terrific time with this one!