Bonfire night is a great way to spend time as family, and it’s filled with excitement, fun, and fireworks. Every member of the family can get involved with some bonfire related fun, but there are some things you can do to make bonfire night safe for everyone.
Pets
Pets are pretty much the only family member who won’t enjoy bonfire night. They need to be in a quiet, secure area and kept away from bonfires and fireworks. Some pets like to have a den type area, which is filled with their favourite blankets, beds, and toys. Make sure all the doors and windows are closed. You could also try leaving on a TV or radio for them.
Get your little ones involved in preparing the den. Maybe they can organise the blankets into a fort or ask them to draw a picture to put up on the wall. For very anxious pets, you should talk to your vet about the best ways to keep them calm.
Sparklers
Sparklers are beautiful to look at, but these tips can help you and your little ones enjoy them safely.
- Always wear gloves. Gloves won’t just help keep your hands warm, but they can help protect them from sparks.
- Never let under 5s use sparklers, and make sure older children are supervised when using them.
- Don’t hold a sparkler yourself while holding a toddler or baby. They could suddenly reach out to grab it.
- Carrots can be a great way to help children use sparklers safely. Put the sparkler into the carrot, and it creates more space between the firework and your little one’s hands.
- Have a bucket of water or sand nearby to douse the sparklers when they’re done. Sparklers can still be hot and may give off sparks even after you think that they’re out.
Activities
Bonfire night isn’t just about the bonfire, and fireworks. There’s food, arts and crafts, and games that can add another bit of fun to your bonfire night celebrations.
Toffee Apples
Toffee apples are an autumn staple and they’re so easy to make.
Ingredients
8 Apples
400g golden caster sugar
100ml water
4 tablespoons of golden syrup
1 teaspoon of vinegar
Method
- Wash off the waxy coating on the apples and dry thoroughly.
- Stick each apple on its own lollipop stick.
- Layout a sheet of baking paper close to your work area, so you have somewhere to lay the apples.
- Mix the water and sugar in a pan and cook over a medium heat. This mixture will need to be cooked for around five minutes for the sugar to dissolve.
- Stir in the vinegar and the golden syrup, and boil to 150 degrees, or to hard crack stage. This means the if you pour a little of the toffee into a bowl of cold water, it should immediately harden, and be brittle, and easy to break.
- Take each apple individually, and dip it into the toffee. Twirl it around until the apple is coated.
- Set the coated apple on the baking paper to harden.
You don’t have to use toffee to coat apple. They’re just as tasty if you coat them with melted chocolate. Your little ones can decorate the apples with sprinkles, mini marshmallows, or any other small candies.
Arts and Crafts
There’s a huge number of printable colouring pages available online, and so many different bonfire themed craft projects for you and your children.
Handprint Bonfire
All you need for this art project is a large sheet of black paper, some sheets of white paper, red, yellow, and orange paint, and a pair of scissors. Get everyone in the family to make handprints in different paint colours. Let them dry and cut out each handprint. Use the handprints to create a bonfire.
Firework Art
Firework art can be as simple or as complicated as your child wants to make it. You can use colourful paints, chalks, pastels, glitter, or anything else you have in your art supplies to make a bright firework picture. You can use black paper, white paper, card, or cardboard. Let their imaginations run wild.
Apple Bobbing
Bobbing for apples is a traditional autumnal game. Fill up a large container with water, and pop some apples in. You could give prizes to whoever can get their apple with the fewest attempts. Traditionally, the container would have several apples and it would be a free for all, but you may prefer to only have one apple per person and replace the apple each time someone else comes to try.
Make sure to never leave a child unattended whilst apple bobbing.
