my son was mentioned in an article on CNBC

[rapmarks]

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102128978
<p>Trick or treating strategies</p> <p>CNBC's Kelli Grant discusses the data variables contributing to a successful trick or treating venture.</p>
It's time to get strategic about trick-or-treating.
With Halloween falling on a school day this year and many towns imposing curfews of 7 or 8 p.m., kids have a short window to make the most of candy collection. Not to mention, show off that expensive costume.
Read MoreCocktails worth a raid of your kids' Halloween candy


To improve your odds of a substantial candy haul, pick the right neighborhood. Zillow.com's annual assessment (see graphic below) factors in population density, median home values, walkability and safety. "You want to be able to hit a lot of homes," said Skylar Olsen, a senior economist with Zillow.com. Plus, "large, wealthy homes are the [ones that] can give out those king-sized candy bars."
The lessons translate even if you don't live in a top-ranked city. Ask other parents for tips on best neighborhoods. "Everyone has got their own secrets," Olsen said. "They know the blocks with the haunted houses or the great decorations."

Then get the kids involved. They can learn plenty by strategizing their trick-or-treating route, said Brian Marks, an instructional math coach for Newton Public Schools outside Boston. "It takes kids beyond skill work and engages them in real-life problem solving," said Marks, who is also the creator of resource site YummyMath.com. The site's Halloween lessons include activities to calculate which container will hold the most candy and determine the most efficient path from house to house.

 

[am1]

For safety reasons alone I think kids and their parents should trick or treat in their own neighborhoods.

 

[DebBrown]

We get a lot of kids from the west side of Chicago who trick or treat here because it is a whole lot safer than their neighborhoods. I'm happy to hand out candy to everyone. Now one suburb over are the big mansions but those don't pay off because there are only 4 houses on a block and you have to walk so far between treats.

We are in for a cold and wet Halloween so I'll likely be stuck with leftovers.

 

[rapmarks]

his name was mentioned for the math activity, not to advocate going to different neighborhoods. He has them design a path in the area to hit the most houses in the time limit. and also an activity to determine which container holds the most "loot"

 

[pedro47]

For safety reasons alone I think kids and their parents should trick or treat in their own neighborhoods.

Ditto on the above comments. Why are kids and parents try to canvassing the whole city for some candy?

 

[csxjohn]

My mileage varies. I live on a street with no sidewalks, a lot of traffic, houses very far apart, and driveways as long as 700'.

When my kids were young there was no way for them to trick or treat in "my neighborhood."

For many reasons in addition to the ones I encountered, I can see that people need to go to other neighborhoods to trick or treat.

Not everyone lives in your type of setting so to summarily say kids should stay in their own neighborhood doesn't take into account many peoples situations.

I'm with you DebBrown, it's nice to help those less fortunate. I can't do it here, since I moved here in 1975 I've had 1 trick or treater, my neighbors son.
But we find other ways to spread the wealth so to speak.

 

[Patri]

And it's traditional. People who want to participate leave the porch lights on. If not, have a dark entrance and don't answer the bell if a clueless goblin rings it.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I live where there are NO sidewalks for 1500+ feet ... wait that's my lot.

I have a curved driveway 300' long and 75 feet back from the road. So climb my loose dirt hill, try crossing the oak tree hedge (limbs swooping to the ground) thru the 3 holly trees (with no lower branches trimmed either) and try to decide where the front door might be as I never have outdoor lights on ....

And it is not that I don't enjoy a small kid trying to scare me ... but my lot and house ALWAYS prevents me having to answer the door --- no one comes to my door bell. I might live in that spooky big dark house behind the big scary trees.

 

[DeniseM]

I am totally "Bah Humbug" about Halloween. I'd rather see kids go to a community/school/church party on Halloween - that's what we did when our kids were young. We would only trick-or-treat at the homes of neighbors and family who wanted to see the kids in costume on Halloween.

What REALLY annoys me is the number of young adults (20-something) who come to the door with no costume, and no kids, and expect to be given candy. I always pretend that I don't know why they are there, and if I had them, I'd give them a box of raisins.

 

[Dori]

You must have been so very proud to have his name mentioned!

Dori

 

[Conan]

The Dear Prudence advice column had a recent inquiry about kids who trick-or-treat in wealthier neighborhoods than their own.
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/dear_prudence/2014/10/dear_prudence_on_halloween_poor_kids_come_to_trick_or_treat_in_my_neighborhood.html

 

[rapmarks]

You must have been so very proud to have his name mentioned!

Dori

yes and a little plug for his website. I don't know how they heard of him, must have seen his website somewhere.

 

[am1]

I think out of town kids can make it more dangerous for the ones that live there. Regardless of what kind of area they come from. There is also the issue of community pride and seeing people you know on the street and at their houses. It is also safer for kids to be in a familiar neighborhood.

What if it bus loads of kids coming in? Where do the cars park? I know there are areas where tick or treating is not easy so maybe those can be the exception or those families can get together and do it another way.

 

[GrayFal]

yes and a little plug for his website. I don't know how they heard of him, must have seen his website somewhere.

Wow, well done!

 

[DebBrown]

I think out of town kids can make it more dangerous for the ones that live there. Regardless of what kind of area they come from. There is also the issue of community pride and seeing people you know on the street and at their houses. It is also safer for kids to be in a familiar neighborhood.

What if it bus loads of kids coming in? Where do the cars park? I know there are areas where tick or treating is not easy so maybe those can be the exception or those families can get together and do it another way.

Sounds a bit complicated, eh? I bristle at the tone of your comments - the expectation that outsiders will cause trouble and create a safety problem. Sure, people need to be alert and parents need to accompany their kids. We have strict hours (3-7) and I am sure that our police force is keeping an eye out for rowdy teens regardless of where they live.

I've lived in my neighborhood for over 30 years. We always have kids from the west side of Chicago show up and I've never heard of a problem. Most trick or treaters from the neighborhood or not come as a family group and are respectful and polite. I think the numbers have dwindled over the years with many kids going to parties, etc. instead of house to house.

And speaking of community pride, I am very proud that I live in an area where diversity is considered a strength and where people reach out to less fortunate neighbors.

 

[DebBrown]

yes and a little plug for his website. I don't know how they heard of him, must have seen his website somewhere.

It was indeed a nice mention. Sorry your thread got a bit derailed!

Deb