Kids Dress for Their Future Success (NAPSA)—“Whatare you going to be for Halloween?” For kidsit’s the perennial October dilemma. And for parents, it’s the challenge of actually finding or making the costume. This year elementary schools across the country are making the costumedecision easier. Instead of the usual ghosts and goblins, students will be dressing up as an adult leader or professional they admire as part of the What I Want to Be When I Grow Up initiative. This will give kids the opportunity to think about their future and choose an occupation for their Halloween costume. Of course, the question remains: what’s the costume? Last year, a child who dressed as Oprah took down names for prospective interviews; a future lawyer handed out business cards to his classmates and teacher. Nowparents can talk with kids about their dream job and try to find simple household items to use as props. For example, briefcases, hard hats, badges, and first aid kits can easily transform a child into a businessperson, construc- tion worker, police officer or doctor for a day. What I Want to Be When I Grow Up was first pioneered in Louisiana in 1998 by the Cajun Heartland School-to-Work partnership. According to Debbie The right costume mayhelp a child get a feel for a particular profession. Costume Khaki shorts, binoculars, spade and map Profession Archaeologist, safari guide, naturalist Microphone,clip board, pointer Newscaster, meteorologist, talk show host Snorkel, fins and bathingsuit, jar for specimens Marine biologist, deep-sea diver Camera, newspaper, notepad and pen Sunglasses, compass, parachute, survival/ Photographer, photojournalist Aviator, astronaut, military specialist Tsquare, drafting pencil & paper, Architect, engineer, contractor First-aid kit, thermometer, road map Emergency medical technician or ambulance driver Baking pan, apron, whisk orrolling pin Pastry chef, chef or caterer Laptop computer, computer instruction Webdesigner, graphic artist, Fabric, sewing chalk, pins and sketchpad Interior or fashion designer, or costumer camping gear measuring tape manual, art supplies Burkheiser, founder of the Louisi- ana program, “Parents and teachers have enthusiastically supported it because it’s a way to celebrate Halloween that’s fun, but also safe and educational.” To find out whether your child’s school is involved, call your child’s teacheror principal’s office. You can find out more about the program at the Job Shadow Day Website, www.jobshadow.org. The site includes a teacher’s guide and a poster, which have computer programmer been widely distributed to teachers and principals across the United States. What I Want to Be When I Grow Up is a program of the National Job Shadow Day Coalition, sponsored by America’s Promise—The Alliance for Youth, Junior Achievement, the National School-to-Work Opportunities Office, the Society for Human Resource Management, with sup- port from the National Association of Elementary School Principals.
