Halloween will soon be upon us, a great time for kids, but to keep the evening safe and happy, here are a few rules suggested from a variety of surces, including various police departments in Canada and parent organizations wanting to ensure the fun isn't ruined by unhappy accidents.

1. Make sure your child is dressed warmly, in light-colored clothes. Using some reflector tape on arms and the back can increase the visibility of children to adult drivers.

2. Be sure that any mask your child wears has larhe eye holes so the child's vision is not obscured. You should also check that if a mask covers his or her face that there is lots of breathing space available. A good way to avoid problems with masks is to use makeup instead, and most kids love mucking about in makeup colors, the more garish the better!

3. Riding a bike while in costume carries the danger of a cloak or longer garment getting tangled up in the spokes or chains.

4. If you rent a costume, be certain you know what flammable properties it has.

5. Give your child a flashlight - there are all kinds of obstacles in yards or unexpectedly on streets and kids are focused on the fun, not what's under their feet. A flashlight lets them see where they're going with relative ease.

6. Children should never be out alone. Even older kids, around 11 or 12 years of age, should always be with at least one other person and having a group of 4 is a great idea.

7. Children under the age of 9 should be accompanied by at least one adult. Pairs of kids or three or four can walk up to the porch or door of a house while the adult remains on the sidewalk, but there should always be an adult available just feet away if needed and who can taken action swiftly if problems arise.

8. Check all food and candy donations carefully at the end of the evening to ensure that nothing has been tampered with befoe the kids chow down.

These few tips are pretty much common sense but a reminder doesn't hurt and just helps ensure Halloween continues to be a fun night for everyone.