Hallowe'en is serious business when you are three and four years old, and the 72 students at Tree Tops Pre-School are just as excited as other youngsters about tonight's festivities.

Under the guidance of their teachers, the crafty kids of Shark and Dolphin classes have made paper pumpkins, wizard's hats and "spiders," the latter of which, when upturned, convert to candy bowls.

As with all creative activities, the children have given full expression to their artistic individuality, gluing on stars, sprinkling twinkle dust, and adding faces.

Today, with their work forming a colourful background, the children are having a special costume party, complete with all their favourite foods - pizza, chicken nuggets, decorated cup cakes and more - as well as special games.

"We're going to play pin the nose on the pumpkin," four-year-old Hadon Holborn proudly announced.

When all is done and night falls, the little ones will be among many children eagerly setting forth to harvest their annual crop of sugar-laden treats. Never mind that the tooth fairy might be working overtime in the future as the sucrose takes its toll; tonight is about having fun and collecting the goodies that many parents limit throughout the year.

Of course, Hallowe'en costumes are a big part of tonight's trick or treating, and even at four years' old the children have them planned and waiting.

Hadon Holborn, four, will be disguised as 'The clown of doom.'

"He's a happy skeleton with skeleton buttons, and I have a black mask that I can stick my tongue out of. That's what Spiderman does," he said.

He is hoping to find his favourite "train candies and bubble gum" among the goodies he collects.

Three-year-old Courtney Browne is a big Cinderella fan, and tonight will find her costumed in "a pretty white dress, special white shoes, and a crown with sparkles on it".

"My mamma is going trick or treating with me, and I am going to carry my candies in my spider plate that I made," she announced. For the school party she wanted it known that she would be wearing pink. "Our parties are lots of fun," she added.

Ari Smith, four, has chosen a Supergirl costume for Hallowe'en because she is the little girl's "best friend".

"Supergirl wears a green suit, and my mamma is going to bring me some green glasses to put on, and some lipstick," she said. Older sister Malika, whom she says is "twenteen", will be escorting little Ali on her rounds, and she wants her Barbie doll goody bag to be filled with "lots of candy and bubble gum".

Early disaster on a fresh pumpkin from his vavo's (grandfather's) field was only a temporary set-back for four-year-old Lawrence Gibbons, who said he had to "buy" another from the same source. Now he's all set to roam as a green ninja.

"I know where I'm going first," he declared. "To my granny's. She has gum!"

Hopefully, it will be the vital green variety he wants to match his costume, because earlier efforts to buy this accessory ended in stalemate.

"I like green gum to match my outfit. We were in the store and my dad said, 'No way! You can't buy that'," the four-year-old related, "but my mamma said I could buy it."

Little Sideya Dill, four, plans to cut a ghostly figure in her costume, which she says has spiders on it. In class, she liked sticking the sparkles on her wizard's hat best, and notes that her mother "put a hat on the teapot". Sideya is most looking forward to accumulating bubble gum on tonight's rounds.

Sckye Dickinson, four, will be a fairy, but is most looking forward to the food at today's school party.

"Were going to have pizza, chips, cheese and cupcakes," she said.

Children in the Portuguese community are also enthusiastic Hallowe'en participants, and last Sunday was a big day at the Vasco Da Gama Club, when they and their families gathered for the annual Hallowe'en party, an event that included free food and soft drinks, a costume contest for all ages - newborns to adult - games and dancing.

More than 120 people attended, and club vice-president Dennis Rodrigues hailed the event as a great success. He was particularly impressed by the originality of the costumes, most of which were handmade.

"That is usually the case every year," he said. "People don't go to the stores to buy costumes in most cases. We have members who are fine seamstresses. It was great fun."

The Hallowe'en party is one of many social events that Vasco puts on for its members throughout the year, Mr. Rodrigues said.

"It is a neat thing, and a night which is very much a family event," Mr. Rodrigues said. "There is a perception that Vasco da Gama is a workingmen's club with a bar, but the committee is trying to get away from that mentality, and make it a family-oriented association."