by: Erin Dower
Want to prevent cavities and sugar highs in the aftermath of Halloween? Check out these ideas for recycling, rationing, and purging your child's heap of candy.
Use It for Crafts
Once that candy is glued to a craft, there's no ingesting it — or so we can hope! One idea is to take all your candy that has an orange wrapper and glue it to poster-board in the shape of a giant pumpkin.
Learn with It
Before tossing all those sweet treats you don't want your youngster to eat, use them in some learning activities. Ask your child to count the pieces, sort them into categories, and even alphabetize the different kinds.
Trade It In
Has your child been wishing for a special little toy lately? You could offer her a penny (or other appropriate currency) per piece of Halloween candy that she surrenders. Some dentists' offices now offer candy trade-ins for little prizes, too.
Donate It
Your child's candy stash could be another person's treasure. Box up the goodies and donate them to a soldier overseas, a nursing home, or homeless shelter. Call around to find places that would accept the treats, since they're not the healthiest offering.
Bake with It
Disclaimer: This is not a healthy option. But using some of your child's candy in homemade cookies, brownies, or even Rice Krispies treats is a fun and indulgent idea. Decide which kinds to use in your baked goods, and commit to ditching the rest.
Experiment with It
It's okay to let kids play with their food in the name of science. They'll love to dissolve, melt, and mash up their sweets to see what happens. Get ideas for science experiments using candy at a real mom's fun website called CandyExperiments.com.
Use It on a Gingerbread House
Who says gingerbread houses have to be Christmas-themed? Use your candy to construct a Halloween-ish haunted mansion, or save those sweets for your usual gingerbread houses in December.
Use It in an Advent Calendar
Do you have a holiday countdown calendar? Use some of your child's Halloween loot to fill the little pockets, drawers, or doors of your advent calendar in December. Think of it as festive rationing!
Freeze It for Later
Who's to say the Easter Bunny couldn't use some help filling kids' baskets next spring? Wink, wink. Stick in the freezer, where it's out of sight and out of mind, for a little while anyway!
Give It Away at Your Parties
Sure, it may cause other mothers some sugar-high strife, but offloading your candy as party snacks and favors is fine to do in moderation!
