What to Do with Leftover Halloween Candy
Recycle Candy Using Math, Money,Thanksgiving Crafts, Quick Cookies
No one wants their child to eat endless piles of leftover Halloween candy. While parents can throw the candy away, there are more creative, educational ways to recycle the sweets. Candy can be used to help children learn to make decisions and to practice math and money skills. Leftover candy also can be used in a Thanksgiving craft and in a quick cookie worthy of a holiday road trip.
Candy to Share With Others
Children can practice sharing and decision-making skills by donating their candy to others. First, the parent makes a list of several local businesses or agencies that are likely to appreciate candy donations. The child then chooses where to make the donation.
Children also can send their candy to those serving in the military; Operation Shoebox, for instance, offers instructions on how to send "goody bags" to soldiers.
Leftover Candy for Math Practice
Leftover candy can be used to help children practice the basic math skill of estimation. A parent first fills a clear jar with individually wrapped candy, then asks the child to guess how much candy is in the jar. Children who are learning fractions also can try to estimate how much candy there would be in a half-filled jar and a quarter-filled jar.
Halloween Candy Used in Thanksgiving Craft
Halloween candy also can be used in a version of a classic Thanksgiving craft: the "traced hand turkey." First, the child traces her hand on a sheet of heavy white paper, then colors in the palm outline for the turkey body and the thumb area for the turkey head and neck.
The child then selects leftover candy in colorful wrappers to be used for the feathers (the four fingers on the traced hand). The adult uses a glue gun to secure the candy to the finger outlines, creating the turkey's colorful "feathers."
Candy as Play Money
Parents can set up an After Halloween Shop to teach children how more valued items cost more money. The game also helps children painlessly give up their candy.
First, the parent buys a few trinkets from a store's dollar section, then gives the trinkets a "price" of several pieces of leftover candy. It's important that the items have different prices; one package of trinkets can be separated and priced for more store inventory. The child then buys the trinkets with candy.
Candy Used for Holiday Road Trip Cookies
Parents and children can recycle leftover Halloween candy into simple cookies, using an idea from science blog writer Kimberly Crandell. What's required: a tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough; leftover unwrapped chocolate Halloween candy (such as miniature peanut butter cups or chocolate kisses) cooking spray and mini muffin pan(s.)
The parent preheats the oven to 350 degrees. After spraying the muffin tin with cooking spray, the child separates the cookie dough into 24 pieces, then places the pieces into the muffin tin(s.) The child then pushes a piece of candy into each piece of dough, making sure some of the dough comes up around the candy. The cookies are baked for 10 to 12 minutes, cooled in the pan for 15 minutes, then removed and put on a wire rack to finish cooking. These cookies freeze well and are sturdy enough for a holiday road trip.
With some ingenuity, leftover Halloween candy can be transformed into valuable material. It can be used in activities that provide hours of learning and family fun.
Halloween Candy Can Be Put to Good Use
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