As a parent with little kids Halloween is an exciting time. I enjoy working with my children to decide what the costumes will be, making crafts, attending parties and carving our jack-o-lanterns. The one thing I could do without though is the candy. Now don’t get me wrong, I love candy but that is the problem. Although we only stop at a few houses on Halloween we always seem to end up with a lot of candy and I end up eating the lion’s share of it. So this year I spent some time on the internet and came up with my top 10 list of things to do with Halloween candy.

1. DIY trail mix. Take your smarties, M&Ms or other little candies and chocolates and add them to nuts, pretzels, and dry fruit to make your own trail mix.
2. Keep some in your purse/diaper bag. You never know when you might need a pick-me-up or a bribe.
3. Take it to work. This is a quick and easy way to get the candy out of your house. It is always an easy way to give away those candies that aren’t a big hit in your house.
4. Save it to bake with. Put a bag of candies away in the freezer to use when you are in the kitchen. Whether making cookies, a cake, a milkshake, or an ice cream sundae, candies will give them a yummy twist.
5. Make your own advent calendar. Homemade advent calendars can be as simple or as fancy as you would like, ranging from make and attaching boxes together to decorating envelopes. Have your child pick 25 of their favourite candies and put them into their advent calendar.
6. Make a gingerbread house. This is a great way to repurpose your Halloween candy and getting your kids to decorate a ginger bread house can be a great fine motor skill activity.
7. Use it for a piñata. Maybe you have a birthday coming up or if it is not until next year you can put your candies in the freezer. When the party comes around you can buy a premade piñata or if you are feeling crafty you can use papier mâché to make your own original piñata.
8. Make a trading station. This idea turns your kids’ candy into currency. You can put together books, games, small toys, crayons, and other small items and give them candy value. This will give your kids a chance to choose what they would like to spend their candy on. It is a fun way to keep them from getting sick from eating it all.
9. Donate it to a charity such as Ronald McDonald House, a nursing home, food pantry, children’s hospital, veterans’ home, or a women’s shelter. It is a good idea to check with your local charities before dropping off any candy.
10. Use it for science. Head on over to google and you will find experiments using Skittles, Lifesavers, Starbursts, M&Ms and more.
With tonight being the night, the preparing is over and it’s time to get out there and trick-or-treat, enjoy making lasting memories together!