Often times, kids are given pounds of candy in the Portland area every Halloween. Any parent in their right mind would be out of their senses to allow a child to eat that much candy– just think of the dentist bills! With that in mind, here are 10 different things that Portland parents can do with their kid’s Halloween candy so that it isn’t eaten all at once.
1. Throw it Away-
Allow them a certain number of pieces and allow them to choose the things they want. Once they have chosen the candy they want, throw the rest away. make sure that you do this right in front of them too and add more trash on top of it so they won’t consider digging it back out.
2. Holiday Treats-
Instead of eating all that candy now, select the pieces that you could use for your holiday baking and set them aside. This will help with the shopping costs for the ingredients later on down the road. Your kids will still get their sugar buzz but it can be spread out over the coming months instead of all at once.
3. Save Candy for Gingerbread Houses-
Whether your kids make gingerbread houses at home or they make them at school, these decorative houses are a great reason to save your candy. Once it has all been opened and attached to the house, it is inadvisable to eat it, and everything is already in miniature that it makes sense to save it for your tiny candy house.
4. Graduation Leis-
Candy graduation leis are all the rage right now. These can be made from any kind of candy that comes in a wrapper. Most of these candy leis are very expensive, so why not make your own for that special person you that are graduating this year. Make it a mix of candy for a unique lei.
5. Put Them in Cupcakes-
Any time you add these to a cupcake, they will sink to the middle while it is bakes and create a fun surprise for the recipient. They can also be chopped up and used for sprinkle decorations on top.
6. Cash for Candy-
Many dentists in the Portland and Vancouver area are offering cash for candy in attempts to keep kids from eating all those sweets. The Portland dentists say that they are going to be donating the candy to Operation Gratitude that will send the candy to troops overseas.
7. Food Toppings-
Are you going to be having a slumber party after your next movie night? Chop and save these candies to use for toppings on cakes, ice cream and even on cookies. Chopped pieces will keep for months in the freezer.
8. Piñatas-
Do you know of someone that is having a party soon? Save some of these candy pieces and help stuff the piñata with it. Your child will never know and you can save money for other things you’d rather have at the party.
9. Donate It-
Any food pantry, homeless shelter, or nursing home would gladly take donations of your candy to give to someone that didn’t get any. These sweet treats can be dropped off to a number of places in the Portland area.
10. Take it to Work-
Most everyone has a little candy dish at work. Take some of the kid’s Halloween candy and share it around the office. This will make everyone happy.
previously posted on Examiner.com