Up-cycling for Halloween

Get out the crayons. Find all of those little nubs, broken crayons, etc. Peel off the paper. Gets some cans. Put them in cans based on similar colors. Feel free to mix colors. Don't be afraid to try the glitter crayons too! Put the cans in an old sauce pan with some hot water. Melt on Medium (not high). Pour the melted wax into candy molds of your choice. Let cool or place in the freezer for faster dry time. 

New crayons in any shape you want. 

So I first tried this idea for Easter baskets. It was such a hit that then I tried it for Valentine's day instead of pieces of candy attached to my son's classroom Valentine cards we made crayon hearts. They were adorable and looked almost as good as candy.....

Which led me to thinking. This is a great idea to hand out at Halloween!  So not only are you being "green", Eco-friendly, up-cycling! All those cool words.... And at the same time cleaning out all those crayons that don't get used because they are too small, but you are being healthy! Way more fun and last longer too than that piece of chocolate ;) 

Easter....

Options to all that Halloween Candy!

The Switch Witch is a wonderful option to deal with all that candy. But then what do you do with all the candy that "you" (The Switch Witch) have now switched? You shouldn't eat it either.

Try Trick or Treating for UNICEF 

A program that has been around since the 1950's, it is a great way to cut down on the amount of candy that your kids are exposed to/given in the course of not just Halloween night, but all the parties and events. They can leave the box with donations out for The Seitch. Witch and she can still switch it as a reward for their hard work!  

http://www.trickortreatforunicef.org/families

Reverse Trick or Treating with Global Exchange

"help end the exploitation of adults and children working in the cocoa industry and raise awareness of Fair Trade! Trick-or-treaters will be handing Fair Trade chocolate back to adults, with informational cards attached, to explain the problems of the cocoa industry and how Fair Trade presents a solution..."

To continue reading and order your supplies here.

http://www.globalexchange.org/get-your-reverse-trick-or-treating-kit-today

Operation Gratitude

Candy buy back program will send candy to military overseas to say thank you for all they do. It will also send toothpaste and toothbrushes, to make sure that we aren't hurting their teeth in the process. 

http://www.operationgratitude.com/halloween-candy-buy-back-2012/

Tons of science experiments out there to do with candy:

Here are some...

http://www.candyexperiments.com/p/experiments.html

http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/7770/science-experiments-using-candy

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/search/experiment?q=candy-chemistry-experiments

http://www.parenting.com/gallery/easy-science-fair-projects

Take the labels/packaging off and store it away to decorate a gingerbread house. 

Then... Recycle/ up-cycle, get creative with candy wrappers....

Recycle your waste with M&M's®

http://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/candy-wrapper-brigade-r.html

Earth 911 on recycling wrappers

http://earth911.com/news/2009/05/18/recycling-mysteries-candy-wrappers/

Candy wrapper bowl

http://pinterest.com/pin/97671885641002159/

Candy wrapper bracelet

http://pinterest.com/pin/64809682107202350/

Check out Pinterest for more ideas.....

Plus much, much more..... As The Switch Witch says, "be creative"!

Why it is important to educate your child's teacher

Why do I post every year that people should be getting a copy of The Switch Witch for their kid's teachers?

Teachers have a lot of power. They are with our kids for a good portion of the day. We ask our kids to listen to them. They have control over who gets to go out to recess and who doesn't. Basically if a teacher says something is true, your kid will believe it.  So when your child comes in to school to tell his best friend about how The Switch Witch is coming to his house on Halloween night and his friend disputes it, or may even tease him that there is no such thing.....you need the teacher to validate your child and help to keep the myth alive. You need that teacher to back you up! Just like if your child had a different cultural, religious, health, etc. beliefs or mannerisms, you would want to explain them to the teacher so she can be supportive and encouraging. The same goes for The Switch Witch! 

So pass it on....