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"!

Marketing to kids

So how many of you think of your favorite candy when you think of Halloween. Those Reese's peanut butter cups, or getting a full size Hershey bar, the crunch of a Kit Kat. Well, the holiday has turned into a huge marketing scheme. Why else do they put Halloween candy out next to the Sept. School supplies. People make sure that they have bought those favorite brand names to give to kids so that they are handing out the best candy. But those kids are the ones that are really being influeneced. They are being branded. They are being taught to buy certain labels and brand names at a young age, and the joy and excitement if the holiday are instantly connected with those brand names. Market strategies are designed around this and they know that they are teaching kids to buy their brand for life. Kids will then seek out these top brand names at stores and find those sweet, sugary, addictive treats to experience those same feelings of joy and excitement that they felt on Halloween night. They are being conditioned at such an early age. Your kids are being used to secure a companies success. Hmmmm, how do you feel about that?

Stop the branding of kids. Stop making them addicted to these sweets and slaves to these companies. Be cautious about what they are exposed to. My kids think of Halloween and can't wait for roasted pumpkin seeds, because we have made such wonderful memories of making them together and eating them every year. They look forward to the butternut squash soup I will serve on Halloween night and the pumpkin bread they will eat and leave for The Switch Witch. You have control over your eating and health.... Use it.