A study conducted by National Retail Foundation shows that spending for Halloween 2010 is up nearly 20% with a mind-boggling $1.775 billion spent on candy. That’s billion with a “B!”)

There’s no doubt that hefty Halloween spending is a bright spot in our economy, but the excess consumption of candy isn’t doing a bit of good in the fight against childhood obesity.  Kids certainly deserve to experience the joys of Halloween. So what can we do to make the holiday a bit less
indulgent?

Here are a few simple ideas:

     First, take food out of the celebration equation.

     Create imaginative and entertaining events.  For example:
           Have each child tell the story of his/her costume character

          Have groups of 3 or 4 kids do a skit about how their characters might
          interact (Spiderman meets Cinderella?)

     Bob for apples and discuss the nutritional benefits of fruit over candy. Or use 
     multiple varieties of apples to give students an opportunity to identify the tastes
     and textures of different apples to see which ones they like best.

    Have a discussion on what their costume characters might have eaten or hunted   
    or kept fit. Super heroes probably worked out and ate right!

Have a happy and healthy holiday!