Halloween can be fun, but celebrations can be quite wasteful. Today we are going to focus on candy-free options that you can provide for trick or treaters this year, to make for a fun, inclusive, and low waste night.
Instead of handing out traditional candy, consider having an experience station. Put on fun music and have a dance party with whoever passes your house. Stack empty cans and challenge neighbors to throw baseballs to knock the tower of cans down. Set up a ring toss or corn hole game. Compete with others for who can hula hoop the longest. Get creative with what you think would entertain both you and your neighbors for the evening.
Colorful stones, interesting sea shells, and slices of tree trunks/branches would make for an interesting and unique gift. If you want kids to have extra opportunities for creativity, have a small table set up with some paint pens and googly eyes to decorate their new nature treasures.
If you’re interested in giving out small toys, check thrift stores for items you can give away. This way you can give away small cars, stuffed animals, and trinkets without any new items needing to being created.
Another simple favor would be to get a large cardboard container of colorful chalk and have trick or treaters grab 1-2 pieces to use later. You could even have kids contribute to a chalk mural on a nearby driveway, sidewalk, or public wall with their new chalk pieces.
Freaky fruit is a fun idea for an edible option. Choose fruits with a thick peel, such as clementines or bananas, and use a marker to draw jack o lantern style faces on the fruit. The fruit will still be safe to eat once it’s peeled, and the faces will add a fun touch to a healthy treat.
For another edible option, get several containers of canned drinks. It could be conventional soda, fruity sparkling water, or an assortment of options. With canned drinks, you can give something that will likely be appreciated by the receiver and will have a high chance of getting recycled after it’s been consumed.
Last but not least, you can collect children’s books from thrift stores and little free libraries throughout the year to give out on holidays. Get an assortment of board books for toddlers, picture books for early readers, and some books with interesting pictures for people of all ages. Let the kids pick whichever book they’d like to take home, and hope it helps them build a love of reading.
Be sure to check out my other post for additional ideas of fun gifts for trick or treaters. Have a safe holiday!