How to make that Halloween Candy downright educational

There is candy GALORE in my house.

It's only going to get worse tonight!

How do we make the sugar-filled holiday useful while our children's teeth are rotting out?

Explore Candy with our kids.

Here are a few simple ideas to try with your kids:

1) Sort your candy stash!  

For young kids, try something simple like:

Little and Big

Or, allow your kid to choose how they sort.

This is especially good for kids.  Let them choose.

Then ask them how they sorted and why.

Then.....listen.

It's hard for me too :)

Boxes, bags, clear wrapping, plastic wrapping, foil, etc

2) Count your candy stash!

Charlotte has just learned about the number "30" and is practicing counting to 30.  She wanted her 3rd piece of candy yesterday and I told her she had to successfully count 30 pieces of candy (dropping them into the plastic pumpkin as she counted) to be able to eat a new piece.  She stumbled on 15 (for some reason she doesn't like that number) about 3 times.  

Finally, she made it. 

Candy is quite motivating, after all!

Hopefully your counting doesn't end in crying :)

Adelyn and I are practicing counting to 10 while dropping a piece of candy in the pumpkin as we go.  This is called one-to-one correspondence.  One number for one piece of candy.  It's something that kids have to learn...they have to practice.  There are tons of kindergarteners who don't have 1-to-1 correspondence.  So, it's a great skill to use candy to reinforce.

Also, have kids count any bags of candies they open like M &Ms or Skittles.

3) Make "math-y" problems with your candy

I like to ask after Charlotte opens an M&M bag....

How many blues are there?

How many reds are there?

How many more reds are there than blue?

Or. One of my girls' favorites :)

How many skittles do you have? (lets say they answer 10)

wait for them to eat one

Make a really big deal out of this loss.  

"OH NO! YOU ATE ONE SKITTLE! How many do you have left?"

That game can last for an entire bag of skittles!

Enjoy that sugar.

Happy Halloween :)