One of my adult fitness students was telling me the other day about a project done with the local school district this Halloween.  Instead of children collecting, eating and getting sick from all the Halloween candy, the administrators came up with a great idea.

All children were encouraged to bring whatever candy they received during trick-or-treating in to their classrooms.  Candy was collected from each school and a prize was offered to the school who brought in the most.  In this case it was a new bicycle.   The winning school decided what child was most valuable to the candy drive and presented that child with the bike.

The best part of all is that the candy was then shipped to American soldiers serving overseas.  That’s about the only segment of the population that really could eat it without it adding negatively to their health.  So, that was a win-win situation for everyone.  Kids didn’t pig out on sugar. Excitement was raised through a friendly competition.  A deserving child got a brand new bicycle, something that would add more physical activity to their day.  And, our soldiers got an unexpected treat.

Now how about more ideas on how to apply this concept to the rest of the holidays?  Our kids don’t need excessive candy, sugar or fat.  Involve them in something that will motivate them and result in a bit more physical activity.  The new year is just around the corner.  This is a great way to meet childhood obesity head on and help our kids start the year out right.