Awesome Ways to Donate Halloween Candy or PLAY with Candy!
Did your little ghosts and goblins come home with a huge haul of Halloween candy after a night of trick-or-treating? We’re sharing some of our favorite ways to donate Halloween candy and even use the candy in fun science experiments!
How to Donate Halloween Candy:
The thrill of the hunt for Halloween candy has worn off, so why not share the sweets with our troops? Several organizations will pack together your donated candy and send it to our troops in a care package, along with a toothbrush in many cases!
Looking for Things to Do in Tampa Bay?
>>This Week’s Favorite Events
>> Nearby U Pick Farms
>> 40+ Free Things to Do with Kids
Halloween Candy Buy Back Program
Tampa Bay area dentist offices and businesses are participating with HalloweenCandyBuyBack.com. Each location is different, but some give away cash, xylitol products, or other fun giveaways. Here are the offices listed within a 30-mile radius of downtown Tampa according to the site (be sure to call first to verify):
Tarpon Dental
2611 Keystone Rd Suite B7
Tarpon Springs, FL, 34688
Phone: 727-937-4285
Email: [email protected]
Goodnight Orthodontics
12315 W. Linebaugh Ave.
Tampa, FL, 33626
Phone: 813-968-3737
Email: [email protected]
Westchase Smiles Institute
9914 W Linebaugh Ave
Tampa, FL, 33626
Phone: 813-920-9144
Email: [email protected]
Klement Family Dental
650 38th Avenue North
Saint Petersburg, FL, 33710
Phone: 727-343-8831
Email: [email protected]
The City of Clearwater will accept candy donations
The City of Clearwater will accept your candy donations from November 1 through November 7, 2023, in support of the “Our Troops Online” organization. For every pound donated, kids will receive a prize and be entered into a contest to win even bigger prizes like board games, fishing gear, scooters, and more.
Countryside Recreation Center
- Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.- 8:30 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Long Center
- Monday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Friday 6 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Morningside Recreation Complex
- Monday-Friday, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Moccasin Lake Nature Center
- Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
North Greenwood Recreation Complex
- Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Saturday 1-5 p.m.
Ross Norton Recreation Complex
- Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
More ways to donate Halloween Candy:
Several other organizations are collecting Halloween candy donations, including:
- Operation Shoebox for troops overseas
- Treats for Troops
Science experiments to try with Halloween candy:
Glazer Children’s Museum shared some awesome ways you and your kids can transform your candy into a fun learning experience! You can make edible slime and test your knowledge with float or sink!
You can also make edible paint out of Skittles! Kate White with Glazer Children’s Museum says you can add Skittles to a small bowl full of corn syrup, give it a good stir (to let the color melt into the syrup) and then paint for a sweet masterpiece!
How to Make Edible Starburst Slime
Materials:
- 1 bag of Starburst
- powdered sugar
- cornstarch
Instruction:
- First, mix the ¼ cup of powdered sugar with the ¼ cup of cornstarch. Then, in a pot over the stove, boil water what do we do with the water?.
- Place the Starburst in a microwaveable bowl and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds; take the bowl out of the microwave and stir.
- Then, heat the Starbursts for another 30 seconds and stir again. VERY CAREFULLY flip over the bowl on an area with the mixture you made with powdered sugar and cornstarch; wait five minutes for the melted Starburst to cool down!
- When the blob of Starburst has cooled down, knead it into the mixture, stretching and pulling to let a lot of air into the candy. As you do this, the candy will become less sticky and will stretch more. You’ve got slime!
Tips: Have kids planning to eat the slime wash their hands. You can melt the different colors Starburst together or separate them by color; try both ways!
How to Make Dancing Gummy Worms
Materials:
- Gummy worms
- scissors
- baking soda
- vinegar
- water
- clear glass
- fork
Instruction:
- First, cut the gummy worms into four parts. After, stir three tablespoons of baking soda into a glass of water.
- Then, place the gummy worms into the glass with the baking soda mixture and let them soak for 15 minutes.
- Fill a clear glass with vinegar; then, lift the worms out of the baking soda mixture and place them into the clear glass of vinegar!
- Science Behind the Experiment: The vinegar and baking soda react to each other and cause carbon dioxide gas bubbles to form on the worms.
- These bubbles float up through the vinegar, making the worms dance!
Float or Sink Candy Experiment
Another fun experiment to do with your leftover candy is to play Float or Sink with it! Grab a handful of candy and a bowl of water! Try dropping different candy into the bowl to see if it sinks or floats! To add to the fun, make predictions and record your findings!
Why we like it: It’s a simple way to explore the properties of candy and talk about density!
For more family-friendly fun, be sure to visit Glazer Children’s Museum in Downtown Tampa!