Instead of collecting all that sugary candy that creates lots of wrapper and packaging waste, consider having your kids trick-or-treat for Unicef this year.  The website offers free orange boxes for trick-or-treating for donations.  I love the idea of teaching kids to focus on giving instead of getting.  And what a great way to teach about helping less fortunate kids around the world!

You can even choose a specific location and/or program to donate toward and use it as a teaching point to talk to your kids about that area of the world and what’s going on.  For example, kids in Haiti are suffering from the incredible devastation following hurricane Ike and torrential rains and flooding.  Use this as an opportunity to not only teach compassion and giving, but also to talk about geography and science (Where is Haiti?  What is it like there?  What is a hurricane?  Where do they occur?).  Maybe you can even volunteer to match any money they collect, making the donation larger, and sharing in the excitement of giving.

To think about:

• 6¢ provides water for one thirsty child

• $2 provides nutrition for one hungry child

• $44 dollars provides school supplies for 20 children

• $112 provides emergency blankets for 37 children

Sadly, 25,000 children die every day from preventable causes.  We can all make a difference.

Unicef also offers a parents’ and teachers’ download center with more information, activities and resources (in PDF).

For additional tips on making your Halloween more “green,” visit Green & Clean Mom.