Trick-Or-Treat Solutions: 10 Safer Ways to Give Halloween Candy to Kids
Looking for a safe way to welcome trick-or-treaters this Halloween*?
Want to keep the sweet tradition going this year, but keep yourself and the kids 6 feet apart?
We searched the internet and found 10 new ways people are distributing treats while maintaining social distancing.
Some are highly technical and complex. Some are super simple. All of them provide creative solutions to this year’s Trick-or-Treating challenges:
Candy Chute
Ohio dad Andrew Beatty started the brilliant idea of a Trick-or-Treat Tube. He drops candy in without leaving his porch. It slides down the chute, landing directly in a trick-or-treater’s bag or bucket.
“I’ve been wanting to do something similar to [this] for awhile,” he says, “to help people with mobility issues. It’s a good idea this time of year when people are getting colds and things to have that little bit of extra distance.” This year, it’s a perfect solution for keeping Halloween fun—and safe—for neighborhood kids.
Andrew attached a six foot cardboard shipping tube, painted orange, to the railing on his front porch for an easy, no-touch candy distribution system.
Others have embellished Andrew’s original idea, adding decorations, lights, and creatures to the candy chute. They’ve used materials from PVC pipe to rain gutters, to dryer vent tubing for their slides, all with the same goal: to keep the Trick-or-Treating tradition alive for Halloween 2020.
Want to make a Candy Chute of your own? Buy: 3’ Clear Plastic Tube | Orange Duct Tape | Orange String Lights | Trick or Treat, Stay 6 Feet Yard Sign**
Zip Line
Matt Thompson from Michigan created a zip line from his house to the sidewalk, which delivers treats for the kids and drinks for their parents, too!
Watch as a ghost flies across Matt’s lawn to deliver the candy and then speeds back into position so he can reload it for the next guests. Pretty cool!
Pick-A-Treat
Candy DOES grow on trees (or fences, or clotheslines)... Here’s a creative and covid-safe candy distribution method that anyone can apply. Prepare small bags of treats and tie them in the trees or bushes, or attach to a fence near the sidewalk. Kids can take one package from a safe distance away for worry-free trick-or-treating.
Want to do this at home? Buy: Black Clothespins | Treat Bags | Trick or Treat Hanging Signs**
Sucker Tree
The folks at Redneck Rhapsody made a clever “Sucker Stop” tree from PVC pipe and string lights. Just drill holes the size of your lollipop sticks, add a sucker to each hole, and kids can grab a treat with no contact.
Want to make your own Sucker Tree? Buy: Tootsie Pops**
Seek & Find
Send trick-or-treaters on an Easter egg-style hunt around your yard or front step. Pull out your plastic Easter eggs, or get some cute pumpkin-shaped ‘eggs.’ Fill them with treats and hide them. This is a quick way to provide simple and safe trick-or-treating fun.
Want to Hide Your Halloween Candy? Buy: Pumpkin Easter Eggs**
Candy Dispenser
This candy dispenser from Barkers Random Projects is a really cool way to give out just one piece of candy at the touch of a button. The video provides a behind-the-scenes look at how things work, and gives you an appreciation for the amount of thought and trial & error that go into creating a highly technical trick-or-treat solution like this.
Candy Grabber
Here’s something that can extend your reach to ensure a safe distance! Use a grabber to deliver candy from your bowl, directly into a trick-or-treater’s goody bag. For a little added fun, wear a costume that covers the grabber and makes you look like an extra spooky, long-armed creature.
Shop: Candy Grabber**
Candy Robot
This candy robot created by Luke Keys of Texas definitely fits into the difficult-but-cool category! Have a robot deliver your Halloween candy for you, for a no-touch experience!
Candy RC Car
Yet another creative solution is to place your treats in a remote control car and drive them over to your trick-or-treaters. In this video, RCLifeOn from Sweden shows us his modified RC car with a special box that flips open to deliver treats.
Candy Cannon
Finally, for an explosive good time, Grant Thompson, the King of Random demonstrates how to make a pneumatic candy cannon out of sprinkler parts. It shoots treats 100 feet into the air, so they rain down around your trick-or-treaters for a very impressive delivery!
Final Thoughts…
People have come up with a lot of creative ways to celebrate Halloween, while keeping it fun and safe in 2020. I hope this sparked some ideas for you, and helps you keep the trick-or-treating tradition alive in your neighborhood.
What do you think?
Are you planning to give out treats this year? What will you do to maintain safety protocols? I’d love to hear your creative ideas. Please post a photo!
*Check your city, state, and county guidelines to see if trick-or-treating is allowed where you live.
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