Have you ever heard of the Teal Pumpkin Project? It's an initiative by the Food Allergy Research and Education group to make sure every child can go trick-or-treating on Halloween. While a majority of children are just fine when it comes to receiving and eating candy, a lot of children aren't because of allergies.

Becoming part of the Teal Pumpkin Project is as easy as 1, 2, 3. First, provide non-food items for trick-or-treaters. Second, place a teal pumpkin outside your home so parents know you have non-food treats. Third, add your home to the Teal Pumpkin map.

It's important to note that you don't have to completely skip the candy to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project. You can do the non-food treats in addition to candy and let the trick-or-treater choose their prize. To avoid spending extra cash, replace one bag of candy with an assortment of treats.

Here are 5 alternatives to candy:

1. Stickers - I really like these from Target.
2. Glow Sticks - You can get the ones that make bracelets for like a dollar at Walmart. They're typically in the party favor aisle.
3. Coloring Sheets & Crayons - There are free printable coloring and activity sheets on the Teal Pumpkin resource page.
4. Small Toy - Think 'party favor.' You can keep to a Halloween theme with things like these spider rings, vampire teeth, and spooky bouncy balls, or you can buy evergreen toys like small slinkies, toy cars, etc.
5. Bubbles - Check the party favor aisle at Walmart for plain bubbles and/or the $1 section in Target for Halloween bubbles like these.

Note: This is not a sponsored post. I learned about the Teal Pumpkin Project several years ago and admire what they're doing. I've done two events on behalf of the magazine recently where I put the practice into action, offering candy and treats at the same time. It was a hit, and I didn't spend that much more by doing it. I hope you'll consider participating this and every year!