Sweet things to do with all that Halloween candy

If there's one thing worse than running out of candy on Halloween, it's having too much when it's over.

It's bad for your kids' health, their teeth and the teachers who have to calm down candy-crazed kids the next day and, possibly, a week afterward, depending on how much is in their stash.

That's the word from Phillip Done, author of "Close Encounters of the Third-Grade Kind: Thoughts on Teacherhood" (Center Street, $22.99) released in September. A 25-year teaching veteran, he says he is thankful for parents who don't send their kids to school with a backpack full of sugary loot. His favorite solution? The Candy Fairy — which he heard about from his room moms a couple of years ago.

"The Candy Fairy is similar to the Tooth Fairy," he explains. "Instead of taking teeth, she takes Halloween candy and gives it to all the children who cannot go out trick-or-treating. Children leave out most of their candy and write a letter. The Candy Fairy visits at night and leaves a gift."

The kids don't mind giving up their loot as long as they still get to have some, he notes.

Here's a list of other suggestions for what to do with the extra candy in your house this week:

• Bake with it. Bring the resulting treats to school for the teacher.

• Create with it. Make cars and trucks with the help of a hot-glue gun (use chocolate bars as auto bodies, peppermints as wheels and so on; you can spray paint them to make them look less edible).

• Save some for holiday crafts: gingerbread houses, candy wreaths and garlands for the tree.

• Send some to Operation Gratitude for soldiers. (See sidebar for details.) Or to a homeless shelter, or a church that collects treats for Thanksgiving baskets donated to needy families.

• Set most of the Halloween candy aside in your home's "treat box," as a great incentive.