Healthy Halloween?

By Claire Kellett, Anchor/Reporter

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By Becky Ogann

Story Created: Oct 31, 2006 at 6:36 PM CDT

Story Updated: Oct 31, 2006 at 11:41 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS - Halloween breaks all the rules when it comes to healthy eating, but one Cedar Rapids school is challenging students to swap out the sweets.

Cheese and crackers instead of cake and cupcakes? Might not be a kid's first choice, but teachers at St. Pius elementary in Cedar Rapids say the healthy holiday kick is catching on.

A cupcake here, a cookie there, and don't forget to save room for the candy -- Halloween is a holiday full of sugar, but teachers at St. Pius elementary are trying to break from tradition or at least show their students that classroom parties don't have to be centered around sweets.

Mrs. Unash's first graders are enjoying a healthier Halloween treat: cheese, crackers and grapes. Parents like the switch from sugary to nutritious.

It's all part of the school's push to promote healthy lifestyles, but the true test is the kids, and these little ones don't seem to mind the change.

Just to be fair, the teachers balance the good stuff with the good-tasting stuff. Besides, it's not long before these kids have enough candy in their possession to tide them over till Christmas.

The first grade wasn't alone in the quest for healthy alternatives this Halloween. The school's third-graders sang Halloween songs at a local nursing home instead of having a party.

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