Halloween is a fun, relatively low pressure holiday. There are no expectations of a big family gathering, no need for the house to be in perfect order. For those with children trick-or-treating is generally the major Halloween activity. After the photos and the march through the neighborhood the excitement of dressing up quickly fades and only one thing remains, the candy.

On Halloween, candy is treated like a treasure. Dumped into a pile, it becomes a vision to be savored. Then like any treasure it is counted and divided. Some will be for now, some will be saved for later and some will be given away.

With childhood obesity on the rise, it's important that both adults and children understand that those small bit sized treats contain hundreds of extra calories. There are several tools available on line to help you and your children evaluate the nutritional value of their new candy collection.

CalorieLab Candy Calories Counter
This site offers a detailed nutritional breakdown of some of the most popular Halloween candies. In addition to calories, fat and carbs, the site also provides details about specific servicing sizes. Simply click on the "more" link for each candy to view complete nutritional information.

Pumpkin-O-Meter
This is a game provided by Kids Health. It pops up in a separate window. Drop candy into the pumpkin and it will provide a general calorie count. It will also show the percentage of daily calories consumed, until you reach the daily recommended calorie intake. After each piece the pumpkin makes comments. I found it a bit annoying and the educational value was limited. I would recommend parents do a test run before allowing their children to play.