But if you want to avoid making a trip to the dentist in November, perhaps you might want to give your children tasty alternatives to candy. Here are a few recipes to help you trick your child into enjoying a different Hallowe'en treat.

*** POPCORN HAND Clear plastic gloves (from a restaurant -- or beauty-supply store) Orange and black candles Popcorn Orange and black ribbon Spider rings PLACE candy (pieces of licorice, candy corn or gumdrops) in fingertips of a clear plastic glove -- not a medical one -- to look like fingernails.

Stuff glove with popcorn and tie the wrist shut with ribbon. Add spider rings or other ghoulish accessories.

*** PUMPKIN GELATIN TREATS 2 (3 ounce) packages orange Jell-O 1 cup hot water MIX Jell-O and water together and pour 1 inch deep into a pan that has been coated with cooking oil. Chill several hours or until firm.

Brush inside of pumpkin cookie cutter with oil. Cut out shape.

This will keep in refrigerator for a week, if covered well.

*** PUMPKIN SEEDS 2 cups dried pumpkin seeds 2 tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons soy sauce Salt MELT the butter in an electric skillet. Then add the soy sauce and the seeds.

Stir until brown. Salt if desired. Cool before serving.

*** RICE KREEPY EYES Make a batch of regular rice krispies treats. But before putting the mix in the pan, roll the mix into one inch balls instead of spreading it out for squares. Cool normally.

When they're done use a small dab of icing and add a single candy dot to each ball. Use red frosting to add `veins' along the eyeball if you like.

*** COOL SPIDER TREATS Cupcakes 1 tub (8 ounce) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed Chocolate sprinkles Black or chocolate licorice Candies FROST upside-down cupcakes with Cool Whip Whipped Topping.

Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles and insert licorice pieces into tops of cupcakes to create spider legs.

Top with candies for the creepy eyes.

Recipes from Woman's Day Magazine.

*** PUMPKIN FACE HALLOWE'EN TREATS 15-ounce box of gingerbread mix 8 ounces soft cream cheese 1 cup orange juice Red and yellow food colouring Raisins and chopped nuts PREPARE the gingerbread mix according to the directions given on the package for gingerbread men.

Roll out the dough about 1 inch think. Use a 3 inch-diameter drinking glass to cut out circles from the dough.

Grease a cookie sheet. Place the cookies on it and bake at 350 degrees for the amount of time suggested on the package.

Spoon the cream cheese into a bowl. Add the orange juice and blend well.

Add two drops of red food colouring and four drops of yellow food colouring to the mixture. Mix well.

Spread about 1 teaspoon of cream cheese mixture on each cookie.

Use raisins and pieces of nuts to make Halloween faces on the cookies.

*** DECORATION CUPCAKES FOR HALLOWE'EN WITCH'S CAT Cupcakes Icing Licorice twists and strips Black jelly beans Red gumdrops Icing the cupcakes. For ears, bend hollow licorice twists; insert one end of toothpick in hollow, other end in cupcake.

Eyes are a black jellybean, halved lengthwise. Add red gumdrops nose, licorice strips for whiskers.

*** HOOTY OWL Cupcakes Icing Orange jellied fruit slices Orange pumpkin candies ICING cupcakes. Eye outlines are "peel'' cut from two orange jellied fruit slices. His owlish eyes are orange pumpkin candies; snip of candy orange slice makes beak.

*** LITTLE GOOD WITCH Cupcakes Icing Licorice twist Jellied fruit slice Icing cupcake. Use licorice twist for hat and curls (make hat crown like cat's ears, but larger). Add bit of jellied fruit slice for mouth, halved licorice drop for eyes, a candy-coated licorice stick for nose.

Recipes from Better Homes and Gardens Birthdays and Family Celebrations *** FROZEN JACK-O'-LANTERNS 12 naval oranges Chocolate ice cream cinnamon sticks CUT off tops of 12 navel oranges. Gently hollow out pulp (reserve for another use), leaving a thick shell; hollow pulp out of cut-off tops, too.

Cut jack-o'-lantern faces into each orange. Pack scoops of dark chocolate or fudge ice cream into shells (avoid letting ice cream ooze out through eyes or mouth).

Cut a hole in top of each orange. Set tops back on, over ice cream, and insert a cinnamon-stick stem through the holes. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours, or until serving time.

Recipe from The Children's Party Handbook 1989.

FRIGHTFULLY GOOD -- Millions of dollars are spent on candies each Hallowe'en.

For those who wish to offer children a tasty alternative to candy, festively decorated cupcakes and popcorn are just two of the many options.