You've been BOO-ed Halloween idea!

For the past three years, my boys and I have been "boo-ing" our neighbors! 

Ring the bell and run... That may be their favorite part. :)

It all started four years ago. We had only lived in our sweet neighborhood for a few months, and one of our neighbors surprised us with some yummy Halloween treats on our doorstep. We've continued this festive tradition with our neighbors ever since.

I found these adorable printables on Pinterest. You can download them for free from Amber over at Crazy Little Projects.

I found the "Boo" sparkly ghost decoration at Party City for $1.49. 

 I ran into Dollar Tree to get some wrapping paper this afternoon, and I stumbled upon these Halloween balloons. I thought they would be the perfect addition to our BOO goodies.

This would be so fun to do in school during the month of October. Our sunshine committee always did "Boo Buddies." Each teacher was paired up with another teacher, and we brought our Boo Buddy special treats and goodies the week before Halloween. I love "You've been Boo-ed" because you can get your students involved. Any teacher, principal, or member of the sunshine committee could start it. The class would put together a little bag or basket of goodies for another class and secretly deliver it. When the class receives it, they put the "We've been Booed" sign on their classroom door. Then it's their turn to "BOO" another class. 

{Crazy Little Projects}

What goes inside of the goodie bag? ANYTHING YOU WANT! 

Here are a few ideas: Halloween stickers, witch fingers, pumpkin pencils & erasers, caramel apple lollipops, pumpkin muffins, Halloween cookies, a Halloween game for the class to play, Halloween coloring pages, etc. The Dollar Tree, Wal-Mart, Target, Oriental Trading, and Party City have tons of Halloween party favors if your school isn't allowed to give out candy or edible treats.

Hope you and your students have fun! 

Preconference Form for Parent Teacher Conferences

After watching my video and reading my tips on Parent Teacher Conferences, one of my readers asked if I could share a sample of a preconference form to send home with parents. Ask and you shall receive. :)

A preconference form allows parents to share any topics or questions they want covered during their meeting with you. By asking for this in advance, you will be better prepared and make the most of your time with parents. It's short and sweet, so hopefully all of your parents will fill it out and return it. This form would also be very beneficial for student-led conferences.

Download it for FREE in my TpT store.

5 Easy Activities for your October Sub Folder

October is crazy. We can all agree on that. When district trainings, assessments, and cold/flu season take you away from your classroom, you want to have easy, engaging, no prep activities ready for your substitute. Today, I'm sharing some ideas that would be perfect additions to your sub folder. 

1. Following Directions/Oral Listening "Quiz"

This following directions activity is one of my all time faves, and it is perfect to leave with a sub. Some administrators may not see the importance of "coloring." However, listening, processing, and following directions are vital skills for students of all ages! It's definitely a skill that needs to be practiced.

The teacher or substitute teacher reads each direction ONCE slowly. (I would probably read it twice for PreK and Kinder.) Kiddos will realize right away that they have to be REALLY listening to hear the statement, process it, and then complete it.

2. Writing Prompts

Spark inspiration with some festive Halloween writing prompts.

3. Use Halloween stickers to inspire students' writing.

Sometimes kiddos get stuck when they want to draw something but don't know how. Halloween stickers are cheap and would be great motivation for students. Instead of spending 15 minutes trying to draw Frankenstein, a mummy, and a werewolf, they can choose the stickers they need! They can add to the illustration and spend more time on actually writing! ;)

4. Making Words

Students can work individually or in pairs to create as many words as they can from the letters in "Halloween Pumpkin." Such a simple activity but so much word work happening here! Students get hands-on, meaningful practice with word families, spelling patterns, and phonological awareness. 

5. Fall Graphic Organizer

Have the substitute teacher work with students to create an anchor chart about fall. Using their five senses, students can explore what fall feels like, smells like, tastes like, and looks like. This is the perfect anchor chart to have hanging near the writing center from September through November!

The substitute can create it on chart paper with the whole group, or have students work in groups to complete the printable. 

I hope these five ideas will help you get prepped for a sub in no time. If you want these printables and a bunch more, check out my Pumpkin, Fall, Halloween NO PREP Printables & Activities here. 

Need October math activities? Check these out...

End of the Year Memory Books

One of my favorite projects of the year is our End of the Year Memory Book. It's a special keepsake for students and parents that features photos, drawings, writing samples, and more. It's a project the class works on periodically throughout the year. I love it because it shows how much the kiddos change over the year. It gives parents a memento to remember the year by, rather than trying to save everything the child brings home. #guiltyofthat

This is Ellee. She was in my very first class. She just started 10th grade! Her Mom sent me these pictures of her looking back on her Kindergarten Memory Book before school started last month. It made me so happy to know that she was reliving all of the fun we had in Kinder. Crazy to think 10 years has come and gone! You can see in the photos that Word Art was all the rage back in 2007. LOL. I've made some updates to my Kinder Memory Book since 2007, and I've also created a Preschool and 1st grade version.

I have some tips for creating these Memory Books that will make them manageable.

1. If you have active parent volunteers, find a parent that will head up this project. My first year in the classroom, I had 26 kids in my morning class and 25 in the afternoon. 51 memory books! Thank goodness I had an amazing aide and some super parents that helped out.

2. Two options for binding the memory books... You can copy all of the pages you need and bind them over the summer/at the beginning of the year. However, I think it's better to wait to bind them until the END of the year. To keep it all organized, I have a file folder for each student. As we complete a memory book page, I file the completed page away in the child's folder. Then at the end of the year, all the pages are in order and ready to be bound.

3. Print extra copies for potential new students or for "Uh Oh" mistakes.

4. If you forget to take a photograph of a student for a certain page, they can draw a picture instead. The combination of photographs and illustrations will make it extra special.

5. You can send a page home for "homework" every now and then if you just don't have time to get to it in class. Be sure to tell your students how important these pages are so they come back in good condition. I would recommend sending them home in an envelope or file folder so they don't get ripped, folded, or destroyed on the way home. :) 

6. I've included extra pages at the end for photographs. Students can personalize it, color it, add stickers, get autographs from friends, etc. The teacher can write a special note to the child in the back of the book as well. 

These Memory Books will work great for Homeschool Kiddos and for the crafty Mamas out there. Just print and use the pages you need. I'm thrilled to be making one with my preschooler.

Part Part Whole Math Strategy

Let students "play teacher" and create their own math worksheets. This is great for math centers, math workshop, independent practice, or homeschool. Students use manipulatives and create their own math problems and answers. If you have a student that needs a little more direction, you can give the student a baggie of dominoes to use when creating his or her problems. Dominoes are set up like parts of a whole, so it will guide the child in making up problems. Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate conceptual understanding of addition and parts of a whole with this math activity. Read more tips and tricks for practicing addition and subtraction. Download the printable worksheets from TheHappyTeacher TpT store.