My VIPKID Halloween Classroom!
November 05, 2017This Halloween was right around my 2 months teaching mark, and I was super excited to change up my first classroom background with all manner of spooky things!
Halloween Background
I didn't spend much money on this background at all, either! I was able to just pick up a few things from King Soopers (Kroger's Colorado grocery chain) for quite cheap:- Purple spiderweb plastic table cloth (~$2)
- Pack of hanging Halloween creature & chandelier silhouettes (~$10)
At first I had the table cloth doubled up so you couldn't see my still-hanging world map behind it, but I could NOT get the tape to hold. Eventually I just un-doubled it, used a clamp and clothes pins to clamp either end to the bookshelves that my background sits between, and LOTS of tape.
Many kids seemed to love it! I got a few "AHHH, SPIDERS!!" and "Oooh, Halloween!" reactions. :D I also switched from the orange shirt, which, although also Halloween color, I was just so sick of seeing on myself at this point, I switched to a plain black shirt to ~match the creatures behind me. :3
Halloween Reward Systems
As you can see above, my first Halloween reward system was a "Build a Jack-o-Lantern Face" I made from foam magnets. The kids didn't enjoy it as much as the other rewards, but it got plenty of smiles!The second one I ended up using was a Trick or Treat Bucket, which was another King Soopers find: A jack-o-lantern trick or treat bucket with a light-up handle. I wanted to get some real american candy to throw in there, but the mixed bags were too expensive, so I actually ended up buying a pack of Halloween kids erasers for a few bucks, and used those as the treats instead. There were candies, witch's hats, black and orange owl, and an eyeball. Several of the kids LOVED this one!
Though I hadn't been actively looking for more Halloween rewards, I did end up with a third one, which was a "Make Your Own Haunted House", which was a small booklet with the glossy inside cover (font and back of the book) was a haunted house, and the pages were reusable stickers. Almost everyone seemed to LOVE this one! It was also a good learning tool because the students got to practice reading unfamiliar words (though next time I'll write more legibly!) and got to practice directionoal and house-related vocabulary when they told me where I should place each sticker!
(I also bought two more of the same kinds of sticker booklets, but I'll share more about those in a future, non-Halloween post.)
Here you can see my background in action and what the haunted house & stickers looked like.
Halloween Fast Finisher Activity
I was browsing a small locally owned bookshop while waiting for a table to open up next door for breakfast one day, and that's where I found the sticker booklets, and this adorable Halloween board book by Leslie Patricelli. I teach intermediate so I was worried about my students being annoyed by it's little-kid-ness, but the few times I did use it, they seemed to really enjoy it, even my 11 year olds!
The words were simple, but not necessarily words they have learned formally yet, which was good, and they liked following the little baby character as he carved pumpkins, chose a costume, and went trick or treating for the first time. Students love glimpses into American culture like this. :)
So, that's my Halloween classroom! I miss it already! If you're already a teacher, did you decorate or change up your rewards systems for the holiday? Let me know in the comments! :)
🍏🍎🍏🍎
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