Best of Halloween...in the Classroom!

Back on my very old blog I did one of my favorite posts on what I love about Halloween as a teacher. Christmas might be my favorite holiday of all time, but there is seriously something about the month of October within the classroom walls.

So, I bring you the best of Halloween in my classroom...

Pumpkin Math:

Made by yours truly and sold on TPT for $2.50

One of my pride and joys is the first product I made for my Teachers Pay Teachers store...and actually, my first personally created lesson straight out of student teaching.  PUMPKIN MATH!  My students become elated (as do I) over it every single year.  My kids get into their groups and each group gets a pumpkin.  They get to estimate the weight, volume (using cups of guts), and circumference of their pumpkins.  We carve pumpkins using dice and then go back to see how close the estimations were. I invite parents to help us carve and students donate the pumpkins.  Our room stinks of pumpkin the rest of the day, but it is well worth it.  I try to take the seeds home and roast them for the kids to try the next day, since many of them have never had this chance.  

Haunted House Expressive Writing:

Also made by yours truly on TPT for $5.00

Possibly even higher on my favorites list than Pumpkin Math, is the Haunted House Expressive Writing Unit.  I started using it in my classroom several years ago.  I was tired of reading my students lackluster writing and wanted to figure out a way to get them to become more descriptive.  Thus, was born this unit after finding a cool idea online that included sound effects.

They are allowed to make it gory and scary OR funny if they'd like.  I play Halloween movie songs and creepy sound effects to help them get inspired while they are writing.  We play around with the 5-senses to figure out ways to make our audience feel like they are right there with us in that haunted house.  The kids work on trying to use descriptive words for sounds since they can't draw pictures.

Last year, we even had ourselves a writing contest!  I decided to choose the top 10 stories and pass them off to one of the 8th grade classes.  They read and voted for the top 5.  You wouldn't believe how hard the kids worked to make their writing entertaining for those older kids.  They grew leaps and bounds just in those couple weeks.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:

from Barnes and Noble

You know the variety.  Many of you who are children of the 80s or 90s know these books quite well.  I used to read them cover to cover as a kid and couldn't get enough of them.

When I am done with our regular read-aloud, all during the month of October, I read stories each day from the Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz.  Several years ago I struck gold and found the 3-book treasury from Barnes and Noble.  I especially love to read the stories that give me a chance to jump out at them. It is better if I get them to scream loudly...but these days are sadly gone as my students seem to incredibly desensitized due to being allowed to see all the scary movies in theaters   I'll refrain from getting on a soap box about this one.  

One story in particular (actually there are about 2-3 like it in the books) where the ghost or ghoul is asking for something that the protagonist has stolen and at the end the ghost screams to give it back or something…anyway, I hide a fake bloody finger in the book as I read. Then, when I get to the part where the ghost screams loudly I throw it across the room and scare the living daylights out of the kids. ha ha ha ha It works every time...or at least it used to.

For the next week following Halloween, my kids beg me to continue reading out of it. But I tell them it is an October only special. After that, the kids are found checking this book out of my library time and time again.

House on Hackman's Hill and Wait Till Helen Comes:

 

Both images are from Amazon.com

Not only do I thoroughly enjoy reading the Scary Stories, but I read one of these two books (I switch back and forth every year) as our daily read-aloud.  Both are tried and true in the classroom to freak out students.  Although, I've noticed they are less and less scared each year....which takes all the fun away for me.  But both stories are still great reads that put us in the mood for the Halloween season.  

House on Hackman's HIll by Joan Lowery Nixon is a fantastically creepy story and I prefer it over the other.  There are several scenes where Anubis, the half man half jackal ancient Egyptian god, jumps out or does something ferociously scary, like scratching and sniffling at a door. These are the parts I love to overdramatize to get the kids riled up.

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn is one of those ghost stories where you know something bad is coming.  Even though it has a couple spine-tingling moments, it doesn't really have any of my favorite spots to jump out on.  Meh.  But no bother, it is still worth the creeps it gives some of my students.  

Halloween Picture Books:

I love to pull out my three favorite picture books as well, two of which I discovered as a student teacher and have stuck by since.  I have tried to read others and I always go back to these three.

Hallo-Weiner is by Dav Pilkey has a really nice theme to it as well as his hint of humor.  I can't resist doing a funny little German old lady voice for his mom.  The kids laugh and enjoy this one year after year.  

Piggie Pie by Margie Palatini is one of my all-time favorite picture books.  My copy has fallen apart twice and has been glued back together with glue.  My favorite part?  Doing the mean witchy voice, even though it hurts my throat every time.  Oh, and the very last page....you'll have to read it for yourself to see if the witch gets her Piggie Pie.  

The real photographs in Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson are gorgeous, colorful, and so detailed. I love reading this to students before we carve our pumpkins during Pumpkin Math.  It gets oohs and ahhs every time.

Garfield's Halloween Adventure:

You can even get yourself a vintage VHS copy on Amazon!

Even though we aren't allowed to show movies in class anymore, I still wanted to include this one in my Best of Halloween!  Garfield's Halloween Adventure is a favorite of mine from when I was a kid.  It used to scare the bejeesus out of my little brother and I.  The same scene that frightened us always gets my students too.  Can you say pirates rising out of the floor and then scaring Garfield in his hiding spot?...those of you who have seen it know what I mean!

This cartoon is never shown on T.V. any more, so I just love sharing it with them.  Since I can't show it in class this year, I'll just have to watch it at home by myself.  Candy, candy, candy, candy!

So, what are your Best of Halloween picks?  Do you love celebrating this in the classroom more than any other holiday?  

Drugstore Gems

Makeup is one of those things that make me feel good and are part of my daily routine.  I feel naked without it and only a very very select few have seen me without it.  That being said, I am a creature of habit and routine, so I'm pretty attached to certain brands.  But!...I am not a snob when it comes to drugstore makeup at all.  Drugstore makeup is like generic brands of food at the grocery store.  Most of the time, these drugstore gems I'm going to show off are even better than many of the expensive items I have tried...because let's get real, my other love is Sephora!  I wanted to take pictures of swatches of these products...but time got away from me today and it was dark out before I even thought to do so. (I'll try to come back later and post them).

One of my top 3 favorite YouTube beauty gurus, MakeupbyTiffanyD, did a video (see below) and blog post about her drugstore gems a couple weeks ago and I wanted to share out mine in case someone else doesn't know about them.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation:

I have melasma and so I prefer a full coverage foundation.  This one is my holy grail because it is drugstore and covers my skin imperfections better than any expensive foundation I've tried (Clinique and Makeup For Ever).  I prefer the dry to normal skin version even though I have oily skin because it doesn't dry out the way their normal to oily version does.  There are so many shades in this line as well. At the moment, I am using two shades and mixing them together since the summer has darkened my skin slightly.  I apply this with my Beauty Blender and it lasts all day long, even in the humid and scorching hot weather here in the desert.

$9.99 at Target

Palladio Loose Rice Powder:

Oily skin?  This stuff is seriously your dream for setting powder!  When I was  hunting for something that wasn't as expensive as the awesome setting powders that Makeup For Ever makes, I found out about Milk of Magnesia and how it helps control oil.  But then I read up on how bad it is to put on your skin.  So, I was desperate to find something that would do the trick...safely.  I did some research (yes, I did...I'm not going to buy new makeup if I don't know how well it works) and rice powder actually absorbs oil.  That is why it was used in Japan by Geishas.  So I quickly did a search for brands that make rice powder and stumbled upon Palladio's product.  Wait until you see the price!!  I've had it for months and months now and it's not even half empty.  (the lid doesn't stay on well, so I use a rubber band when traveling and just toss the included sponge)

$5.49 at Sally's Beauty (or Ulta)

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles:

I've tried several of these products from Sephora and paid nice amounts of cash...one being Benefit's Erase Paste, which creased like crazy and didn't last throughout the day either.  Finally, I found this product after seeing so many of my favorite YT gurus using it and recommending it.  Maybelline makes several versions of this, so make sure you buy the right one (they have a brightener, which I'll be trying when mine runs out and one in a white bottle that doesn't work the same).  It has a thin consistency, yet works like a charm!  It lasts all day and I only notice very very slight creasing, which is easily fixable by tapping my finger under my eye.  Then, it's gone like that.  The sponge tip makes it super easy to apply and I recently began using a Sonia Kashuk brush to tap it into my undereye area (I'll post it soon in my July favorites).

$7.99 at Target

Jordana FabuBrow Eyebrow Pencil:

I can't tell you how many eyebrow pencils I have tried from the drugstore!  They just go too fast to pay for a nicer brand at Sephora.  Some I have tried from the drugstore have been too waxy, too dark, not pigmented enough, etc.  But I finally found my holy grail!  Jordana is a sister brand to Milani and can only be found at Walgreens or online.  It is perfect in every way and very inexpensive...in fact, you'll find several of my drugstore gems are from Jordana and there is a reason why.

$2.99 at Walgreens

Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Pallettes:

There is no other drugstore eyeshadow like Wet 'n' Wild!!  Not only are they inexpensive, but they are also buttery (so similar to the expensive Urban Decay shadows...love my Naked palette) and are extremely pigmented.  They have a fantastic selection as well.  I have a hard time choosing between some of the 3-pan and 8-pan palettes that I own.  But I can say my favorite 8-pan is Petal Pusher (all purple shades, seen below) and my favorite 3-pan is Silent Treatment.  You cannot go wrong with any of the Color Icon shadows and even if they do go wrong, since you didn't break the bank to buy them, it's not a big deal!  Quite a few of their eyeshadows are perfect dupes for many MAC and Urban Decay shades as well.

$4.99 at Target

Jordana FabuLiner Liquid Liner:

I told you I was a HUGE Jordana fan!  This by far is my favorite product by them and it works as well if not better than many of those liquid liners (felt tip marker style) found at Sephora or other drugstore brands.  The price is extremely right and it is insanely easy to use.  One thing you will find with this eyeliner is it is pigmented and very black.  I also have it in brown, but it comes out as a dark brown almost black.  I tend to pull that one out in the fall and winter when I wear more gold or bronze eye looks.  You will notice it seems to start drying out a little, but if you buy a 2nd liner and use that one while you put the old one away...when you come back to the old one, it comes back to life.  I have had this drying out issue with other liquid liners I have used as well, so this isn't a cheap Jordana issue. I am OBSESSED with FabuLiner and I think you should be too.

$1.99 at Walgreens

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara:

Mascara is another makeup item I have tried repeatedly with different brands, types, hypes, etc.  For awhile, I was one of those Covergirl Lash Blast fans and still like my Covergirl Lash Perfection (gray tube) for my bottom lashes.  I even used Benefit's They're Real and Laura Mercier Full Blown Lash...all for a painful $20+ pricetag.  After going through tests of some other drugstore brands and hypes, I stumbled upon this one by Jordana, on a whim.  I will NEVER NEVER NEVER turn back from this one!  It is not as well made, so it lacks that bit that wipes off the excess formula as you pull the brush out.  You just have to be careful when you are applying and be light-handed or it will be extremely clumpy and create spider lashes.  I hate that!  But I also found after about a month, the formula thickened and I do not have to be as careful.  I am willing to look past this, since I paid such a small price for it.  The stuff adds crazy volume and even length to my lashes in a natural way.  This is my holy grail!!

$2.99 at Walgreens

Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Blush:

Alongside Jordana, Wet 'n' Wild definitely holds my drugstore makeup heart.  Their blushes are just as fantastic as their eyeshadows  They are very pigmented, long-lasting, and inexpensive!  My favorite out of the 3 they make is most definitely Pearlescent Pink.  I do own all of them though. Not only is it a subtle color that adds a lovely flush to my cheeks, but it is an exact dupe of the famous and well-loved NARS Orgasm blush. Unfortunately, I've never been able to splurge for that blush because I don't want to...especially since I have a blush that is just as great with that same pink with gold shimmer!  Um...heller!!

$2.99 at Target

Wet 'n' Wild Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil:

After using the popular NYC Sunny bronzer for over a year, I switched because it wasn't pigmented enough for me.  I am so glad I switched to Wet 'n' Wild's Ticket to Brazil!  It is way more pigmented and goes on smoother as well.  I have to be careful and not get too heavy-handed with it.  The compact is gigantic and will last me a long time.  It does have a slight shimmer to it, which I never like in bronzers, but it is subtle and I don't even notice it when I have it on.

$3.99 at Walgreens or Target

Maybelline Vivid Lipsticks:

OMG, these are my all-time favorite lipsticks and I own 6 shades!  When these first came out, I was a little afraid to rock them out in public.  But they are so fun to wear and flattering, that I could care less if people stare or judge me.  After buying one shade at first...Shocking Coral, I immediately bought two more...Vibrant Mandarin and On Fire Red.  When I couldn't get enough of wearing those three, I grabbed up Vivid Rose...a shade I NEVER thought I'd wear.  Next thing you know, I bought Hot Plum and Brazen Berry...both are purple shades.  Me?  Wear purple lipstick?  Whaaaaaa?!  Yes!  I love every single tube of my Vivid lipsticks.  They are buttery, long-wearing, smell yummy, and are oh so pigmented.  Even when I scrub my lips with makeup remover, I sometimes wake up with lips that are tinted.  Who also couldn't love the vivid orange lipstick tubes?

$5.54 at Target

So...those are my many drugstore gems that I love and covet.  I do have many high end products I use as well (and I'll do a gems post for them too), but for the most part, I am a drugstore makeup user all the way.

What are your drugstore gems and why?  Share away!  Or if you are a high end makeup user, what kind of drugstore items would you like to try?

On a Teacher's Deserted Island...

It's time for my first link-up!  She over at Sprinkle Teaching Magic just posted about some of her celebrity Teachers Pay Teachers members and I wanted to follow suit...since I have quite a few that I'm awestruck by.  You can watch her YouTube video about her favorites and her answer to the question, If you were stranded on a deserted classroom island and could only teach with one TPT teacher's curriculum, who would it be and why?

This question totally isn't fair for me right now!  I discovered Young Teacher Love (AKA Miss Nannini) this summer and am starstruck, if you will.  So, I'm going to cheat a little for this one.

1) Teaching in Room 6

She has some of the most amazing materials that can completely change your math instruction and student achievement!  The biggest and most favorite item in her shop is by far her Calendar Math for 5th grade (she also makes it for other grades, so check her store out).

In fact, she just finished an all-in-one product that makes Calendar Math even more user-friendly and set for your classroom...it's 300 pages!!!  I plan to purchase this one soon (come on pay day!) and cannot wait to better implement this spiraled AND scaffolded program in my classroom this year.  Last year, it sort of fizzled out due to some confusion on my part and plain insanity.

I also just purchased her spiral homework pack for the entire year (this is another product that she makes for multiple grade levels) and am truly appreciative of having something I do not have to make myself...as I did in the past years with my fellow teammates.  I look forward to having something extremely CCSS based and balanced for my student and families.  I was lucky enough to win a $50 TPT gift card from Sprinkle Teaching Magic and this is what I bought with it (along with a few other goodies that had been on my wish list...but I'll get to that next).

2)  Miss Nannini

And here is the new store I discovered earlier this summer when I was reading one of my favorite teacher blogs.  I found Young Teacher Love through a linky party and it was love at first sight.  Since I discovered Ms. Nannini's blog, she has exposed me to The Dream Class book as well as her Procedures checklist.  And most importantly, this teacher is an expert on CCSS and has created some of the most in depth and incredible classroom resources for multiple grades...all based on what she needed and used in her classroom this past school year.  If you haven't already bought them or added them to your TPT wish list, then you are missing out!

The first item below are CCSS based assessments that teachers can use as often as they wish.  They coincide well with the 2nd product I am posting from her store as well.  I am in awe of how in depth she went into with both these items (for both Math and ELA).  Both are available for such inexpensive prices as well.

Miss Nannini also makes this for ELA CCSS

Miss Nannini has put together CCSS checklists and more in this product in order to allow students to keep track of their progress and goals as well as reflect on their learning multiple ways.  I found this when I was searching for a new and improved way to implement data binders in my classroom.  There are a ton of these CCSS checklist systems on TPT, but this one is the most student-friendly (and teacher-friendly) that I have found.  I especially love the rubric/scale posters she includes to allow students to label their learning for you and themselves.  Check it out!

This is also available for Math CCSS

I could go on and on about several other of Miss Nannini's products, but these are two of the most essential items I would take with me to the deserted island.

There you have it...evidence as to why it would be way too hard for me to choose just one store to take with me to the deserted island.  I don't think I could have one without the other...after all, the reflection and assessment piece goes hand-in-hand with the Calendar Math.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

If you'd like to participate in She's linky party, you can link up to it here.  She has 3 questions you can blog about, in case you'd like to blog about your own store or a product you have had major success with in your own classroom.