October 20, 2025 • 26 mins
Halloween in the classroom can feel like wrangling a troop of caffeinated squirrels, but it doesn’t have to be chaos! In this episode, we share our top Halloween classroom management tips to keep students engaged, routines intact, AND the fun alive. From the lead-up to the big day and the reset afterward, we cover strategies like the “candy rule,” visual schedules, brain breaks, and backup plans, plus ways to handle treats, costumes, and parties so everyone feels included. With these practical tips, you can enjoy the seasonal excitement while keeping your classroom calm, focused, and full of lasting memories.
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/halloween-classroom-management/
Resources:
- Shop all our Halloween resources here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/product-category/halloween/
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- Shop our teacher-approved resources.
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- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
- Leave a comment or rating on Spotify.
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
- Episode 33, Class Party Success - Our 7 Step Class Party Planning Checklist
- Episode 34, Plan the Perfect Halloween Class Party With 7 Easy Steps
- Episode 96, How to Plan an Amazing 2nd Grade Class Halloween Party
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heidi (00:00):
This is episode 229 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:13):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:28):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are talking abouthow to keep the Halloween fun
without losing your sanity, andwe're sharing a teacher approved
tip for resetting your roomafter all the Halloween
excitement.
Heidi (00:51):
Let's start with try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can try in yourclassroom right away. Emily,
what is our suggestion for thisweek?
Emily (00:58):
This week, try adding a calm down countdown to your
transitions. So before movingfrom one activity to another,
have students take three deepbreaths and count down from five
together. Sounds simple, butit's amazing how those few
seconds help everyone resettheir energy level.
Heidi (01:16):
I love this one. It absolutely works any time of
year, but it is especiallyhelpful when your kids are
running high on excitement,like, you know, the week before
Halloween, when they'rebasically caffeinated squirrels.
Emily (01:30):
If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, would you pleasetake a minute and give us a five
star rating and review on Applepodcasts, or you can leave a
rating and a comment on Spotify.
Heidi (01:42):
Well, everyone, we have got some great news about
Halloween. This year it falls ona Friday. Woo hoo.
Emily (01:49):
Oh my gosh, that is such a gift. It's too bad it can't
work out that way every year.
Heidi (01:54):
It should just be every year Halloween is on a Friday or
Saturday.
Emily (01:58):
Yes, and we're just so glad that you all get to escape
the day after Halloween hangoverthis year. But of course,
Halloween on Friday also meansmanaging a whole week of soaring
excitement levels.
Heidi (02:11):
It's gonna be a long week. So let's talk about how
you can get through with yoursanity intact. Today we're
sharing our Halloween SurvivalGuide, and basically, it all
comes down to the candy rule.
Emily (02:24):
Yes, everyone loves candy. It's such a big part of
Halloween. However, it is soeasy to overdo it. A small
handful is sweet and magical,but a bucket full leads to a
sugar crash and complete chaos.
Heidi (02:36):
And that sums up our whole management philosophy. A
little Halloween spiritsprinkled into your day can
boost engagement and create thekinds of memories that your kids
will talk about for years. Butif you halloweenify every single
worksheet and throw out all ofyour routines, you are setting
yourself up for a week of tryingto teach those caffeinated
(02:58):
squirrels.
Emily (02:59):
Yeah, nobody wants that. So we're going to walk you
through how to add just enoughHalloween magic without
derailing your whole month.We've got three main areas to
focus on, the lead up to the bigday, Halloween day itself, and
the reset afterward.
Heidi (03:13):
So let's start with the lead up, because this is the
make it or break it point.You're either going to set
yourself up for success, or, youknow, the opposite.
Emily (03:23):
The absolute most essential thing you can do to
have a successful Halloween weekis to keep your core routines
intact. You can't skip this partunless you want to send your
kids straight into chaos.
Heidi (03:35):
But that doesn't mean that you can't add a light
sprinkling of fun.
No, of course we want the fun.We want those seasonal
sprinkles, but remember thecandy rule, a small handful is
great, a big bucket is adisaster.
Yeah, your kids need theirroutines. They thrive on
predictability, especially whenexcitement levels are through
(03:55):
the roof. So don't abandon yourregular morning work or skip
your math block. Lean hard onwhat's normal if you have a
class of kids that tip intooverwhelm easily.
And most will at Halloween time,even if your class mostly can
handle things, like somethingbig like Halloween, is going to
impact pretty much all classes.So just keep that in mind.
(04:16):
Oh yes, definitely.
Emily (04:17):
If your class is able to handle a little spark, try
adding seasonal flair to whatyou're already doing. So, for
example, keep your morningmeeting routine, but you can add
a festive greeting, like Jack O'Lantern grins, where you sit in
a circle and you ask one studentto start. Let's say you pick
Liam. So Liam greets the studenton his left and says the
student's name with O' Lantern.So that would be like, Good
(04:40):
morning, Sophia O'Lantern.
Heidi (04:43):
It's a mouthful.
Emily (04:44):
She returns a greeting, good morning, Liam O'Lantern,
and then they each make theirbest Jack O' Lantern face at
each other.
Heidi (04:50):
I can hear the giggles now. I'd love having a festive
morning meeting greeting. It'svery low key, but it's just the
right amount of fun to keepthings exciting. And we also
love a seasonal morning message.So for example, a question like,
there are three more bats thanspiders. How many bats and
spiders could there be? Leansinto the fun, but it doesn't
(05:12):
take away from the thinking.
Emily (05:13):
And if you want cute, thoughtful done for you morning
messages, we happen to have setsfor first through fourth grade.
They each include a couple 100non-seasonal thinking questions
to get everyone's brain turning,but we also have a set of 60
seasonal questions for eachgrade level. So that gives you
plenty of fun options to choosefrom. We will link to those in
the show notes.
Heidi (05:33):
Keeping your overall routine normal while dropping in
that little bit of novelty meansthat your students' engagement
stays high and you're givingextra energy a safe outlet, but
you're doing all of this withouthaving to compromise
instructional time. Festive butmeaningful is probably our
favorite type of activity. Youcan bet we go to a lot of
parties. One way we keep thingsfestive but meaningful is with
(05:58):
our vocabulary lessons. If youuse our jargon journal
vocabulary program, which welove so much, it's so fun, we
have got festive but meaningfulunits for The Fierce Yellow
Pumpkin, Halloween Night, ScaryScary Halloween, and my personal
favorite, The Vanishing Pumpkin.
Emily (06:14):
Such good books. And while we're pitching our
products, why don't we just letyou know that we also have our
Halloween fluency in a flashlessons. If you don't do
Halloween at your school, wealso have a fun fall theme. But
if you can do Halloween, theyare so fun. You might see the
Sanderson Sisters in there. Youmight see Wednesday and Pugsley
(06:34):
in there. It's so much fun. Thisis like, I think I say this
every time, but the Halloweenset might be like, my favorite
set.
Heidi (06:42):
It's my favorite I think.
Emily (06:44):
Oh, it's so fun. And of course, we do have lots of
non-seasonal fluency in a flashlessons, but we're just really
proud of the seasonal stuff. Itfeels so special. It's hard to
describe these on a podcast,though. So you'll just have to
go try them, I think, to see howinteractive and engaging they
are.
Heidi (07:01):
I really am still blown away every time I watch one of
these. Each day has a meaningfulactivity that targets an
essential fluency skill. But Ipromise that your kids will be
having so much fun, they willnever realize it's educational.
And we will link to our seasonalfluency in a flash mini lessons
in the show notes as well.
Emily (07:18):
The show notes are hopping this week. You got to
check them out.
Heidi (07:20):
Yes they are.
Emily (07:21):
As you plan the rest of your Halloween lead up week,
your math story problems canfeature pumpkins and science can
explore bats, but remember thatthere's no pressure to
halloweenify every single partof your day. In fact, you should
definitely avoid doing that. Ifevery worksheet has a Jack O'
Lantern on it, it stops beingspecial, and then it stops being
(07:41):
a tool that you can use to shapeyour classroom management.
Heidi (07:44):
Remember, we're going for the fun of a handful of candy,
and not the heaviness of a wholebucket, so adding in these
little bits of excitement helpsdraw off the excess energy that
is building up before Halloween.Because these sparks of fun are
increasing your studentsengagement, it makes all of your
classroom management so mucheasier. And if you would like to
sprinkle in some seasonal funwithout having to adapt any of
(08:07):
your content, may we introduceyou to one of our favorite
tools, festive breaks.
Emily (08:14):
Festive breaks are short, low prep activities that you can
pull out whenever you want alittle seasonal excitement.
They're print and go activitieslike Halloween tic tac toe or
roll a monster, and having thesecopied and ready to grab at a
moment's notice will be a hugerelief when you need them.
Heidi (08:31):
Now, the key to a festive break is the activity card. The
front of the card is a cuteseasonal picture, and the back
of the card names a funactivity. Now, as the teacher,
you get to decide how manybreaks you want to do, and you
get to decide when it's time tochoose a card. For example, you
might want to schedule it intoyour day, and you would do an
activity after reading or oneafter lunch.
Emily (08:52):
Or you might want to have students earn an activity with
on task behavior. This is one ofour best holiday management
tips. You could say somethinglike, if everyone works on their
math page for 15 minutes withouttalking, we can choose an
activity, but if people starttalking, I'll have to restart
the timer. Let the structure oftrying to earn a reward tamp
down some of the excess energyin your room.
Heidi (09:14):
And we will put a link to our Halloween festive breaks in
the show notes. Unfortunately,we don't have a non-Halloween
fall set available. I was reallyhoping to get to it this year,
but the calendar won out on thisone.
Yeah, we've been a little bitbusy writing that book we're
writing.
Oh yeah, I don't know if we'vementioned that. Hi everyone.
We're writing a book.
That's a, that's an Easter eggin this episode, is that we are
(09:35):
writing a book, but we'll talkabout that on another episode.
Turns out writing a book takesup a lot of time. Who knew?
But no matter how strategic weare about handling seasonal
spark, the closer we get to the31st, the more the energy level
is going to climb. That'stotally normal, but because we
can predict it, we can plan forhow to address it.
Emily (09:57):
Recognizing when your regular management plan will
need a boost is how you knowyou've achieved peak teacher
status, because this is someninja level stuff.
So decide now how you canincrease your structure to
manage the excess novelty. Agood place to start is with a
discussion. A few days beforeHalloween, preview the plan with
your students. Let them knowwhen the fun stuff will happen
(10:19):
and when it's business as usual.
Heidi (10:21):
try using a visual schedule if you can. Post it
where everyone can see it, sothat you don't get constant wins
the party questions, because youwill. Even though you are
sticking to your normal routinesand core subject blocks as much
as possible, letting kids knowwhen the out of the ordinary is
happening will go a long waytoward keeping everyone calm.
(10:42):
Also, you definitely want tobuild in more brain breaks this
week as well. When kids arebuzzing with excitement, they
need more opportunities to getthe wiggles out.
And guess what we have?
Emily (10:52):
What could it be?
Heidi (10:53):
Well, surprise, we have got 60 Halloween brain breaks
that are perfect for this. We'vedivided them into three
categories, activities toincrease focus, activities to
calm excitement, and activitiesto boost energy. That way you
can find exactly what you needthe moment you need it.
Halloween week, you'll probablyget a lot of use out of our
(11:14):
refocus brain breaks. Those arethe ones you'll turn to to
settle everyone down.
These are so calming. One of myfavorite refocused brain breaks
is a mindful movement activitycalled Fun with Jack. So you
would have your students stand,everyone calm, centered,
breathing slowly and calmly, andthen you'd walk them through
this activity. Pretend you'reholding a Jack O' Lantern
(11:36):
between your hands. Slowly moveit side to side, from left to
right, lower it down to yourfeet and lift it up again.
Slowly raise it to your mouthand blow out the candle with
three slow breaths.
Emily (11:48):
Oh, I feel calmer already. But, and this is
important, for every brainbreak, make sure you set clear
expectations beforehand. Howlong will it last? Where can
students move? How loud can theybe? What is the consequence if
someone chooses not to followthe rules, and what should
happen as soon as the brainbreak is over?
Heidi (12:07):
That last part is so crucial. If you don't have a
clear ending signal, you'regoing to spend five minutes
trying to get everyone back ontrack before you can move on
with the day, and then everyoneis just going to be as tired and
unfocused as they were beforeyou started.
Emily (12:22):
Okay, you've maintained your core classroom structure
while strategically sprinklingin seasonal fun. By the time
Halloween morning hits, yourclass will be excited but still
anchored. They know what toexpect, and you've given them
plenty of appropriate outletsfor all that energy.
Heidi (12:38):
Which means you are ready to tackle the actual day without
everything falling apart. Solet's talk about your Halloween
day game plan.
Emily (12:48):
Feels like we could have a whole series about how to
handle this day. And you know,if Halloween isn't a big deal at
your school, like you don't docostumes or parties, then you
probably could mostly plan anormal day with just a few
seasonal activities sprinkledin. You can have lots of fun
with scarecrows and pumpkins ifwitches and Jack O' Lanterns
aren't the right vibe for yourschool.
Heidi (13:08):
But if there is a costume parade or a class party or both,
you're going to need what wecall a Plan B schedule. And
honestly, that's probably thesmarter move regardless, because
even if your school doesn'tofficially celebrate, your kids
are going to be thinking abouttrick or treating and costumes
all day long.
Emily (13:27):
The goal with a plan B schedule is to keep the routine
predictable, even if theactivities aren't your usual
ones. So if your students areused to doing science from 2 to
2:,30 show a science videoduring that time instead of
trying to teach a regularlesson.
Heidi (13:40):
And you can do the same thing with math. Instead of your
regular lesson, pull out mathgames from earlier in the year
and have your kids rotatethrough stations, or you set
time for a review work packet.
Emily (13:52):
I think this could be maybe our unpopular teaching
opinion, which is that workpackets are a lifesaver,
especially on disruptive dayslike this, and it doesn't mean
that it's just fluff and a wasteof time. A collection of
Halloween themed worksheets thatmix review practice with a few
just for fun pages can keep kidsproductively busy when you need
(14:12):
them to be.
Heidi (14:14):
And we have got a Halloween work packet that
includes pages at threedifferent difficulty levels so
that you can differentiate foryour whole class. It's got that
seasonal theme that makeseverything feel special, but it
is still solid review practice.
Emily (14:29):
You can always count on us for review. To help you
figure out your plan B schedule,here are a couple of examples.
If you've got a morningHalloween party, which is what
my kids school does, and it'sblows my mind every time, but
that's what they do. So it mightlook like 8:30 to 9, costume
parade with parents, 9 to 10:45,class party, 10:45 to 11:30,
(14:51):
clean up and watch a 30 minutemovie, like maybe the 80s
classic Garfield's Halloween orsomething educational about
Heidi (14:59):
But definitely do Garfield, if you've got the
bats.
choice.
Emily (15:01):
I know, it's so nostalgic.
Heidi (15:04):
Then you might have lunch from 11:30 to 12. In the
afternoon, do a morning meetingafter lunch as a way to check in
and reset. Hand out those workpackets, give kids some time to
work. And then you can break upthe work time with brain breaks,
festive breaks, specialtyclasses and reading time.
Emily (15:21):
Yeah, bust out those Halloween books and do some fun
read alouds. You can do one ofthose between every activity. If
your party is in the afternoon,you might do a normal morning
routine then, and then maybe youwant to do a themed writing
activity during your normalwriting time. Hand out a work
packet and give kids time towork. Have recess, read a
Halloween story, maybe play aHalloween math game, finish work
(15:44):
packets, then party time andclean up.
Heidi (15:46):
The key is having a plan, instead of just winging it. When
you know what's coming next, youcan stay calm, and that keeps
your kids calm too.
Emily (15:55):
Now let's talk about managing the actual party. If
you're doing stations, a craftstation, a game station, a snack
station, time those rotationsand have a clear signal for
switching.
Heidi (16:06):
Recruit parent helpers to run the stations if you can, so
that you can supervise the wholeroom instead of getting stuck
trying to manage one activitywhile the rest of the room falls
apart. If you want all of ourbest tips for planning a party
that leaves you smiling insteadof sweating, check out episodes
33, 34 and 96.
Emily (16:25):
As soon as we started talking about the Halloween
party, I just got like itchy,because I have helped at so many
Halloween parties for my kids atthe elementary schools, and most
of them have been verydisorganized. As the helper it
has made me crazy. So please gocheck out those episodes,
because we really go deep intothe nitty gritty, because we
(16:48):
know how exhausting it is tryingto orchestrate fun without
losing control of those 25sugared up kids. So check out
those episodes, and then let'saddress the biggest hassles,
treats and costumes.
Heidi (17:01):
For treats, decide in advance how and when candy gets
eaten. Perhaps it's just onetreat during the party and the
rest goes home, or perhaps it'sa free for all, because you are
sending them home in an houranyway. Decide what works best
for your class, and then let anyparent volunteers know your
expectation.
Emily (17:18):
Also communicate this clearly to students ahead of
time to avoid disappointment. Itmight be a good idea to have non
food options available to likestickers, pencils, small toys
that can keep everyone includedand help you avoid the sugar
overload situation, and thatlike dyed black frosting all
(17:38):
over their face. I hate it somuch.
Heidi (17:41):
Yeah, watch out for that if you're doing sugar cookies as
part of your party.
Emily (17:44):
You can't trust those kits you can get at the store
because the frosting in them isinsane.
Heidi (17:50):
For costumes, if they are allowed at your school, create
what we call a costume contract.Share rules about
appropriateness, safety and whencostumes can be worn or removed.
If costumes aren't worn all day,figure out when the students
will change. Let parents knowthat you aren't going to be
helping anyone get dressed, sothey should practice putting
things on and taking them off athome. Also make it very clear
(18:12):
that students have to be able tomanage the bathroom
independently in their costume.
Emily (18:17):
Oh, yeah, no one wants an accident, especially on
Halloween. If costumes are beingworn at school, you might
consider bringing a backupcostume or two, just in case not
all of your students have onefor whatever reason.
Heidi (18:29):
Yeah, that definitely caught me off guard when I was a
new teacher. I rememberfrantically texting a roommate
with an office job because shecould get away from work in the
middle of the day and askingher, begging her to run to the
store and grab a couple ofcostumes, like whatever was left
at that point. After that year,I made sure to come prepared on
Halloween. I'm not lettingsomething as silly as a costume
(18:51):
parade contribute to anyone'schildhood trauma. Not on my
watch.
Emily (18:54):
No, no way. It's also a good idea to have a repair kit
handy, tape, safety pins, maybesome plastic grocery bags for
costume pieces that won't fit inbackpacks. Trust me, these
situations come up more than youwould expect.
Heidi (19:09):
As crazy as the Halloween festivities are, make sure that
you don't shortcut your end ofday routine. If the party is
scheduled later in your day, leteveryone know that the party
time ends 30 minutes before thebell. That way, if it runs long,
because it'll run long, youstill have a good buffer of time
to clean up the mess and makesure everything is ready for
(19:30):
tomorrow. Trust us, you don'twant to start your day after
Halloween already runningbehind.
Emily (19:36):
And that brings us to our final piece for surviving
Halloween, the reset. This year,Halloween falls on a Friday, so
you've got the weekend torecover, but when it swings back
around to a Sunday, you're goingto need strategies for that
Monday morning.
Heidi (19:48):
Yeah, that's a rough one. Plan a gentle next morning
routine. Play soft music as thekids arrive, make sure to greet
them at the door and hear abouttheir fun adventures, and signal
that it's time to focus onlearning now. Kids need to
transition back to school mode,and you can help them do that
gradually.
Review your expectations andprocedures again, not in a harsh
(20:10):
way, but as a gentle reminder.Remember when we line up, we
turn our voices off and keep ourhands to ourselves.
And give yourself some gracetoo. Halloween is genuinely
exhausting for teachers, but astiring as it is, hopefully you
find a little fun in it too.When you give yourself
permission to lean into theseason, even just a little, you
remind yourself of the thingsyou love about teaching.
Emily (20:32):
And even if it feels like a big waste of time, those tiny
touches are what knit your classtogether. Shared moments like a
festive fluency practice or aclass wide vote on a Halloween
read aloud, build a sense of us.That us is what keeps behavior
manageable all year long,because students feel part of
something bigger thanthemselves.
Heidi (20:51):
That sprinkle of seasonal fun is good for everyone.
Remember these tips so you makeit to November in one piece. Use
the candy rule as a guideline, ahandful of fun creates magic, a
bucket full creates chaos.During the lead up, keep core
routines intact while addinglight seasonal sprinkles. On
Halloween day, have a plan Bschedule and structured
(21:12):
celebrations with clearboundaries. And afterward, plan
a gentle reset.
Emily (21:17):
Halloween doesn't have to be something you just survive.
With the right balance, it canbe something you and your
students actually enjoytogether. We'd love to hear your
best Halloween tips. Come jointhe conversation in our Teacher
Approved Facebook group.
Now for our Teacher Approved Tipof the Week, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is to
(21:38):
create a reset ritual for afterbig, exciting events. Tell us
about this one, Heidi.
Heidi (21:43):
A reset ritual is just a simple, consistent routine that
you use to help everyone getback to baseline. It might be
starting the day with some deepbreathing exercises, doing a
familiar morning meetingactivity, or spending a few
extra minutes reviewing yourclassroom agreements. The key is
that it is predictable andcalming. After all of the
excitement and novelty,everyone's brains need some
(22:06):
structure to grab onto, andprobably so do you.
Emily (22:10):
For Halloween specifically, since this year it
falls on Friday, you could useMonday morning to have kids
share one favorite memory fromtheir Halloween, then do a quick
shake out the sillies activityto physically release any
leftover excitement.
Heidi (22:22):
You might also want to spend a few minutes
acknowledging the transition.Halloween was so fun, and now
we're back to our regularlearning routine. Our brains
might need a few minutes toswitch gears, and that's okay.
Emily (22:33):
The ritual doesn't have to be long or complicated. Even
just dimming the lights andplaying soft music for five
minutes can help signal toeveryone's nervous systems that
it's time to settle in.
Heidi (22:43):
And bonus, if you establish this pattern now, you
can use it all year long, afterthe winter party, after
Valentine's Day, after thatfield trip to the zoo where
everyone got way too excitedabout the monkeys.
Emily (22:54):
Who can blame them? The monkeys are so fun. So pick one
simple activity, breathing, softmusic, a favorite morning
meeting game, a favorite story,whatever feels right to you, and
use it consistently afterexciting events. Your future
self will thank you, and so willyour students.
Heidi (23:10):
To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (23:16):
This is one of my weirder extra credits, I think.
Heidi (23:18):
Okay.
Emily (23:19):
So I've always seen that at Chick fil A, you can get
waffle chips instead of wafflefries. And I was like, who on
earth is getting chips overfries?
Heidi (23:26):
Yes, that's a ridiculous choice.
Emily (23:28):
But then I saw that they have a Chick fil A sauce
flavored chip. And I wascurious. I was just too curious.
I was like, you know what, Imean, I'm just gonna try them.
And it turns out there aredelicious. So I guess I'm giving
extra credit to chips. I kind ofwish you could get them at the
store so that you didn't haveto, well, you know what, I was
just gonna say, so that youdidn't have to give up fries for
(23:51):
chips. Well, who says you haveto give them up? Get both, dang
it. Get the fries and get thechips. They're delicious.
Heidi (23:57):
You deserve it. You're a teacher in October.
Emily (24:00):
That's right. What are you giving extra credit to,
Heidi?
Heidi (24:03):
Okay, well, I think I'm late to the game on this, but
I'm giving extra credit toambience videos on YouTube.
Emily (24:09):
Ooh.
Heidi (24:10):
Now if you have also missed out on these, it's just a
charming image, probably AIgenerated, if we're being
honest, with like, some gentleanimation like a crackling fire
or blowing leaves and calmingsound effects, and it just like
runs on the loop for hours.
Emily (24:26):
Oh my gosh.
Heidi (24:27):
So, you know, a cozy cabin with a fireplace and soft
rainfall. I have been puttingone on in the evenings when I
read, and it turns it into awhole event.
Emily (24:37):
Oh my gosh. I love it.
Heidi (24:39):
I've been using it over my actual fireplace. So if you
want some surprise and delightin your own class, this could be
really fun to add. Tryprojecting one of these
occasionally during work time orreading time. Just I would say a
couple of things I run into,check if it has music, because
that could distract somestudents. And then double check
if it has mid roll commercials.I have been peacefully reading
(25:02):
next to a babbling brook, andthen suddenly a Tide commercial
is shouting at me.
Emily (25:06):
You can block the ads too when you're on YouTube by
putting in a dash between the Tand the U, and then it refreshes
the video without any ads. Theonly problem is if the creator
baked an ad into the video. ButI found that to be very
uncommon. It almost neverhappens, but there are some, and
who knows, I haven't tried thesevideos, so there could be some
(25:28):
baked in ads in there.
Heidi (25:29):
Well, that's good to know. That's a real handy tip.
Yeah, for the most part,especially if you're playing
something at school, you want toput that dash between the T and
the U in YouTube, refresh thepage, and then ad free. You
don't have to worry what mightpop up.
Emily (25:42):
That's it for today's episode. Use our Halloween
Survival Guide to keep the funwithout losing your sanity.
Remember the candy rule, planyour lead up strategies, have
that plan B schedule ready, anddon't forget to build in time
for a reset.
Heidi (25:58):
And make sure to try our teacher approved tip for
creating a reset ritual that youcan use all year long after
exciting events.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeof Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.
Emily (26:10):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (26:17):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily (26:24):
Bye.
This is episode 229 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:13):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:28):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are talking abouthow to keep the Halloween fun
without losing your sanity, andwe're sharing a teacher approved
tip for resetting your roomafter all the Halloween
excitement.
Heidi (00:51):
Let's start with try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can try in yourclassroom right away. Emily,
what is our suggestion for thisweek?
Emily (00:58):
This week, try adding a calm down countdown to your
transitions. So before movingfrom one activity to another,
have students take three deepbreaths and count down from five
together. Sounds simple, butit's amazing how those few
seconds help everyone resettheir energy level.
Heidi (01:16):
I love this one. It absolutely works any time of
year, but it is especiallyhelpful when your kids are
running high on excitement,like, you know, the week before
Halloween, when they'rebasically caffeinated squirrels.
Emily (01:30):
If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, would you pleasetake a minute and give us a five
star rating and review on Applepodcasts, or you can leave a
rating and a comment on Spotify.
Heidi (01:42):
Well, everyone, we have got some great news about
Halloween. This year it falls ona Friday. Woo hoo.
Emily (01:49):
Oh my gosh, that is such a gift. It's too bad it can't
work out that way every year.
Heidi (01:54):
It should just be every year Halloween is on a Friday or
Saturday.
Emily (01:58):
Yes, and we're just so glad that you all get to escape
the day after Halloween hangoverthis year. But of course,
Halloween on Friday also meansmanaging a whole week of soaring
excitement levels.
Heidi (02:11):
It's gonna be a long week. So let's talk about how
you can get through with yoursanity intact. Today we're
sharing our Halloween SurvivalGuide, and basically, it all
comes down to the candy rule.
Emily (02:24):
Yes, everyone loves candy. It's such a big part of
Halloween. However, it is soeasy to overdo it. A small
handful is sweet and magical,but a bucket full leads to a
sugar crash and complete chaos.
Heidi (02:36):
And that sums up our whole management philosophy. A
little Halloween spiritsprinkled into your day can
boost engagement and create thekinds of memories that your kids
will talk about for years. Butif you halloweenify every single
worksheet and throw out all ofyour routines, you are setting
yourself up for a week of tryingto teach those caffeinated
(02:58):
squirrels.
Emily (02:59):
Yeah, nobody wants that. So we're going to walk you
through how to add just enoughHalloween magic without
derailing your whole month.We've got three main areas to
focus on, the lead up to the bigday, Halloween day itself, and
the reset afterward.
Heidi (03:13):
So let's start with the lead up, because this is the
make it or break it point.You're either going to set
yourself up for success, or, youknow, the opposite.
Emily (03:23):
The absolute most essential thing you can do to
have a successful Halloween weekis to keep your core routines
intact. You can't skip this partunless you want to send your
kids straight into chaos.
Heidi (03:35):
But that doesn't mean that you can't add a light
sprinkling of fun.
No, of course we want the fun.We want those seasonal
sprinkles, but remember thecandy rule, a small handful is
great, a big bucket is adisaster.
Yeah, your kids need theirroutines. They thrive on
predictability, especially whenexcitement levels are through
(03:55):
the roof. So don't abandon yourregular morning work or skip
your math block. Lean hard onwhat's normal if you have a
class of kids that tip intooverwhelm easily.
And most will at Halloween time,even if your class mostly can
handle things, like somethingbig like Halloween, is going to
impact pretty much all classes.So just keep that in mind.
(04:16):
Oh yes, definitely.
Emily (04:17):
If your class is able to handle a little spark, try
adding seasonal flair to whatyou're already doing. So, for
example, keep your morningmeeting routine, but you can add
a festive greeting, like Jack O'Lantern grins, where you sit in
a circle and you ask one studentto start. Let's say you pick
Liam. So Liam greets the studenton his left and says the
student's name with O' Lantern.So that would be like, Good
(04:40):
morning, Sophia O'Lantern.
Heidi (04:43):
It's a mouthful.
Emily (04:44):
She returns a greeting, good morning, Liam O'Lantern,
and then they each make theirbest Jack O' Lantern face at
each other.
Heidi (04:50):
I can hear the giggles now. I'd love having a festive
morning meeting greeting. It'svery low key, but it's just the
right amount of fun to keepthings exciting. And we also
love a seasonal morning message.So for example, a question like,
there are three more bats thanspiders. How many bats and
spiders could there be? Leansinto the fun, but it doesn't
(05:12):
take away from the thinking.
Emily (05:13):
And if you want cute, thoughtful done for you morning
messages, we happen to have setsfor first through fourth grade.
They each include a couple 100non-seasonal thinking questions
to get everyone's brain turning,but we also have a set of 60
seasonal questions for eachgrade level. So that gives you
plenty of fun options to choosefrom. We will link to those in
the show notes.
Heidi (05:33):
Keeping your overall routine normal while dropping in
that little bit of novelty meansthat your students' engagement
stays high and you're givingextra energy a safe outlet, but
you're doing all of this withouthaving to compromise
instructional time. Festive butmeaningful is probably our
favorite type of activity. Youcan bet we go to a lot of
parties. One way we keep thingsfestive but meaningful is with
(05:58):
our vocabulary lessons. If youuse our jargon journal
vocabulary program, which welove so much, it's so fun, we
have got festive but meaningfulunits for The Fierce Yellow
Pumpkin, Halloween Night, ScaryScary Halloween, and my personal
favorite, The Vanishing Pumpkin.
Emily (06:14):
Such good books. And while we're pitching our
products, why don't we just letyou know that we also have our
Halloween fluency in a flashlessons. If you don't do
Halloween at your school, wealso have a fun fall theme. But
if you can do Halloween, theyare so fun. You might see the
Sanderson Sisters in there. Youmight see Wednesday and Pugsley
(06:34):
in there. It's so much fun. Thisis like, I think I say this
every time, but the Halloweenset might be like, my favorite
set.
Heidi (06:42):
It's my favorite I think.
Emily (06:44):
Oh, it's so fun. And of course, we do have lots of
non-seasonal fluency in a flashlessons, but we're just really
proud of the seasonal stuff. Itfeels so special. It's hard to
describe these on a podcast,though. So you'll just have to
go try them, I think, to see howinteractive and engaging they
are.
Heidi (07:01):
I really am still blown away every time I watch one of
these. Each day has a meaningfulactivity that targets an
essential fluency skill. But Ipromise that your kids will be
having so much fun, they willnever realize it's educational.
And we will link to our seasonalfluency in a flash mini lessons
in the show notes as well.
Emily (07:18):
The show notes are hopping this week. You got to
check them out.
Heidi (07:20):
Yes they are.
Emily (07:21):
As you plan the rest of your Halloween lead up week,
your math story problems canfeature pumpkins and science can
explore bats, but remember thatthere's no pressure to
halloweenify every single partof your day. In fact, you should
definitely avoid doing that. Ifevery worksheet has a Jack O'
Lantern on it, it stops beingspecial, and then it stops being
(07:41):
a tool that you can use to shapeyour classroom management.
Heidi (07:44):
Remember, we're going for the fun of a handful of candy,
and not the heaviness of a wholebucket, so adding in these
little bits of excitement helpsdraw off the excess energy that
is building up before Halloween.Because these sparks of fun are
increasing your studentsengagement, it makes all of your
classroom management so mucheasier. And if you would like to
sprinkle in some seasonal funwithout having to adapt any of
(08:07):
your content, may we introduceyou to one of our favorite
tools, festive breaks.
Emily (08:14):
Festive breaks are short, low prep activities that you can
pull out whenever you want alittle seasonal excitement.
They're print and go activitieslike Halloween tic tac toe or
roll a monster, and having thesecopied and ready to grab at a
moment's notice will be a hugerelief when you need them.
Heidi (08:31):
Now, the key to a festive break is the activity card. The
front of the card is a cuteseasonal picture, and the back
of the card names a funactivity. Now, as the teacher,
you get to decide how manybreaks you want to do, and you
get to decide when it's time tochoose a card. For example, you
might want to schedule it intoyour day, and you would do an
activity after reading or oneafter lunch.
Emily (08:52):
Or you might want to have students earn an activity with
on task behavior. This is one ofour best holiday management
tips. You could say somethinglike, if everyone works on their
math page for 15 minutes withouttalking, we can choose an
activity, but if people starttalking, I'll have to restart
the timer. Let the structure oftrying to earn a reward tamp
down some of the excess energyin your room.
Heidi (09:14):
And we will put a link to our Halloween festive breaks in
the show notes. Unfortunately,we don't have a non-Halloween
fall set available. I was reallyhoping to get to it this year,
but the calendar won out on thisone.
Yeah, we've been a little bitbusy writing that book we're
writing.
Oh yeah, I don't know if we'vementioned that. Hi everyone.
We're writing a book.
That's a, that's an Easter eggin this episode, is that we are
(09:35):
writing a book, but we'll talkabout that on another episode.
Turns out writing a book takesup a lot of time. Who knew?
But no matter how strategic weare about handling seasonal
spark, the closer we get to the31st, the more the energy level
is going to climb. That'stotally normal, but because we
can predict it, we can plan forhow to address it.
Emily (09:57):
Recognizing when your regular management plan will
need a boost is how you knowyou've achieved peak teacher
status, because this is someninja level stuff.
So decide now how you canincrease your structure to
manage the excess novelty. Agood place to start is with a
discussion. A few days beforeHalloween, preview the plan with
your students. Let them knowwhen the fun stuff will happen
(10:19):
and when it's business as usual.
Heidi (10:21):
try using a visual schedule if you can. Post it
where everyone can see it, sothat you don't get constant wins
the party questions, because youwill. Even though you are
sticking to your normal routinesand core subject blocks as much
as possible, letting kids knowwhen the out of the ordinary is
happening will go a long waytoward keeping everyone calm.
(10:42):
Also, you definitely want tobuild in more brain breaks this
week as well. When kids arebuzzing with excitement, they
need more opportunities to getthe wiggles out.
And guess what we have?
Emily (10:52):
What could it be?
Heidi (10:53):
Well, surprise, we have got 60 Halloween brain breaks
that are perfect for this. We'vedivided them into three
categories, activities toincrease focus, activities to
calm excitement, and activitiesto boost energy. That way you
can find exactly what you needthe moment you need it.
Halloween week, you'll probablyget a lot of use out of our
(11:14):
refocus brain breaks. Those arethe ones you'll turn to to
settle everyone down.
These are so calming. One of myfavorite refocused brain breaks
is a mindful movement activitycalled Fun with Jack. So you
would have your students stand,everyone calm, centered,
breathing slowly and calmly, andthen you'd walk them through
this activity. Pretend you'reholding a Jack O' Lantern
(11:36):
between your hands. Slowly moveit side to side, from left to
right, lower it down to yourfeet and lift it up again.
Slowly raise it to your mouthand blow out the candle with
three slow breaths.
Emily (11:48):
Oh, I feel calmer already. But, and this is
important, for every brainbreak, make sure you set clear
expectations beforehand. Howlong will it last? Where can
students move? How loud can theybe? What is the consequence if
someone chooses not to followthe rules, and what should
happen as soon as the brainbreak is over?
Heidi (12:07):
That last part is so crucial. If you don't have a
clear ending signal, you'regoing to spend five minutes
trying to get everyone back ontrack before you can move on
with the day, and then everyoneis just going to be as tired and
unfocused as they were beforeyou started.
Emily (12:22):
Okay, you've maintained your core classroom structure
while strategically sprinklingin seasonal fun. By the time
Halloween morning hits, yourclass will be excited but still
anchored. They know what toexpect, and you've given them
plenty of appropriate outletsfor all that energy.
Heidi (12:38):
Which means you are ready to tackle the actual day without
everything falling apart. Solet's talk about your Halloween
day game plan.
Emily (12:48):
Feels like we could have a whole series about how to
handle this day. And you know,if Halloween isn't a big deal at
your school, like you don't docostumes or parties, then you
probably could mostly plan anormal day with just a few
seasonal activities sprinkledin. You can have lots of fun
with scarecrows and pumpkins ifwitches and Jack O' Lanterns
aren't the right vibe for yourschool.
Heidi (13:08):
But if there is a costume parade or a class party or both,
you're going to need what wecall a Plan B schedule. And
honestly, that's probably thesmarter move regardless, because
even if your school doesn'tofficially celebrate, your kids
are going to be thinking abouttrick or treating and costumes
all day long.
Emily (13:27):
The goal with a plan B schedule is to keep the routine
predictable, even if theactivities aren't your usual
ones. So if your students areused to doing science from 2 to
2:,30 show a science videoduring that time instead of
trying to teach a regularlesson.
Heidi (13:40):
And you can do the same thing with math. Instead of your
regular lesson, pull out mathgames from earlier in the year
and have your kids rotatethrough stations, or you set
time for a review work packet.
Emily (13:52):
I think this could be maybe our unpopular teaching
opinion, which is that workpackets are a lifesaver,
especially on disruptive dayslike this, and it doesn't mean
that it's just fluff and a wasteof time. A collection of
Halloween themed worksheets thatmix review practice with a few
just for fun pages can keep kidsproductively busy when you need
(14:12):
them to be.
Heidi (14:14):
And we have got a Halloween work packet that
includes pages at threedifferent difficulty levels so
that you can differentiate foryour whole class. It's got that
seasonal theme that makeseverything feel special, but it
is still solid review practice.
Emily (14:29):
You can always count on us for review. To help you
figure out your plan B schedule,here are a couple of examples.
If you've got a morningHalloween party, which is what
my kids school does, and it'sblows my mind every time, but
that's what they do. So it mightlook like 8:30 to 9, costume
parade with parents, 9 to 10:45,class party, 10:45 to 11:30,
(14:51):
clean up and watch a 30 minutemovie, like maybe the 80s
classic Garfield's Halloween orsomething educational about
Heidi (14:59):
But definitely do Garfield, if you've got the
bats.
choice.
Emily (15:01):
I know, it's so nostalgic.
Heidi (15:04):
Then you might have lunch from 11:30 to 12. In the
afternoon, do a morning meetingafter lunch as a way to check in
and reset. Hand out those workpackets, give kids some time to
work. And then you can break upthe work time with brain breaks,
festive breaks, specialtyclasses and reading time.
Emily (15:21):
Yeah, bust out those Halloween books and do some fun
read alouds. You can do one ofthose between every activity. If
your party is in the afternoon,you might do a normal morning
routine then, and then maybe youwant to do a themed writing
activity during your normalwriting time. Hand out a work
packet and give kids time towork. Have recess, read a
Halloween story, maybe play aHalloween math game, finish work
(15:44):
packets, then party time andclean up.
Heidi (15:46):
The key is having a plan, instead of just winging it. When
you know what's coming next, youcan stay calm, and that keeps
your kids calm too.
Emily (15:55):
Now let's talk about managing the actual party. If
you're doing stations, a craftstation, a game station, a snack
station, time those rotationsand have a clear signal for
switching.
Heidi (16:06):
Recruit parent helpers to run the stations if you can, so
that you can supervise the wholeroom instead of getting stuck
trying to manage one activitywhile the rest of the room falls
apart. If you want all of ourbest tips for planning a party
that leaves you smiling insteadof sweating, check out episodes
33, 34 and 96.
Emily (16:25):
As soon as we started talking about the Halloween
party, I just got like itchy,because I have helped at so many
Halloween parties for my kids atthe elementary schools, and most
of them have been verydisorganized. As the helper it
has made me crazy. So please gocheck out those episodes,
because we really go deep intothe nitty gritty, because we
(16:48):
know how exhausting it is tryingto orchestrate fun without
losing control of those 25sugared up kids. So check out
those episodes, and then let'saddress the biggest hassles,
treats and costumes.
Heidi (17:01):
For treats, decide in advance how and when candy gets
eaten. Perhaps it's just onetreat during the party and the
rest goes home, or perhaps it'sa free for all, because you are
sending them home in an houranyway. Decide what works best
for your class, and then let anyparent volunteers know your
expectation.
Emily (17:18):
Also communicate this clearly to students ahead of
time to avoid disappointment. Itmight be a good idea to have non
food options available to likestickers, pencils, small toys
that can keep everyone includedand help you avoid the sugar
overload situation, and thatlike dyed black frosting all
(17:38):
over their face. I hate it somuch.
Heidi (17:41):
Yeah, watch out for that if you're doing sugar cookies as
part of your party.
Emily (17:44):
You can't trust those kits you can get at the store
because the frosting in them isinsane.
Heidi (17:50):
For costumes, if they are allowed at your school, create
what we call a costume contract.Share rules about
appropriateness, safety and whencostumes can be worn or removed.
If costumes aren't worn all day,figure out when the students
will change. Let parents knowthat you aren't going to be
helping anyone get dressed, sothey should practice putting
things on and taking them off athome. Also make it very clear
(18:12):
that students have to be able tomanage the bathroom
independently in their costume.
Emily (18:17):
Oh, yeah, no one wants an accident, especially on
Halloween. If costumes are beingworn at school, you might
consider bringing a backupcostume or two, just in case not
all of your students have onefor whatever reason.
Heidi (18:29):
Yeah, that definitely caught me off guard when I was a
new teacher. I rememberfrantically texting a roommate
with an office job because shecould get away from work in the
middle of the day and askingher, begging her to run to the
store and grab a couple ofcostumes, like whatever was left
at that point. After that year,I made sure to come prepared on
Halloween. I'm not lettingsomething as silly as a costume
(18:51):
parade contribute to anyone'schildhood trauma. Not on my
watch.
Emily (18:54):
No, no way. It's also a good idea to have a repair kit
handy, tape, safety pins, maybesome plastic grocery bags for
costume pieces that won't fit inbackpacks. Trust me, these
situations come up more than youwould expect.
Heidi (19:09):
As crazy as the Halloween festivities are, make sure that
you don't shortcut your end ofday routine. If the party is
scheduled later in your day, leteveryone know that the party
time ends 30 minutes before thebell. That way, if it runs long,
because it'll run long, youstill have a good buffer of time
to clean up the mess and makesure everything is ready for
(19:30):
tomorrow. Trust us, you don'twant to start your day after
Halloween already runningbehind.
Emily (19:36):
And that brings us to our final piece for surviving
Halloween, the reset. This year,Halloween falls on a Friday, so
you've got the weekend torecover, but when it swings back
around to a Sunday, you're goingto need strategies for that
Monday morning.
Heidi (19:48):
Yeah, that's a rough one. Plan a gentle next morning
routine. Play soft music as thekids arrive, make sure to greet
them at the door and hear abouttheir fun adventures, and signal
that it's time to focus onlearning now. Kids need to
transition back to school mode,and you can help them do that
gradually.
Review your expectations andprocedures again, not in a harsh
(20:10):
way, but as a gentle reminder.Remember when we line up, we
turn our voices off and keep ourhands to ourselves.
And give yourself some gracetoo. Halloween is genuinely
exhausting for teachers, but astiring as it is, hopefully you
find a little fun in it too.When you give yourself
permission to lean into theseason, even just a little, you
remind yourself of the thingsyou love about teaching.
Emily (20:32):
And even if it feels like a big waste of time, those tiny
touches are what knit your classtogether. Shared moments like a
festive fluency practice or aclass wide vote on a Halloween
read aloud, build a sense of us.That us is what keeps behavior
manageable all year long,because students feel part of
something bigger thanthemselves.
Heidi (20:51):
That sprinkle of seasonal fun is good for everyone.
Remember these tips so you makeit to November in one piece. Use
the candy rule as a guideline, ahandful of fun creates magic, a
bucket full creates chaos.During the lead up, keep core
routines intact while addinglight seasonal sprinkles. On
Halloween day, have a plan Bschedule and structured
(21:12):
celebrations with clearboundaries. And afterward, plan
a gentle reset.
Emily (21:17):
Halloween doesn't have to be something you just survive.
With the right balance, it canbe something you and your
students actually enjoytogether. We'd love to hear your
best Halloween tips. Come jointhe conversation in our Teacher
Approved Facebook group.
Now for our Teacher Approved Tipof the Week, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is to
(21:38):
create a reset ritual for afterbig, exciting events. Tell us
about this one, Heidi.
Heidi (21:43):
A reset ritual is just a simple, consistent routine that
you use to help everyone getback to baseline. It might be
starting the day with some deepbreathing exercises, doing a
familiar morning meetingactivity, or spending a few
extra minutes reviewing yourclassroom agreements. The key is
that it is predictable andcalming. After all of the
excitement and novelty,everyone's brains need some
(22:06):
structure to grab onto, andprobably so do you.
Emily (22:10):
For Halloween specifically, since this year it
falls on Friday, you could useMonday morning to have kids
share one favorite memory fromtheir Halloween, then do a quick
shake out the sillies activityto physically release any
leftover excitement.
Heidi (22:22):
You might also want to spend a few minutes
acknowledging the transition.Halloween was so fun, and now
we're back to our regularlearning routine. Our brains
might need a few minutes toswitch gears, and that's okay.
Emily (22:33):
The ritual doesn't have to be long or complicated. Even
just dimming the lights andplaying soft music for five
minutes can help signal toeveryone's nervous systems that
it's time to settle in.
Heidi (22:43):
And bonus, if you establish this pattern now, you
can use it all year long, afterthe winter party, after
Valentine's Day, after thatfield trip to the zoo where
everyone got way too excitedabout the monkeys.
Emily (22:54):
Who can blame them? The monkeys are so fun. So pick one
simple activity, breathing, softmusic, a favorite morning
meeting game, a favorite story,whatever feels right to you, and
use it consistently afterexciting events. Your future
self will thank you, and so willyour students.
Heidi (23:10):
To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (23:16):
This is one of my weirder extra credits, I think.
Heidi (23:18):
Okay.
Emily (23:19):
So I've always seen that at Chick fil A, you can get
waffle chips instead of wafflefries. And I was like, who on
earth is getting chips overfries?
Heidi (23:26):
Yes, that's a ridiculous choice.
Emily (23:28):
But then I saw that they have a Chick fil A sauce
flavored chip. And I wascurious. I was just too curious.
I was like, you know what, Imean, I'm just gonna try them.
And it turns out there aredelicious. So I guess I'm giving
extra credit to chips. I kind ofwish you could get them at the
store so that you didn't haveto, well, you know what, I was
just gonna say, so that youdidn't have to give up fries for
(23:51):
chips. Well, who says you haveto give them up? Get both, dang
it. Get the fries and get thechips. They're delicious.
Heidi (23:57):
You deserve it. You're a teacher in October.
Emily (24:00):
That's right. What are you giving extra credit to,
Heidi?
Heidi (24:03):
Okay, well, I think I'm late to the game on this, but
I'm giving extra credit toambience videos on YouTube.
Emily (24:09):
Ooh.
Heidi (24:10):
Now if you have also missed out on these, it's just a
charming image, probably AIgenerated, if we're being
honest, with like, some gentleanimation like a crackling fire
or blowing leaves and calmingsound effects, and it just like
runs on the loop for hours.
Emily (24:26):
Oh my gosh.
Heidi (24:27):
So, you know, a cozy cabin with a fireplace and soft
rainfall. I have been puttingone on in the evenings when I
read, and it turns it into awhole event.
Emily (24:37):
Oh my gosh. I love it.
Heidi (24:39):
I've been using it over my actual fireplace. So if you
want some surprise and delightin your own class, this could be
really fun to add. Tryprojecting one of these
occasionally during work time orreading time. Just I would say a
couple of things I run into,check if it has music, because
that could distract somestudents. And then double check
if it has mid roll commercials.I have been peacefully reading
(25:02):
next to a babbling brook, andthen suddenly a Tide commercial
is shouting at me.
Emily (25:06):
You can block the ads too when you're on YouTube by
putting in a dash between the Tand the U, and then it refreshes
the video without any ads. Theonly problem is if the creator
baked an ad into the video. ButI found that to be very
uncommon. It almost neverhappens, but there are some, and
who knows, I haven't tried thesevideos, so there could be some
(25:28):
baked in ads in there.
Heidi (25:29):
Well, that's good to know. That's a real handy tip.
Yeah, for the most part,especially if you're playing
something at school, you want toput that dash between the T and
the U in YouTube, refresh thepage, and then ad free. You
don't have to worry what mightpop up.
Emily (25:42):
That's it for today's episode. Use our Halloween
Survival Guide to keep the funwithout losing your sanity.
Remember the candy rule, planyour lead up strategies, have
that plan B schedule ready, anddon't forget to build in time
for a reset.
Heidi (25:58):
And make sure to try our teacher approved tip for
creating a reset ritual that youcan use all year long after
exciting events.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeof Teacher Approved. I'm Heidi.
Emily (26:10):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (26:17):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily (26:24):
Bye.
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