Early November may not strike the reader as being the right time for a large-scale purchase of Halloween party supplies, but some people would make their lives easier by acquiring such supplies at that time. Some people hold a position that allows them to know ahead of time that such supplies will eventually be needed. School teachers frequently fall in this group. Teachers who know that next October will find them at the head of a classroom full of kindergarten students should plan to buy their Halloween party supplies during the first weeks of November.
The experienced kindergarten teacher has invariably learned that a Halloween party has the ability to contribute substantially to the curriculum in a kindergarten classroom. Why is that the case? First, mention of the holiday of Halloween could assure many students that not all of the material soon to be presented will be strange and new. As the students struggle to understand and learn the dos and don'ts of the kindergarten classroom, they might take comfort in the mention of Halloween. That is why the kindergarten teacher should shop early for both Halloween party supplies and Halloween party decorations.
Another reason that the kindergarten teacher should shop early for Halloween party supplies evolves from the ability of Halloween to serve as a focus for the teaching of important fundamentals. For example, students who are looking forward to Halloween can learn how to use the calendar, counting-off the days until the teacher will be using his or her Halloween party supplies. In addition, the creation by the students of one or two supplies could be used to teach about basic shapes.
If the students are asked to decorate a trick-or-treat bag, then the teacher could encourage the use of specific shapes. The students could be provided with triangle patterns for the creation of witch hats and circular patterns for the creation of jack-o-lanterns. The teacher might want to mention that the hats should be cut from the black paper, and the jack-o-lanterns from the orange paper. In that way the creation of added Halloween party supplies will have become a learning experience.
On the day when the teacher and the students prepare to make use of the Halloween party supplies and the Halloween party decorations, the teacher is provided with a way to shine a spotlight on some previously overlooked students. A Halloween party could provide a time for many Halloween games. The winners of those games would, of course, get prizes, but not prizes for classroom work. Imagine the smile that would appear on the faces of those students who then, for possibly the first time since the start of the school year, had received some type of reward.
For all of the above reasons the kindergarten teacher should take advantage of the sale prices in November. She should see this time of the year as a time to stock-up on Halloween party supplies. With those supplies in hand, the teacher might soon discover her own unique way of adding a touch of Halloween to the kindergarten curriculum.