Halloween Candy Delivery
Halloween is just around the corner, and you know what that means! It’s time to get spooky and start planning for some sweet treats for your fellow teachers and educators at your school.
This Halloween, teach important job skills by running a Halloween Candy Purchase & Delivery Student Business!
Let me share the steps to this meaningful business that benefits our students and spreads joy during this spooky season.
How the Business Idea Began
First, let’s have a background story of how this business idea started.
I work with special education students at a high school in Greater Boston. I have a student who loves making rounds at our school and making social visits to the teachers, staff, and other folks. Every October, he expects to get candy when he visits certain offices. But one day, he was disappointed when he found an empty candy bowl. He wondered why there was no candy that day.
This got us thinking – maybe the staff was too busy to shop for Halloween treats. Why not do the candy shopping for them? That’s how our candy delivery business was born!
How the Business Works
This Halloween Candy Purchase and Delivery Business is the perfect activity to use all month long to help your students practice different skills. This can teach them money math, consumer, and life skills. Plus, it’s a great job opportunity for them.
Basically, the idea is to create a purchase and delivery service for the school staff every Halloween.
What will the students do?
- Collect orders
- Make a shopping list
- Shop within a budget
- Fill out and organize forms
- Create and deliver invoices
- Collect payment
- Deliver the goods
It’s simple yet fun and beneficial for our students. While I have used this for transition students who are 18 to 22 years old, you can also do this activity with younger students!
Steps for the Candy Delivery Business
Are you ready to start this fun Halloween activity? Here are the 10 easy steps in running a candy delivery business with your students! And you know what will make this easier?
A complete bundle of all the materials you’d need – including a FREE flyer, order forms, invoice forms, and visual instructions for your students.
Step 1: Planning
The key to a successful business is planning! Gather your students and let them brainstorm what they want their Halloween Candy Delivery business to be like. Think about candy choices, delivery methods, and even a fun Halloween-themed name for your business.
Also, include the administrative and safety considerations for this business; you’ll have to run this idea to your school admin to get their approval and even their suggestions.
Next, list your safety concerns, especially when you’re going out to purchase your candies. Review travel safety practices with students if need be.
Step 2: Role Assignments
Your special education students have unique Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Assign them different roles based on their IEPs and interests.
What tasks can you assign and what skills will be developed?
|
TASKS |
SKILLS |
|
Creating order forms and invoices |
Functional reading and writing |
|
Cutting order forms and flyers |
Fine motor |
|
Checking order forms and master list |
Matching information |
|
Online candy research and online order form |
Technology |
|
Marketing and customer service |
Social interaction |
|
Making purchases and collecting payment |
Money math |
|
Delivery and shopping |
Community skills |
Everyone can play a meaningful role in this business while learning important life skills!
Step 3: Time Management
Effective time management is key to running a smooth operation. When you’re done assigning roles, think of how you and your students can manage time properly. This way, you won’t get overwhelmed with tasks and you will avoid delays in orders.
You’ll want to get started in late September or early to mid October, depending on how many orders you expect to have.
To keep things manageable, focus on three orders at a time. This allows you to send groups of students to make purchases for individual teachers. Depending on the number of orders, you can make purchases and deliveries one to three times a week.
Step 4: Supplies
While you don’t really need to buy supplies in advance, you do have some preparations to make. You’ll need to create order forms, send them out, and generate invoices once the candy is purchased.
A clipboard and stapler can help you keep things organized, You might need a table for order collections as well.
Additionally, use these free printed flyers to promote your Halloween business.
If you want, you can also get creative with packaging. Get candy bags or boxes and add some Halloween designs.
Step 5: Marketing
Get the word out about your Halloween Candy Delivery business!
By late September, start sending out advertisement flyers to teachers and staff around the school. You can create eye-catching ones, both in print and digital forms. But if you don’t have time, use this FREE ready-made flyer!
Start small by distributing flyers to a select group of people, gradually expanding your outreach over the years.
What’s more, you can even post your digital flyers on social media to reach a wider audience. Make sure to mention your delivery service and the special students behind it – people love supporting a good cause!
Step 6: Delivery Fees & Pricing
If you’re using this activity as a fundraiser for your class, you can add a little extra profit – but remember to keep the prices affordable to attract more customers.
As for the delivery service, you may opt to work for tips instead of charging a delivery fee. You’d be surprised how many tips you will get!
In our class, this money went directly to our students. Another option is to combine all the tips to save for future community trips.
You can collect tips weekly and distribute them to the students who helped that week.
Step 7: Taking Orders
For the orders, set up a simple order system, like the Google form above.
We used a digital form to collect information from fellow teachers, then transferred them to paper order forms for the students to use for the rest of the process.
Ensure that these forms capture all essential information, including candy preferences, payment details, and delivery instructions.
After receiving order forms, make sure to enter the details in a master list for easy tracking. Then, teach your students how to send an invoice for each order.
Step 8: Candy Purchase
Now comes the best part – going shopping!
Beforehand, you can assign some students to search for local shops that offer the best prices for your treats. Some may have a special Halloween sale, and others may offer wholesale prices for bulk buying.
Check the expiration dates and make sure the treats will remain fresh until Halloween.
When purchasing, make sure to keep orders organized by attaching the Invoices, so they do not get mixed up.
Step 9: Organization & Delivery
When the orders are ready, it’s time to deliver! Organize a designated delivery schedule with specific times and locations within the school. If your school is big, you may want to assign students to cover different areas.
Have your candy packages neatly arranged and ensure that each order is clearly labeled. You can staple the invoice directly on the package if you want.
Another tip: If a mobile cart is available, use it to make deliveries easier!
Step 10: Checking & Review
After all the candy deliveries are done, it’s time to wrap things up! Help your students collect and count the earnings. Ensure that the total matches what you expected based on the orders received.
You should also review the master list to check if no orders were missed. If there are any problems, it’s an opportunity for the students to address them promptly. For example, if an order was missed, discuss how to make arrangements for a follow-up delivery or a refund.
Lastly, gather everyone and talk about your Halloween Candy Delivery experience! Ask your students how they feel and what they learned during this activity. Moreover, acknowledge their participation and hard work.
Happy Halloween!
Starting a business run by your special education students can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience. It not only provides valuable learning opportunities but also spreads joy within your school community.
By following these easy steps and adjusting them according to your preferences, you can create a learning experience this Halloween!
Exploring what to teach your transition students, and overwhelmed by the endless ideas??
Remember that your units of focus will depend on your students’ needs; you can build your own curriculum map for the year by using this guide in conjunction with your students’ IEP goals.
You can get the Transition Roadmap Scope & Sequence here!
