You Need: A Halloween Costume

The bad news first: A white sheet and a kid do not a ghost maketh. To cobble together a costume, read on.
The Quick Fix:

For Girls: Her closet probably has the makings of a fairy princess — a leotard, a wand, a tutu. Just add glitter gel to her face and hands. “Whether the costume is accurate to a character doesn’t matter. Kids will go for it,” says Laurel Burke, co-owner of the Spook Shop costume store, in Bellingham, Washington, and a film production designer. For a crown, cut points into a sparkly or colored translucent school folder and glue the ends together, says Burke.

For Boys: Got a big cardboard box? Cut off the flaps and cut holes for arms and a head. Spray-paint it silver or decorate it with markers and you have a robot. To make feet, cut a hole into the bottoms of two shoe boxes for him to put his ankles through, then have him put on his shoes underneath.

For Both: Superheroes fly with everyone. To make this costume, all you need is a cape, an eye mask, and a logo. If you can’t find an eye mask, draw one on with face paint; you can make a logo out of construction paper according to your child’s whim. “Suddenly, he’s Super-Pickle!” says Burke.

For more quick and easy ideas, see Quick, Easy Halloween Costumes

You Need: A Gift for a Teacher

If you had planned ahead, you might have bought a thoughtful, pampering gift. Or, at the very least, a "World's Best Teacher" mug.
The Quick Fix: Gift cards are a slam dunk, provided they’re not too specific (such as one for a clothing store that might not suit someone’s taste), says Fran Shea, a kindergarten teacher in Putnam County, New York, who has been an educator for 18 years. Stick to spa treatments, dinner at a local restaurant (pick one that is on the way to school to save more time), department stores, or bookstores. “I love those,” Shea adds, “because I can buy books for myself or the classroom.” As for the amount, anything from $5 to $50 is fair game — but $100 is too much.