Back to School Traditions

I wanted to document these so that next year I could know exactly what I did. If anyone has any other cool traditions, please share.
Mini Time Capsules
At the beginning of last year I had the kids fill out this little questionnaire and then along with a picture, roll it up into a toilet paper tube and wrap it in tissue paper.
I actually forgot about them and so luckily I found them in time (part of why I wanted to record this). We did this with our cousins and opened them on the night before back to school. The kids were excited to see what they wrote and they looked surprisingly different than their picture a year ago. Here is what they wrote last year, pretty funny. I think next year, I will have them first fill out the new form, and make the time capsules, before they open the old one so that the answers are more likely to be different.

Shayden's answers:

My name is Shayden

I am going to be in 1st grade this year.

The thing that I am most excited about this year is Science Class.

The thing I am least excited about is when it is taking a long time.

I hope my teacher is nice and fun.

My favorite thing about the summer of 2007 was when we went on a plane to see Brianna.

My least favorite thing about the summer of 2007 was when we were sitting in the car all wet.

My favorite piece of clothing right now are my flip flops.

My favorite toy is my fishing pole.

The last book I read was started Magic Tree House #1.

My favorite food is pizza.

My favorite movie is Transformers.

I hope this year I can do my best.

When I grow up I want to be a vet.

Father's Blessing-the night before

Read the "Kissing Hand" before bed- This is such a cute story, this year I decided to make this a tradition. Shayden's Kindergarten class read this and it stuck with him, now he asks for a "kissing hand" every now and then. If you haven't read it, go get it from the library, it's a good one.

Special Letter from mom- This year I wrote Shayden a letter (because he can read) going over some of my favorite memories from this summer. I also told him my hopes for him this year and how proud I am of him. I put it under his pillow so he could read it right before he went to sleep.

Pictures, pictures, pictures- Holding up the number of the grade they are starting with their fingers. By classroom, etc.

Red apple to Teacher- I may do the equivalent of this in some years (apple hand sanitizer from bath/body works, for example) but this year it was fun just to do an apple. The teachers loved it.

Pick Dinner- I let them each pick the dinner that they wanted to celebrate, Shay picked Lipton Soup (my one craving at the beginning of my pregnancy, funny) and Jasmine picked Mac n Cheese, so both were easy to appease.
Some years we may go out to ice-cream too :)

It seems like a lot but it was all pretty easy...