For most teachers, Halloween is the least favorite holiday— the crazy costumes, the excitement and anticipation for a night of trick or treating, and, of course, the never ending stream of candy. For one Utah school, however, Halloween is the most anticipated holiday. The administration, teachers, and staff come together to create a magical experience for students. Every year, they choose a theme to center the holiday around; it’s usually based on a well known animated movie. Beginning in January, they start planning and gathering ideas. As the year goes on, they hammer out all the final details, collect supplies and props, and plan out every detail. The days before Halloween are spent setting up what they can without giving away the theme. Then, the night before Halloween, it’s all hands on deck, and the entire staff (and usually some recruited family members) stay at the school late into the night setting up and decorating so the magic is ready when school starts the next morning.
It’s really quite a feat. Students make their guesses, but the teachers and staff stay tight-lipped. The magic that is created is palpable, and it’s always an unforgettable experience. Last year’s theme was Toy Story— you can read about it and see pictures here.
I didn’t think last year could be beat, but was equally amazed at this year’s theme: Cars. Every detail was included— even real cars (including a Mac semi truck and school bus) parked in front of the school, made to look like characters from the movie. Come along as I take you on a virtual tour of the magic that was created this year!
I think it’s safe to say that those teachers deserve a three day weekend to recover from all their work to pull that off! What an incredible job they did!
Holiday themed books add such a fun element to holidays! They are usually only pulled out once a year, making them even more special. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite Halloween themed books for you— check them out!
Pumpkins on Strike by Jennifer Jones
The pumpkins are tired of being mistreated— they are always getting painted on, cut up and carved, and they just won’t take it anymore! They band together and go on strike, refusing to let anyone else mistreat them. Once the humans realize how they’ve been hurting the pumpkins, they try to make things right by throwing a celebration for their pumpkin friends.
This book has cute illustrations and emphasizes the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.
Pig the Monster by Aaron Blabey
Another book in the Pig the Pug series, this book follows Pig on a Halloween rampage. Pig wants all the candy for himself, and will do just about anything to get it. At the end of the night, he spreads out his candy and begins to frantically eat his loot. His friend Trevor warns him not to eat a chocolate bar, but Pig doesn’t listen and ends up in trouble because of it. Trevor saves the day, and Pig learns a lesson about not being greedy and not overeating candy.
The Pig books are always a good time, with great illustrations, stories written in rhyme, and a good lesson at the end of the book. This book was no exception, and is just as delightful as the other books in the series.
Goodnight, Broom by Deb Adamson and Illustrated by Ma Pe
This book is a cute spoof on the children’s classic, Goodnight, Moon. It shows a cute little witch getting ready for bed, saying goodnight to all the spooky things in her room.
The illustrations are fun and engaging, and the story is a sweet Halloween bed time story.
Gustavo, the Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago
Gustavo is a lonely, shy ghost. He is always being left out and doesn’t have any friends. The idea of making friends terrifies him, but he wants so badly to have a friend. He tries so hard to fit in, but no one seems to see him. He decides he has to be brave and let people see him for who he is. He decides that he will put on a violin concert and invites the other kids to come listen. The day of the concert comes, and he is very nervous. No one comes to hear him. He begins playing anyway, and gets carried away in the music. Soon, all the other monsters show up and apologize for being late. They are very impressed with his music and can finally see Gustavo for who he is. Gustavo soon has many friends and feels so loved.
The pictures in this book are adorable, and the story teaches a powerful lesson about being true to yourself.
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
This book is probably my all time favorite Halloween book. Written in rhyme and repetition, Room on the Broom follows a witch as she keeps losing things while flying on her broom. Every time she lands to find what she lost, she picks up a new friend… until her broom just can’t handle the weight of all the friends. The broom snaps and they all go tumbling down, only to be met by a big, mean, hungry dragon. Covered in swamp goo, the new friends band together to scare the dragon away and save their witch friend.
The rhyming and repetition in this book make it very engaging and fun for kids and adults alike. Along with being a fun read, the story teaches a great lesson about including and making room for everyone, as well as working together to help friends.
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And there you have it! There are so many fun Halloween picture books out there, and I had a hard time narrowing it down to just these five. If you haven’t read these already, head to your local library and check them out! Or, if someone else has already snagged them, you can find read alouds of each of these books on YouTube.
It’s time for another fun Halloween print & go activity for you to use in your classroom! These kinds of activities are great for early finishers, quiet table work, or even as an activity for your class party! Today I have a fun Halloween I Spy worksheet that you can print out and use. For those who want options, I’ve included both a black and white version as well as a color version.
Have students count each Halloween picture, then write how many of that picture they find at the bottom of the page.
Parents— this is also a great activity to print off and keep in your quiet bag and may give you some peace during a wait at the doctor’s office, on a longer car ride, or if you just need a minute to breathe during the day! Laminate it or throw it into a sheet protector, and you’ve got an activity your kids can do again and again.
** As always, please do not sell, repost, or claim as your own. This printable is intended for classroom or home use only. **
It’s no secret how much I enjoy holiday-themed activities! They just bring such a fun element to a lesson and spark so much creativity. Even though we typically think of holiday themed activities as being targeted toward elementary aged kids, you can easily bring them into any content area and any grade level simply by modifying the difficulty of the activity.
Thought I can appreciate all content areas, English/Language Arts is my favorite, since that is what I spent many years teaching. And since we are nearing Halloween, I thought it would be appropriate to share some fun Halloween themed Language Arts activities!
(Most of these will be geared more toward junior high aged kids, but can be modified for other grade levels as well.)
Read some “spooky” stories or poems. Edgar Allen Poe is always a good option for this time of year. In particular, “Tell Tale Heart” is a stellar choice for junior high students. Other options include “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving. Did you know Roald Dahl even has some spooky short stories?!
Ask students to write a descriptive paragraph or two giving detailed descriptions of a haunted house. Have them trade papers with a classmate and have them create a physical model (drawing, painting, cut and glue, etc.) of the haunted house using what is written.
Have students write a personal narrative about their favorite Halloween or a favorite family Halloween tradition.
Have students write and illustrate a simple Halloween children’s book.
Have students write a persuasive piece defending their right to still trick-or-treat.
Using the free “Roll A Story” printable below, have students write a short story using the elements their dice rolls choose for them.
Play some fun Halloween music while your students work on one or more of these delightful Halloween themed activities, and you’ve easily set up a fun work environment for your students to work in! Teenagers might put up a front that they are “too old” for things like this, but deep down, they love it and will eat it right up when given the chance!
** This printable is free, and is intended for home or classroom use only. Please do not resell, repost, or claim as your own. **
It’s officially Fall! The leaves are changing where I live, and the morning air is crisp. It’s a beautiful thing! New seasons bring all kinds of changes, and those changes create great opportunities for exciting learning opportunities as well as lots of fun, creative art activities. Below you will find a few suggestions and ideas for some Fall fun in your classroom! Feel free to modify any activity to fit your students’ needs.
Science:
Learn about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. Taste test different kinds of apples.
Learn about why the leaves change their colors. Talk a walk outside and see how many colors of leaves you can spot.
Investigate why the temperatures start to drop. Discuss the Earth’s rotation and position this time of year.
Art:
Go outside and gather some leaves from the ground. Use them to create leaf rubbings, stamps with paint, or press them and make a bookmark.
Draw a fall scene.
Gather small leaves from outside. Draw a tree trunk and branches on paper, then glue the leaves onto the tree.
Language Arts:
Read some books about Fall.
Write an acrostic poem using FALL or AUTUMN.
Write a descriptive paragraph describing a fall scene.
Math:
If available in your area, collect fallen acorns or pinecones. Sort and count in several different ways.
Conduct a class-wide survey about favorite Fall activities. Create a bar graph with the results.
Use fall themed candy as math manipulatives.
Print out and have students complete the Fall Find and Count printable at the end of this post.
Students learn best when a learning experience is engaging. And honestly, from a teacher’s perspective, teaching is much more enjoyable when the material you are teaching is fun and engaging. Play into the seasons, holidays, and other special occasions— I bet you’ll have as much fun as the students do!
** Feel free to download the free Fall Find and Count worksheet— it is only for personal and classroom use. Please do not distribute, sell, or use as your own.**
In my last post, I shared a couple of printable worksheets/activities that you could use to teach your kids or students about Independence Day. Since not all kiddos are interested in worksheet-style learning, I’m back with a few more ideas! Teaching kids about the history of our nation is so important. It’s important for them to understand how our country was founded and to know about the incredibly brave men and women who fought (and still do fight) and worked so hard to establish America.
Teaching kids about history doesn’t have to be boring. It’s easy to incorporate play and games into their learning. Below are a few ideas you can try!
Patriotic Sensory Bin
Using any sensory bin base you’d like (my favorites are rice or beans), you can add small patriotic themed items. Ideas include small flags, red, white, and blue gems/stars/pom-poms, small pictures of national monuments or presidents, and so forth. Bury the items in the sensory base, and let your kids get to work exploring and finding fun treasures!
Patriotic Matching
Print off two copies of several pictures of our national symbols, monuments, presidents, Founding Fathers, etc. Glue them on to paper squares and play memory. Whenever a match is made, take a minute to talk about why the object or person in the picture is important to America’s history.
If memory style matching isn’t something your child likes, you can place one set of pictures on the table or wall, then hide the other set of pictures around the house or room. Again, as matches are found, talk about each picture.
Independence Day Trivia
This is a great activity for older kids. Write down several questions (and answers) about the history, places, and people of our nation. Divide kids into teams and have an Independence Day Trivia Face-Off. If the person whose turn it is can answer the question without their team’s help, two points are awarded to that team. If they need the team’s help, one point is awarded for a correct answer. If the first team is unable to answer correctly, the second team gets a chance, earning one point for a correct answer. You could place a small flag in the center of the table, and the first person to grab it gets the first chance to answer the question.
Tally the points as you go, and the winners get a red, white, and blue rocket popsicle!
Historical Story-Telling
Assign each child a story from our nation’s history. Give them a few minutes to prepare, then have them re-tell the story in their own words. Another version of this would be to have them write and illustrate a children’s book telling the story they have been assigned.
American Role Play
Rather than having them verbally re-tell a story or event, have children reenact an important event. Provide props and costumes if available!
A Star-Spangled Sing-A-Long
Teach kids the words to our national anthem and have them sing along. Be sure to explain what all the words mean, the history behind why the song was written, how it became our national anthem, and even a little bit about the man who wrote it!
Patriotic Crafting
There are endless options here— have kids create a flag out of various materials, use different methods to paint “fireworks”, or create a mosaic of the flag, a monument, or person. Never underestimate the power of construction paper, scissors, and a glue stick!
Whatever you decide to do, remember to keep it age appropriate, make it fun and engaging, and let kids use their imaginations! The material and skills learned are the most important part of activities like these, so there isn’t one “perfect” way to get things done. Relax, have fun, and remember that messes can be cleaned up!
Independence Day is such a fun holiday. Beyond the parades, fireworks, and BBQs, there’s so much history behind the day. Most kids aren’t in school at this point of the summer, so it gives parents an incredible opportunity to teach their children a bit about the history of our nation and the sacrifices and work it took to build our country. No matter your political views, I think we can all acknowledge just how incredible it was what our Founding Fathers did!
Whether you’re staying home this Fourth of July or traveling to be with family and friends, you can use these free printable activities to both keep your kids busy and teach them a little bit about our nation’s birthday!
** These printables are FREE, but please only use them for personal or classroom use. Do not resell, re-post, or claim as your own. **
