1. Read a Halloween poem or song and find rhyming words, similes, metaphors, nouns, verbs, onomatopoeia, and so on.
2. Find Halloween-related words in the dictionary by using guide words. Divide them into syllables, write the accent mark, tell the part of speech, give the definition, add suffixes...whatever skills you want to review.
3. Research the origin of Halloween and its symbols. Write a report and include a bibliography.
4. Brainstorm a list of Halloween words and create your own crossword, kriss-kross, or word search puzzles.
5. Write a Halloween story or a short play. Perform the play and tape it!
6. Tape the class singing Halloween songs and play them on October 31.
7. See how many 3-letter words you can make out of 'Halloween.'
8. Cut out Halloween pictures from different print media to make cards or a collage.
9. Give everyone some colored M&M's and have children graph them. Alternately, have children classify the candy they bring to school and graph the different kinds. Possible categories are chocolatey, nutty, soft, and hard.
10. Look through newspaper ads and see what you would buy if you had $20. If your children are old enough, have them calculate the tax for your area.
11. Review following directions, measurement, health, and safety by making Halloween cupcakes, a cake, or cookies. Use Halloween-related cutters, food coloring for frosting, and small candies as decorations. Of course, adults should supervise children.
12. Use a pumpkin for the following activities:
a. Cut out the stem, take out the seeds, and carve out the pulp (refrigerate it). Have children draw a face for a jack-o-lantern and cut it out.
b. Roast the pumpkin seeds and have store-bought seeds on hand. Let children eat both and compare the taste, texture, and color.
c. Heat the pulp until it is soft and use it to make your own pumpkin pie! (NOTE: One recipe usually makes three regular pies.) Make sure to save pieces for the principal and others in your school. Tell children to remember the taste so they can compare it to a store-bought pumpkin pie.
d. Make sure to take pictures of each step. Have children write a caption for each one and make a book.
13. Foster multi-cultural awareness by having candies from different countries.
I hope these ideas are useful and inspire your own creative thinking. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
And remember...Reading is FUNdamental!
Although Halloween has become a huge holiday commercially, and celebrations are still very popular throughout the modern world, especially in Ireland and the United States, certain concerns related to traditional Halloween activities have developed in more recent years and have thus caused some traditions to change.
Many traditions that the whole community used to participate in happily during the Halloween season have slowly buy surely faded away. Having a large community bonfire was once a common part of Halloween celebrations in England, but is now more commonly associated with the festivities of Guy Fawke's Day, which is celebrated on November 5 in that country. Even this is less frequent now because of modern concerns about damage that can be caused to the environment.
Health concerns expressed about games like bobbing for apples are a sign of modern attitudes; but the alternative forms of entertainment now available, such as watching horror movies on DVD at home, have probably had a much greater influence on the decline. With such changes, the purpose of the door-to-door collection has long shifted from gathering fruit and other items to use in the community fun activities, to collections of sweets, candy and money for personal gain.
A growing number of people show an overall dislike for the idea of trick-or-treating since it seems like a threatening form of begging to them. Children, however, have always loved the fun of collecting candy door to door in scary or funny costumes. Thus, many homeowners have turned trick-or-treating into a fun event for all parties involved by decorating their homes quite extensively and adding frightening details like creepy sound effects. Some people even dress up in costumes in an effort to scare the kids that visit the home to ask for treats.
Both local authorities and parents of trick-or-treating children have become reasonably concerned because of possible dangers related to visiting the homes of strangers and eating unwrapped candies on Halloween night. In some areas, this has made local law enforcement agencies establish controlled areas where kids can collect candy and other goodies safely, making parents feel more comfortable and much less worried about their children being hurt somehow.
The increase in safety concerns associated with Halloween activities has led to the decrease in charitable fund raising related to Halloween. UNICEF, which had been raising money using a Halloween related scheme, has limited such efforts since 2006.
Sad to say, trick-or-treating has led to outright vandalism in many areas, thus making people associate negative images of vandalized property with Halloween.
For these reasons, the fresh arrival of Halloween as a pop culture fad has been unwelcome in some communities that have not previously shared in the tradition.
Both Freda J. Glatt, Ms & Phil Sikes are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Freda J. Glatt, Ms has sinced written about articles on various topics from Education, K 13 and Culture. Freda J. Glatt, MS, retired from teaching after a 34-year career in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. Her focus, now, is to reach out and help others reinforce reading comprehension and develop a love for reading. Visit her site at. Freda J. Glatt, Ms's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.
Phil Sikes has sinced written about articles on various topics from Babies, Halloween Costumes and Family Concerns. Are you looking for for Halloween? Visit the Get In Costume website for lots of creative & unique ideas. Plus, get your free copy o. Phil Sikes's top article generates over 74000 views. to your Favourites.