As Halloween is my favorite holiday, I thought I would share some ideas from a recent e-mail newsletter I received from Teacher Tips:
1. A Broom Story - Using a word processing program, have students write a story about a witch from the broom's point of view. Discuss point of view with the students before writing.
2. Candy Collage - All students have a favorite Halloween candy. Using a drawing program, have students create a collage of different Halloween candies. Encourage students to fill an entire 8.5 x 11 page with the candy drawings of their choice. Students could also take digital camera pictures of their favorite candies and use these photos to create their collage.
3. Candy Graphs - Using a spreadsheet program, have students collect information about favorite Halloween candies. This can be done school-wide or as a classroom project, or even as a homework assignment. Once the students collect the data, have them create a bar graph to show which Halloween candies are the most popular.
4. Halloween Safety - Create a flyer of Halloween safety rules to post in your classroom or school (or even in local businesses). Have students work together to brainstorm safety rules and then create, using a Word processor or an online drawing program, a flyer sharing those safety rules. Encourage them to use both words and graphics on the flyer.
5. Halloween Then and Now - Have students investigate what Halloween was like in the early to mid 1900's and compare it to what it is like now. Using the Internet, have students research what Halloween was like for children in the early to mid 1900's. Encourage the students to interview family members as well about what Halloween was like during their childhoods. Ask the following questions: What kinds of costumes were popular? What kind of candy did you get? Who did you trick or treat with? Did you do anything mischievous? If so, what? Write a report on the findings.
6. Average Temperature on Halloween Night - No one likes to wear a coat over their costume. Using the Internet, research the temperatures for October 31st over the past ten years. Using a spreadsheet program, graph the temperatures and find the average. Look at the projected temperature/weather for this year's Halloween. Ask these questions: What year had the coldest temperature? Did any years have the same temperature? What was the range of temperatures? What was the average temperature? Based on the data collected, do you think you will need a coat on Halloween night this year? Why or why not?
All of these activities can be adjusted for students of all ages. Enjoy!
