Celebrating Halloween in the Classroom? Keep it Simple!

Halloween in the classroom can be a CrAzY time, so I am so glad you stopped by. I am going to be sharing a few helpful ideas and FREEBIES to help with your Halloween celebrations in the classroom.

My best advice is to KEEP IT SIMPLE!

In my experience in First Grade, it is best to celebrate within your predictable routine.  We already know our children are beside themselves with excitement.  By enjoying fun Halloween activities in the regular structure of the day, your students get to celebrate, but things are less likely to slip over the edge into chaos!

A Literacy Center perfect for the week before Hallowe'en! 

The week of or before Halloween, I intentionally choose word wall words with the "oo" sound so I can review the two sounds these letters make.  I use this quick little activity in my centers for the week.  Just sign up below to grab the FREEBIE!

Next up, some Halloween Art, with a little math thrown in! 

Who doesn't love to do Halloween Art projects!  We created paint chip Frankenstein's using green paint chips from the hardware store! The students love this one, so I will be doing this craft every year.  This is a great low-cost craft that really showcases each student's creativity.

All you need is: 

• Paint chips from the paint store.  I have used 3 and 4 colour paint chips.
• Scrap paper to make the eyes, teeth and bolts.
• A sharpie to add stitches.  

A fun math activity we did as a tie in was to count the "stitches" on Frankenstein's face to see how many he has  Before making the stitches, we talk about how stitches look just like tally marks to 5.  After finishing, they skip count the stitches to see how many stitches their Frankenstein has. 

I have several Halloween books that pair perfectly with this craft.  One of my favourites is:

And finally, a Halloween Math Freebie for good measure!  

In math, we will be using my Halloween patterning center this week to revisit patterning. As a special thank you for stopping by, you can grab this Math Center FREEBIE to use with your students. Students will look at each card and determine if it shows a pattern or not and then place it on the sorting mat.  I have also included a recording sheet so students can record their work as they go. Click on the picture to grab it.

Wait, There's More! 

Are you looking for ideas for your Literacy block for Halloween too?  I have you covered there as well.  Check out this post for Halloween poems for sight words that are perfect for Kindergarten and first grade. 

Now make your way to the next blog for another great tip and freebie!  Click on the ghost below to head to the next blog.  

Thanks for stopping by!