Halloween Stop and Shop: Classroom Edition

Spooky goblins are hiding out, witches on broom sticks are all about. There are ghosts floating down the hall and skeletons lurking behind the wall. Monsters are creeping and making a fuss! This can only mean one thing- Halloween is finally among us! 

Teachers scream as the kids delight! Candy and sugar make a classroom ignite! Children running and causing havoc tonight - teachers need not fear, these activities will help your class sit tight!

Math

• Scratch Project: Math Halloween- This site offers fun, Halloween-related math word problems that are appropriate for first through third grade students.
• Halloween Word Problems – Created by two second grade classes, this site features a variety of mathematical word problems revolving around Halloween themes.
• Halloween Candy Logic – Hosted by Aunty Math and the duPage Children’s Museum, this site offers a mathematical challenge that teaches problem solving, reasoning and proof, patterns and more. It has different levels designed for second through fifth graders.
• Halloween Candy Sort – Intended for kindergarteners through second graders, this site teaches sorting and classification using a Venn diagram.
• Shapes Witch – This kindergarten math lesson teaches geometric shapes with a fun Halloween theme.
• Halloween Themed Math Pages – This site offers a variety of math worksheets for grades one through five, all with Halloween themes.

Language

• It’s Halloween! Book – Intended for second graders, this site offers a lesson that teaches students about Halloween using a story and then follows up with questions based on that story.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow – This lesson for sixth graders teaches students about “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and offers activities relating to the story.
• Creative Writing: Halloween Theme – This second grade lesson helps students create stories about Halloween and gather them into a book.
• Halloween Newsletter – Focused on first and second grade language arts, this site facilitates the creation by students of a Halloween newsletter, with poems, stories, jokes and recipes.
• Spelling & Typing Game – Halloween – This game which is directed towards older elementary students asks students to spell and correctly type Halloween words in a limited time period.
• Halloween Jumbled Sentences – Second graders can rearrange Halloween-themed words into a sentence that makes sense on this website.
• Alphabet Letter P Pumpkin – Intended for kindergarteners, this site introduces the letter P and offers printable worksheets and activities focused on Halloween that teach the letter P.
• Halloween Couplets – A lesson plan for fourth graders, this website asks students to pair up and write Halloween couplets together.
• Epitaph Activity – Recommended for fourth through sixth graders, this site asks students to write an epitaph for one of their friends.
• Halloween Word Search – This word search features Halloween-themed words.

Science

• Bats – Targeted at kindergarten through third grade, this site offers information all about bats and questions that students can click on to discover the answers.
• Pumpkin Observations – This site for second and third graders allows students to note similarities and differences among pumpkins, using skills including observing, predicting and recording observations.
• M&M Packing – Intended for older elementary students (fourth through sixth grade), this site asks students to figure out how to most efficiently pack M&Ms into a container. Procedures and analysis are featured.
• Keep a Halloween Pumpkin Fresh – Recommended for third through sixth graders with supervision, this site shows what happens when pumpkins are cut and exposed to various chemicals. It studies how and if these pumpkins rot under exposure to substances.
• Halloween and the Ghost Head Nebula – Hosted by NASA, this site offers a photo of a ghost head nebula and explains its relationship to Halloween. It is best used with fifth and sixth graders.
• Slimer! - Science Bob teaches us how to create our own gooey slime with house hold products. 
• Cool Halloween Science- Dry ice experiments for older kids to create a spooky effect.

History

• What Masks Reveal – This lesson for sixth graders teaches students about the cultural significance of masks and their connection to societies.
• Halloween Customs – This website offers information on Halloween customs and traditions and follows with an interactive quiz. As it requires a lot of reading, it would probably be best suited for fourth through sixth graders.
• The Explorers’ Graveyard – Created by a fifth grade teacher, this site teaches students about explorers and has them create their own tombstones with epitaphs.
• The History of Halloween – This lesson for kindergarteners through second graders teaches the history of Halloween and follows with a class activity.
• The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 – The official site of the Salem Witch Museum features historical information and maps on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Best for fourth through sixth graders.
• The WWII Hitchhiker- A haunted story straight out of the history books from one of the most haunted places in the world; England.

Art

• Paper Cup Witch – This site offers instructions to make a paper cup witch. It is probably best for kindergarten through second grade.
• Dried Apple Shrunken Heads – Intended for older elementary students (fourth through sixth graders), this site offers a recipe to make shrunken heads from dried apples for Halloween.
• Halloween Crafts – This website features a variety of Halloween craft ideas for teachers to use with younger elementary students, probably kindergarten through third grade.
• Jumbo Spiders for Halloween – Hosted by Better Homes and Gardens, this site offers a craft to make spiders. As it involves using acrylic paint, it requires adult supervision and is probably best for fourth through sixth grade.
• Paper Bag Gargoyles – Hosted by Disney Family Fun, this site offers easy instructions to make gargoyles out of paper bags. It is easy for younger elementary students (kindergarten through third grade) but since it requires the use of glue and scissors, should be supervised by an adult.
• Halloween Fun – A large variety of Halloween crafts are included on this site created by Cub Scouts. As there are so many crafts available, they cover the gamut from kindergarten through sixth grade levels. 
• Halloween Crafts – This site lists many Halloween crafts, including Halloween little people ghosts and Oreo black cats. They vary in difficulty and span kindergarten through sixth grade.
• Monster Art – Intended for fifth graders, this lesson uses the book and video of Where the Wild Things Are and has them create their own monster.
• Halloween Storyboards – Focused on third through fifth grade, this lesson requires students to come up with a Halloween story and then illustrate it through making a storyboard.
• Ghost and Jack O Lanterns Halloween Wreath – Recommended for ages six and up (first grade through sixth grade), this site includes directions for kids to make their own Halloween wreath with the help of an adult.

Food

• Healthy Halloween Treats – Sponsored by Oklahoma Ag in the Classroom, this site offers healthy snacks for Halloween, including scary pizza faces and a witches’ brew. Intended for grades one through three, the recipes do require adult help and supervision.
• Halloween Test Tube Shooters – This recipe for kids of all ages (kindergarten through sixth grade) makes test tube shooters using gelatin powder, fruit, juice and hot chocolate mix.
• BOOlogna Snackers – Sponsored by Kraft Foods, this recipe makes snack sandwiches with bologna, cheese, mustard and ketchup. Kids of all ages (kindergarten through sixth grade) would love these cute snacks.
• Pumpkin Seeds – This site features a recipe for baking pumpkin seeds in the oven. Kids of any age (kindergarten through sixth grade) could help with this, but it does require adult supervision as an oven is used.
• Food for Thought: Healthy Halloween Treats – Sponsored by the University of Illinois Extension, this site offers recipes for pumpkin cupcakes and cereal balls. They could be made by older elementary kids (third through sixth grade) with adult help.

Spooky Stories

• Halloween Stories from Romania – Two Halloween stories written by a 13 year old Romanian student are featured on this site. As larger vocabulary words are used, it is best suited for older elementary students (fifth and sixth grade).
• Halloween Story with Portrayal Movement – Intended for kindergarten through second grade, this site features a book and an activity in which students portray movement from the story.
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – This site features the entire text of the story by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is best suited for older students (fifth and sixth grade) as it is pretty scary and uses large words.
• Thrills and Chills: Using Scary Stories to Motivate Students to Read – Targeted at sixth graders, this site offers lessons and activities to help teachers use scary stories to encourage students to read.
• Jack and the Jack O Lantern – This simple story tells the origin of the Jack O Lantern and is best suited for kindergarten through third grade.
• Pumpkin, Pumpkin – Hosted by Starfall, this site features a simple story for beginning readers (kindergarteners and first graders).

Activities and Games

• Animated Halloween Games – This website features a variety of animated interactive Halloween games for older elementary aged kids (third through sixth grade).
• Carve Your Pumpkin Online – Designed for younger elementary students (kindergarten through third grade, although kids of any age would love it), this site allows kids to carve their own virtual jack-o-lantern.
• Halloween Maze – Best suited for kindergarten through second grade, this site features a maze that can be printed out in which a witch has to find her broomstick.
• Halloween Songs and Poems – This site offers fun Halloween songs and poetry for elementary school kids from kindergarten through fourth grade.
• Jack O Lantern Crossword – Probably intended for older elementary students (third through sixth grade), this site features a printable crossword with Halloween words.
• Which One Is Different?-Focused on the kindergarten and first grade student, this site offers a printable worksheet in which students must circle the different object from a group of similar objects.
• Halloween Word Search – As this printable word search using Halloween terms is a bit more difficult, it is best suited for fifth and sixth graders.
• Halloween Coloring Pages – Sponsored by Hershey’s, teachers can print free Halloween coloring pages here. It is focused on kindergarten through second grade.
• Whack a Ghost – This fun interactive game asks kids to whack as many ghosts as they can in 30 seconds. Involving hand-eye coordination, the game is best suited for third through sixth grade.
• Candy Catcher – This game, which requires Shockwave to play, is hosted by Sports Illustrated for Kids and asks them to catch as much candy as they can before time runs out. It is best suited for third through sixth graders, but could be played by any age group.
• Zap a Ghost – This game hosted by Discovery Kids asks kids to zap as many ghosts as they can in 30 seconds. It is good for any age student, but as it involves hand-eye coordination, might be best for second through sixth grade.
• Pumpkin Carving Online – This game allows kids to carve their own pumpkin virtually online. Students of any age, kindergarten through sixth, would like this game, as different tools and colors can be used.
• Haunted House – Hosted by the BBC, this site features a virtual haunted house where kids find items that begin with certain letters. It is intended for younger elementary students, kindergarten through second grade.
• Halloween Directory – This site features a variety of printable worksheets with Halloween themes teachers can use, including coloring pages and word games. It spans all younger grade levels (kindergarten through second grade).
• Halloween Quiz – This site offers an interactive quiz asking students basic questions about Halloween. It is best suited for third through sixth grade.
• Halloween Word Drop Game – This interactive game asks students to unscramble a word onscreen and put the letters in the right places. It is intended for younger students (probably first through third grade).
• Pumpkin Scramble – This printable worksheet provides clues and scrambled words that kids must figure out for the answers. It is best suited for third through sixth graders.
• Halloween Jokes – This site features interactive Halloween jokes and riddles where kids hit the drop down button to see the answer. As it requires reading, it is best suited for second through sixth grade.
• Batty’s Tic Tac Toe – This fun, interactive game of tic tac toe is best suited for kindergarten through third grade.
• Halloween Hauntings – This Thinkquest site created by fourth through sixth graders features Halloween music, jokes, games and more. It requires Quick Time to play.