Happy Halloween!
Year after year, we use Halloween as the perfect backdrop for some educational fun. The fall provides for so many opportunities to disguise learning with fun family activities. At our house, we try to find a variety of things to do each Halloween and October weekends.
Hayrides and pumpkin patches remain a favorite with lessons around harvest and healthful foods. This year we accidentally grew our very own small pumpkin. What an amazing family story to have and it also led to a wonderful discussion on farming, pumpkins and the importance of caring for our environment.
It is no surprise that we enjoy dress up… all year long, imaginative play with different props and costumes. So naturally Halloween offers the best time for such fancy things. We enjoy pirates, princesses and period wear. So when we see a flood of costumes around Halloween, I’ll take a moment to drop some facts about pirates and mummies, or whatever might cross our path and have a real application. (So far we’ve stayed away from the creepiest things but when age appropriate we’ll discuss things like witches and perhaps ghost walks like Edgar Allen Poe.)
For the past few years, Homeroom At Home has participated in a variety of Trunk or Treats. Our themes have been skeletons loaded with fun facts about the human body, the skeletal system and body decomposition. This year and last, we’ve focused on Nocturnal Animals with again fun facts that perhaps parents didn’t know either. We found that our theme for creatures of the night was perfect for a large range of audience. Kids love stories and facts about owls, spiders and wolves.
We highly recommend that parents take advantage of the Halloween season for such perfect learning moments. There is so much to delve into no matter how involved or how easily spooked your children may be. Things like Edgar Allen Poe, The Salem Witch Trial or Mad Science Lab are terrific for more mature children vs a tame discussion around bats, spiders and cats.
However you celebrate, enjoy the festivities! Happy Halloween.