3 Halloween Classroom Activities

The spookiest day of the year is nearly upon us! Halloween is a great opportunity to get hands-on in the classroom with some scarily seasonal activities. 

Combining fun, creativity and learning, here are 3 Halloween Classroom Activities to try next week:

1) Create a Ghostly Hand

If you’re looking for ways to put a spooky twist on your science lessons and cause a few gasps of wonder in your class, why not try this fun reaction experiment and watch a ghostly hand move of its own accord…  

You will need: a jar, vinegar, a plastic glove, bicarbonate soda

1) First, fill the jar with vinegar.

2) Next, take the plastic glove (consider using a latex-free glove as people can react badly to latex) and fill it with bicarbonate soda. Fit the glove onto the top of the jar. 

3) As the bicarbonate of soda mixes with the vinegar, carbon dioxide is produced. Your class will be amazed as the gas begins to move and inflates the glove, causing it to move all by itself!

You can find this experiment and others like this in STEM Magazine.

2) Pumpkin Puzzles

A great way to put a Halloween spin on your maths lessons is by getting your pupils to answer maths-based questions using pumpkins. 

There are plenty of ways that you can get mathematical with this seasonal squash; here are just a few to get you started:

1) Estimate the circumference of the pumpkin. Now get your students to measure it – how close were they?

2) Which pumpkin do your class think will be the heaviest? The widest pumpkin? The tallest? Record the height and width of each pumpkin and then weigh them to find out!

3) Do you think that the pumpkin will sink or float? Get your students to guess and then see what happens!

4) Save the pumpkin seeds as use them in day-to-day counting activities in your classroom. 

5) Why not carve up some maths themed pumpkins to decorate your classroom?

3) Write Spooky Halloween Stories

Children love to use their imaginations and make up stories, and what better time of year to do this than Halloween! There are so many ways that you can get your students excited about writing their best spooky stories, sometimes simply just allowing their minds to wander is the best way to get the creative juices flowing. If you need a little direction, here are a few ideas:

1) Describe a monster. Think of a monster or make one up and write the name of the creature on the board. With no images and no description, can your class write a compelling story about the monster? Topics could include where the monster lives, what it looks like or the monster’s haunting Halloween adventure! 

2) Use cut out creepy creatures. Cut up or print out a selection of different creepy creatures and Halloween themed objects, such as bats, ghosts and pumpkins. Give each child one of each cut out and ask them to write on the cut out, describing the object, or writing a short spooky story or poem. You can then display the best work in your classroom!

If you are looking for Halloween resources that you can quickly print out and re-purpose for your class, Twinkl has some fantastic printable resources for EYFS, KS1 and KS2.

We would love to see what Halloween activities you are using in your classroom this year! Make sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share your ideas and stories!

Sources:

https://www.weareteachers.com/spooky-educational-fun-5-halloween-activities-to-try-in-your-classroom/

http://magazines.stem.org.uk/stem_primary_13_v6_flipsnack.html?p=10

On the lookout for more classroom resources? Take a look at these 3 free lesson ideas for teaching the periodic table.