October/Halloween Resources for Kindergarten

How has it taken me this long to discover The Teacher's Corner? Better late than never:

~Check our their October Events calendar

~Here's a construction paper jack-o-lantern/pumpkin art project that doesn't require scissors...

~A suggestion on how to use old magazines with photos of people for a body part activity ...

~Spiders and the number eight...

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The last week and a half in October, I'll ask parents to please donate two small, two medium, and two large pumpkins for our math estimation and measurement activities. We'll measure the circumference, the height, width, and weight of each pumpkin, and compare data. We'll even estimate the number of seeds we believe are in the various sizes of pumpkins. Students will probably have pumpkins at HOME that they'll be enjoying long before then however, so I also like to assign some "pumpkin homework" prior to our in-class activity.

Dear Parents,

To help your child with this activity, you will need the following materials:

1. a long piece of heavy string or yarn (dental floss works well too if you don't have yarn!)


2. tape


3. scissors


4. a pumpkin (any size)

Share and follow these steps with your Super Star:

1. Put your pumpkin in front of you on the floor or on the table.


2. Find a starting point in the middle of the pumpkin (at its widest point) and tape your string to that point.


3. Put your string all the way around the pumpkin from side to side (not top to bottom) making a horizontal line. When you get back to the starting point, cut the string.


4. Remove the string from the pumpkin. Tape it to a piece of paper and write your name. Bring it back to school tomorrow. We will compare the strings during our math time.

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The Kindergarten and Preschool Activities Blog has some links to great October resources...

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As a special treat, I like to make pumpkin shaped sugar cookies for my students that they can then frost and decorate (a fun and tasty fine-motor activity). The Idea Queen shares the same idea and additional kid-friendly recipes for October.

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Better Homes and Gardens is sharing a costume gallery full of ideas that are great for not only Halloween costumes, but as outfits for dramatic play or play performances! Here's a link to their 100 Days of Holidays too!