How did this spooky tradition turn into an annual celebration of candy and all things creepy?
‘Tis the season to be spooky . . . and be VERY creative! If any holiday screams creativity, it’s Halloween. That time of the year where adolescent ghosts, goblins, and all manner of young would-be superheroes dress in their favorite costumes, decorate their homes and classrooms, and indulge in the kinds of tasty treats their dentists would never approve of (LOL!) However, until that next orthodontic checkup is due, Quiq Labs has a wide selection of lesson plans ready to turn Halloween into a frightfully educational yet unforgettably entertaining (and delicious) celebration…
- D.I.Y.
- K - 3rd grades
This activity is perfect for decorating your home for Halloween as well as introducing the little ones to some simple arts and crafts, just by using yarn!
Casper, The Friendly Ghost!
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 3rd grades
Most people only make stuff by hand sporadically, at best. So let’s make ghost-crafting simple for them. This origami project is perfect for beginners and a fun activity for kids. Of course, these spooky spirits are ideal for Halloween-themed props as well.
All Hallow's Eve Friends
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 3rd grades
These adorable fixtures are ideal for any Halloween-inspired decoration. The paper chains don’t require a lot of materials to make so let your kids draw silly and spooky faces to their heart’s content then hand them up!
Colorful Halloween
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 3rd grades
Help younger students conquer any fears they may have of Halloween, completing color-by-number activities like these show them instead how fun and engaging the holiday can be.
Harry's Hedwig and Friends
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 3rd grades
In this activity, making use of simple craft materials such as cardstock, poster paint, and googly eyes, students will create owls of various shapes and sizes as Halloween-themed decorations.
Witchy Transpo
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 3rd grades
In this activity, making use of simple craft materials such as cardstock, poster paint, and googly eyes, students will create owls of various shapes and sizes as Halloween-themed decorations.
Multicolor Bat!
- D.I.Y.
- K - 5th grades
Crafts made from coffee filters are ideal and fun for younger students as even toddlers can assist with the dyeing process. Older children will enjoy making these bats and can help decorate the clothespins.
Let's Make the Bats Fly!
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 6th grades
This is an ideal activity for encouraging imaginative play and storytelling. Printable templates will allow students to make flying bat puppets soar outdoors between hills and rooftops.
Which Witch?
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 6th grades
Using basic craft materials, students will exercise their fine motor skills and creativity via this Halloween-themed arts and crafts activity making a classic witch’s hat.
Halloween Hangout
- Arts & Crafts
- K - 7th grades
In this activity, students will cut out a Halloween Tree and decorate it with fun and spooky creatures. Coming up with their own decorations out of craft materials will only make the challenge more fun.
Trick or Treat!
- Physical Activities
- K - 12th grades
Students will go trick-or-treating around school. This fun activity is steeped in tradition, makes for great bonding and will allow them to show off their Halloween costumes, not only to their classmates but to the whole campus!
Our Straw-Letal System
- STEAM
- 1st - 3rd grades
Familiarize the students with the Skeletal System in this activity as the parts and functions of a skeleton are discussed. They will also get to make a Halloween craft related to it.
Halloween Footprint Puzzle
- Arts & Crafts
- 4th - 6th grades
Students will create their own Halloween-themed jigsaws using large craft sticks. This is even more fun and personalized since they’ll be using their own footprints to design each puzzle.
While it’s true that one quarter of all the candy sold in the U.S. each year is purchased during Halloween, at least our lesson plans do less damage to your wallet by introducing you and your students to creative activities that teach them the value of rolling up their sleeves to do cool (and spooky) things themselves.
Over 2,000 years ago in Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, ancient Celtic priests (Druids) commemorated the festival of Samhain {pronounced sow-in} in belief that their ancestors’s ghosts returned to earth each year at the end of summer’s harvest. By 43 A.D. and over the course of 400 years of rule, Roman conquerors combined two of their festivals with the Celtic celebration — Feralia, a day in late October memorializing the passing of the dead and another date in homage to Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees whose symbol is the apple. On May 13, 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon in Rome to honor all Christian martyrs then one of his successors, Pope Gregory III, moved the celebration from May to November 1st and expanded the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs; renaming the festival “All Saints’ Day” in lieu of “All-Hallows Day” — thus, the night before, which honors the traditional Celtic night of Samhain, began to be called All-Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.
