META TAG

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Surviving Halloween


It is that time of the year…Halloween!  Your students are excited, even hyperactive and the days leading to and just after Halloween can be challenging.  Here are some ways to enjoy the holiday while remaining sane amid the sugar rush.

Know School Protocol                                             
Does your school celebrate Halloween or attempt to curtail it?  Some schools go all out with a Halloween parade around the school and classroom parties. In my school, we have the Storybook Parade.  This is where students come dressed in their favorite story book character and march around the school with their book for parents and classmates to see.  Of course, we have our share of vampires and witches, but the parents and teachers are great about pairing the costume with a book.                                          
In some schools, teachers plan special activities for a portion of the day but follow regular routines the rest of the day. In some schools, teachers and students dress up in costumes, in others they do not. Find out the expectations and then plan accordingly. You don’t want to be the only teacher to show up in a costume in a school that discourages holiday participation.
Have fun with it.                                                     
Students are going to be thinking about Halloween, you might as well try to enjoy it. 
  • Play eerie music during transition time. 
  • Paint ghosts on your windows! 
  • Put fun drawings on handouts or on the white board. 
  • Decorate your door with your students.  The promise of time to decorate is often a great incentive to get students to focus on doing regular classwork the rest of the day.
  • Build fluency by having student practice and perform a Reader’s Theater show with Halloween themed poems.
  • Remind students of expectations.

You don’t have to be a wet blanket, but you will need to remind them and expect them to adhere to previously established routines and procedures.  Sometimes a quick reminder is all you need. 
Be sensitive.
Some families do not celebrate holidays or allow their children to participate in holiday themed activities.  In most cases, parents will have discussed this with you ahead of time.  If your school does allow Halloween activities, make sure that activities and costumes are developmentally appropriate.  Some children are easily frightened by scary costumes. 
I hope you have a great Halloween week!



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