I have gathered a number of Halloween and Harvest related resources and links (and even developed a few of my own) to share with you today.

Incorporate and integrate some of the following resources in your curriculum as you celebrate this week…

• Explore the literature, customs, and history of Halloween, using the lessons and links found on this TeacherVision web page. Integration ideas for Math, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, and Health can be found at this site. There are many printables available at this site as well.
• “Charlie Brown would surely appreciate the wonders of these GIANT pumpkin patches–but how can you move a 1000 pound pumpkin to enter it into a great pumpkin fair in the first place? Measure off the world’s largest pumpkins in this October installment for Riverdeep, where pumpkins are a very serious business.
• Education World has also posted an interesting article about Pumping up Curriculum with Pumpkins.
• Are you looking for some Halloween printables? Visit the DTLK Holiday site. The site includes bingo cards, award coupons, worksheets, treat bags, and more!
• Here are some additional reproducible links…..
  • Print this cute number sheet — students fill in the ghosts!
  • Which Halloween pictures are different?
  • Just in time for Halloween – Math Word Problems!
  • Print some terrific Halloween Stationary for young authors to use or better yet have your creative writers keyboard their stories and mount them on a Haunted House background!

Reproducible Mask Links…

• What’s In a Face? – an Art Sparker from the online Art Room
• Janet Brett Animal Masks – several reproducible Mask based on the characters found in Janet Brett’s books
• Jack-O’-Lantern Mask – A paper plate, hole punch, markers or paint, and some yarn are all that are required to create these Halloween Jack-o’-lantern masks.
• Make a Cricket Mask – If you are working on an insect unit with your elementary classes, you will want to download and print this very colorful cricket mask. Students can assemble it with scissors and glue.
• Animal Mask Printables – Choose a lion, a dog, a pig, or a koala bear–among others–to print out a template and decorate an animal mask for Halloween fun.
• Butterfly Mask – First learn about the butterfly cycle or monarch migration, then print out this vivid butterfly mask as a re ward for unit work.
• Sun Mask – as the weather gets cooler outside, warm your classroom with sun masks. This site gives directions for a project that will make your students shine!
• The Power of Masks – Elementary students will explore how cultures use masks and how different expressions are idealized or represented before creating their own papier mache mask.
• Animal Masks – Access a variety of detailed animal mask that can be printed out in color: lions, tigers, bears, a pumpkin, Little Red Riding Hood, and the Big Bad Wolf.
• Arthur Character Masks – Printable masks of all the favorite Arthur characters can be used for Halloween or in conjunction with the Arthur books.

Bookmark Links…

• Use these printable bookmarks to reward classroom behavior, for prizes in your own Halloween parties, or to encourage early reading skills. You can also give them out as trick or treat prizes instead of the usual candy treats.
• Author Illustrator Janet Brett also offers beautiful bookmarks just in time for Halloween.

Clipart Links…

• Visit the Cavern of Clipart for access to hundreds of Halloween related clipart items.
• There are also a number of Halloween printables available at Alenka’s Printables web site.

Halloween Story Starters

• It was a beautiful day and the leaves were starting to change color. I was on my way home from school. Suddenly, I saw something behind a tree
• Now that it’s almost Halloween one thing that I want to do is…
• I was reading my favorite ghost story when suddenly I heard a noise upstairs. Maybe it was the dog playing with my shoes or…
• We were sitting at the table making a poster for class. It was raining hard and the wind was whistling throught the trees. Suddenly the lights went out.
• If I could choose any costume in the world…

Batty about things that fly in the night…

• The Wonderful World of Bats – Check out this thematic unit on bats; students will gain a greater appreciation for these misunderstood mammals.
• More Batty Ideas! – October and its holidays provide the perfect opportunity for learning about bats. This site provides plenty of printables on bats and bat anatomy, along with general background information on classifying bats. Find more specific info on both the fruit bat, and the ever-popular vampire bat.

Creepy, crawly spiders and snakes…

• Spider Lessons – Seven elementary-geared lessons can be found at this site, complete with worksheets and exercises that span the curriculum.
• Under the Spell of Spiders – Learn about a spider’s life and explore the way people and cultures have typically viewed spiders. Printable handouts are included for the lesson plans.
• How well do you know your snakes? Take the Snake Sense test at the National Geographic Explorer Magazine web site.

Interactive Online Activities…

• Students will love the Halloween Meddybemps site. They can try on virtual costumes, help Frogwart cast spells, tour a ghost ship, play spooky games, and read interactive stories.
• Take your students to this interactive site where they can select eyes, mouths, etc. to carve their own pumpkin online! Great for younger students!
• Check out the online counting book I created to help young students learn how to count.
• Halloween Interactive Seek, Discover, and Play site – I created a site with 31 hidden rollover images that link to 31 interactive Halloween games and activities. Click on the image below to access the site/activity…
  

Halloween Safety…

• The Safety Game – Teach students how to best proceed when trick or treating using this
  online interactive game. Students must select between two choices for each segment and thereby learn helpful safety rules.
• Students will learn about Halloween safety in a fun fashion as they work with this interactive site.

Webquests…

• Edgar Allen Poe: Father of Horror – Middle school or high school students will create a timeline on the life and times of Edgar Allen Poe, and choose one of his literary works to recreate in a dramatic presentation or workshop.
• Harry Potter WebQuest – What do you think of Harry Potter’s life? Have you ever thought about being a student at a school similar to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? …