Halloween Activities

Halloween is right around the corner!  My kids are getting ready.. for sure.  I have one little pumpkin, a witch, and a punk rocker who will be trick or treating this year.  What are your kids going to be this year?  Do you dress up? 

 

Here are some fun Halloween activity posts from years past...

 

Spooky Sensory Bin

 

 

 

Skeleton Hiccups with activities

 

 

Math Fun with Candy Corn

 

 

The Runaway Pumpkin

 

Halloween with Arthur

 

 

 

I also had fun sharing some Spooky Story Starters (free printable) over at The Activity Mom.  Be sure to stop by to get some fun creative writing prompts.

 

Happy Halloween!

Jen

 

 

Bb is for Bat and more Batty Activities...

 

We made this simple bat craft and had fun flying around the house! 

 

Above you can see how the parts that I cut out for little man. I guided him as he glued them together.  After making our bats, I thought that this would be cute attached to a toilet paper tube.  You could have them paint it black first. Just a thought. 

Other activities..
We focused on the letter Bb and the sound it makes.  Sing a song.. Bb is for bat.. ba ba ba, Bb is for bat... ba ba ba.

Read a bat poem/song..

Bats Are Sleeping
Tune: Frere Jacques

Bats are sleeping
Bats are sleeping
Upside down.
Upside down.
Sleeping in the morning sun.
Waiting for the night to come.
Then they'll fly all around.
Then they'll fly all around.

Read a book.. my favorite.. Stellaluna

 

Pretend you are a bat. Be prepared to hear the kids squeal as they see a grown person flapping their wings and running around.

Learn about bats.  When do they sleep?  What do they eat?  What other animals are similar to bats?  How are they different.

So many more bat ideas here... Going Batty from Kinder Korner.

For older children..

My kids (8 and 10) love to research animals.  They would enjoy learning more about different types of bats and then using this info to create a PowerPoint slide show.

The following are  links to bat websites...
KidZone: BAT FACT INDEX
Smithsonian: Bat facts
Bats4Kids.org
Discovery Kids: Are bats really blind?

Write a poem or funny story about a bat?  Write an interview for a bat.. what questions would you ask a bat?

Read Stellaluna with older children and then watch the cartoon.  Have them compare and contrast the movie with the book.  Which did they like better and why?



Enjoy!
Jen

Owl Activities

Whooo Whooo!  What does an owl say?  We've  been having fun learning about and creating owls.  I found this adorable owl on Pinterest and had to make it with little man and his little buddy.  Perfect gluing activity for little hands!

 

We also enjoyed singing these simple Owl Songs from The Preschool Express- Music and Rhyme Station.

Next, I read the adorable rhyme.. Five Little Owls from DLTK to the kiddos.



More Owl Ideas...

Free Owls Activities, Rhymes, Printables, and Owl Book Suggestions from Kids Soup

Need to make this Mr. Friendly Owl snack for sure... sometime soon..
from creative kid snacks

Whoo Whoo loves owls.  We do!

 

Jen

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA- fun giveaway!

One of the things that I love about blogging is having the opportunity to give away things to my readers.  I'm actually pretty good at winning things on other blogs, too! 

Well, today... two winners will receive a Hotel Transylvania gift pack. 

And actually, just today my kids asked me if they can go and see the movie Hotel Transylvania.. starring Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez.  The release date is September 28, 2012.. today, so I'm sure we'll be heading out in the near future to see this new family film.  At 8 and 10, I feel my girls are ready for the PG rating.  But just in case you have little ones, there is some rude humor, action, and scary images. Little man will have to sit this one out. 

Visit Hotel Transylvania here ( a place where monsters can rest in peace) to learn more about the film.

Now for the giveaway...

The Hotel Transylvania gift pack- includes the following..

 Activity Book

 Book Cover

 Eraser Set

 T-shirt

Giveaway ends... Friday, October 5th, 2012 :USA- Eastern Time.
(This contest is now closed.)


Good Luck!
Jen

Winners...
5
Random numbers generated Oct 6 2012 at 11:6:3

4 Random numbers generated Oct 6 2012 at 11:16:50

Simple Spider Craft

I made these simple spiders for little man and his little buddy yesterday.  Very easy to make, but fun to play with!

Materials: black construction paper, yarn

Directions:
1. Cut out a rectangle. Next, cut four legs on each side. 

 

2. Fold the legs on the rectangles as shown above.

 

3. Cut out a circle.

 



4. Put the circle on top of the rectangle and poke a hole in the center.
5. Pull a peice of yarn or string through the center and tie on the bottom.

 



 Now the eensy, weensy spider is ready to take a walk!

 

 

Jen