I’m a huge fan of Halloween. It’s because I have so many good memories of the holiday while growing up in Michigan. It’s enmeshed in my brain with other delightful fall experiences like walking in crunchy leaves, visiting cider-mills, and taking hay rides through pumpkin patches. Students are always excited about Halloween, but it can be a difficult holiday to address in the classroom. Fortunately, there are great themes that are Halloween-ish to help you out! I’m not sure how spiders, bats, and owls became part of the holiday—but they can certainly be part of your classroom celebration.
Check out this cute bat activity! Give each child a copy of the bat pattern. Then have her write one fact and one opinion about bats in the middle of the pattern. Direct her to color the pattern as desired, cut it out, and bend the wings forward. Attach each child’s bat to a wall or your white board. When a time-filler is needed throughout the week, read a student’s work and have his classmates decide which sentence is a fact and which is an opinion.