October 31st, Halloween, is fast approaching! Because your students may have costumes and candy on the brain, it may be a little tricky to keep students focused on All Hallows Eve. For academic holiday lesson ideas, you may want to use Kids Discover Online as a resource with your students. Celebrate by sharing these 5 spooky cross-curricular lesson ideas with your students from our Nutrition, Mummies, Bones, Blood, and Spiders Units.
Health
Have students find the nutrition labels from their favorite Halloween candies. They can compare and contrast the nutritional values of the different treats. They can use different criteria for ranking the candy, such as the contribution to daily values, the amount of total fats and saturated fats; and the size of a serving. Ask them to predict which ingredient may affect the nutritional value the most. Afterward, you can give a refresher on the importance of healthy eating with our Nutrition Unit.
History
Ancient mummies were buried with artifacts that they could use in the afterlife. After reading from our Mummies Unit, specifically Mummy Cases, ask students to write a list of items a modern-day mummy might want for the afterlife. Students might set up an exhibit of items or draw or photograph items to accompany their list. Encourage students to explain why they would include each item on their list.
Language Arts
Have each student choose one bone in the human body and research where the bone is located and its major functions. Rather than write a traditional report, students should write an essay from the bone’s perspective. The essay should include how the bone may be feeling (if it is a broken bone, for example, it may be sad). Students may even wish to write about the surrounding bones as if they are friendly neighbors! Students should include a detailed drawing of the bone, and if possible, draw it in life-size proportions. Our Bones Unit will be so helpful for students to learn more about the different functions they can have.
Art
Have students select a blood word or phrase highlighted in the “Blood is the Word” boxes throughout the Blood Unit. On a card, students should write a sentence using the phrase. They should illustrate what the term means on a separate piece of paper. Post the drawings and challenge students to match the sentences with the illustrations. Discuss if they’ve ever heard these terms before from their family or on TV.
Science
Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders. Have students research and find out the names of other fears or phobias and what causes them. Have a group discussion about why people may have specific phobias and what could be done to help them. Maybe reading our Spiders Unit will show that our 8-legged friends aren’t so scary after all!
