It is that time of the year again
and kids are anxious to dress up, play games and make themselves sick on
candy. This can be a challenging
time for teachers with all the excitement in the air.
Why not bring the festival
atmosphere into the classroom with fun activities. All you need is a spare room
or open space out on the playground. There are a lot of activities you can make
up just with household items or supplies from your resource room.
I set ours up as centers that the
students can rotate through. Be sure to have a timer or a symbol to signal
change. It can even be Halloween music to signal the change.
Here are a few suggestions for
fall festival type centers that are sure to delight the preschoolers.
Fall Leaves
Gather a bag full of leaves to dump. If your festival is
inside, allow the kids to rake up the leaves and place them in a basket. If it
is outside, allow the kids to pile the leaves up and jump in them. Allow them
to throw them up in the air and just have fun. You may have to get them
involved in the fun.
Goo/Feeling Centers
You can feel a pumpkin with what we call goo and allow the
kids to put their hands in it or scoop inside and out the goo. Goo can be made
out of many materials. You can do something edible so that you do not have to
worry about them getting it in their mouths. Be sure and have towels handy. You
can do vanilla pudding mixed with orange washable food coloring and add pumpkin
spice to tempt their smells. You can also have cooked spaghetti in a bucket for
the kids to feel.
Bean bag toss
Bean bags are easy to make if you do not have them
available. Fabric with beans sewed together are easy bags. If you have them
available, put out a hat or basket. Let the kids throw the bags in the target.
Snack Center
Orange is typically the color to learn during the Halloween
time. You can further teach the color orange by having orange snacks for the
kids. You can serve carrots, cheese, or goldfish. Another suggestion is to make
pumpkin pie for the kids to try and experience.
Water fun
This can be done a variety of ways depending on the
materials you have in your resource room. I use a kiddie pool and feel it with
water. Our school has some orange ping pong balls in which we use as a fishing
for pumpkins center. You can also use rubber ducks and allow the kids to catch
the ducks.
Allow kids to dress up for the day. They will enjoy the
variation in your daily schedule. If you can have it outside, go for it. The
kids will like the fall air.
Feel free to leave any other suggestions you might do in
your own classrooms in the comment section.
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