Halloween sites October 24, 2008
Posted by anne marie in Fun, Games, General, SMART Board, Websites.Tags: Halloween resources
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I can’t believe how quickly Halloween is creeping up on us. When planning any Halloween themed lessons, one positive is there is an abundance of resources, games, activities, etc. on the Web for teachers to access. Even more encouraging is the fact that there is an increasing amount of activities that are interactive, educational, engaging and wonderful to use with the SMARTBoard. Conversely the problem is also just that–there are so many to pick from it can be overwhelming, or at least for someone like myself, who just doesn’t want to miss any!! I have put together a short list of new interactive Halloween resources/activities/games that I have added to my lists from previous years and also listed a few “oldies, but goodies”! As with all resources you need to preview each activity to ensure it is appropriate for your classroom (especially since some Halloween themed activities do incorporate the “scary factor”). Unless I note otherwise, all the sites mentioned would work well with the SMARTBoard- ENJOY!
Haunted Alphabet- on the idea of “I Spy”- students must locate the alphabet letters that are hidden in the haunted house- a very fun way to reinforce/review letter identification.
I Spy Library- Halloween is the perfect time to play this interactive game.
Scary Spuds- a fun way to allow creativity to flow in students, coupled with practicing eye/hand coordination, mouse skills, following directions, etc.
Trick or Treat Maze- a Halloween maze- great game for a “reward” activity in a computer lab to practice keyboard skills.
Monster Match- I have to admit this game had me and my husband hooked! You have to rearrange/switch Halloween pictures to make 3 in row. This is a great activity to use for a team building activity.
Billy Bear Concentration- for younger children to reinforce memory skills and encourage language.
Halloween Jigsaw Puzzle- All of the puzzle pieces are scrambled to the right of the puzzle board and students need to drag and drop them to creat the correct picture. There is a hint feature and it allows you to set the amount of pieces– I dare you to try the 40 piece puzzle!!! Another great activity for team building/cooperation lessons.
Squigly’s Halloween Games/Activities- there are 17 games addressing a variety of skills at different levels. There are also several activities including story builders, picture matches, jigsaw puzzles, word scrambles, etc. You will need to explore and find what would meet your needs, but trust me you will not be disappointed. I will again reinterate that these are Halloween themed activities and some may be too scary for some students.
Lookybook- I have talked about this site in the past (it’s one of my favorites!), but wanted to mention it again beacuse they have some really cool Halloween stories available and they are all FREE to view and read-YAH! You will need to register, but it’s free and it will allow you to save your favorite books for quick reference- sort of like having your own persoanl librarian:) Some of the books, depending on the size of the text, page, etc. present very well on the SMARTboard and are interactive to the degree that you can turn the pages by touching the board and trust me the younger students LOVE to read the books using the SMARTBoard!
History of Halloween- for anyone addressing lessons regarding the history of Halloween the History Channel is a fantastic resource for this purpose. They offer some great videos relating to this topic and also have some hauntingly fun games!
Also want to mention that Jim Hollis over at Teachers Love SmartBoards has two posts listing other great Halloween sites – Halloween Activities Part 1 and Halloween Activities Part 2.
Happy Halloween and ENJOY!
