Celebrating Halloween

Another successful Halloween completed. Getting through Halloween at school can be arduous. The students are so excited that it is difficult to get anything accomplished.  The day is too long to waste just playing games so this year I planned some excellent Halloween related activities that kept the kids engaged and learning.

We started out our morning ELA block focusing on the classic Kindergarten Halloween story, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything.  I found this great packet on TPT.
 The packet includes anchor charts and sequencing activities. First we read the story and used the anchor chart cards to retell the story as we read. I then split the students into two teams. I had each team use real objects to retell the story. Everyone wanted to be the stinky shoe that went Clomp Clomp. The students then went back to their seats and completed the cut and retell worksheet for independent practice. We've been working on retelling guided reading so this fit perfectly.

Then I had the students complete this adorable craft that my coworker found on toddlerapproved. I copied the template on to colored construction paper and had the students cut and sequence the pictures to create the scarecrow. I was surprised at how well they were able to cut the hands. Many of the students actually tried to cut in between each finger!

When everyone was finished we watched this cute youtube video of the story that was turned into a song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiUflxXF-Zg  The students love getting up and dancing.

After lunch we invited the parents into to help us with our Pumpkin Investigation. We counted how many ridges were on our pumpkin, we measured the circumference of our pumpkin, we tested to see if it would sink or float. We cut open our pumpkin and counted the seeds by making piles of 10 and then the parents carved the pumpkins into silly faces.

 Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for the Halloween parade and end our day. How did you celebrate this year?  

Tricks and Treats Blog Hop

Hi everyone,
Is it just me or has this year been whizzing right by? I can't believe we are already in October!! Today I am teaming up with Mrs.Pelmonskindergarten and other teacher bloggers to bring you this Tricks and Treats Blog Hop.

As the title of my blog suggests, I love anchor charts.  I always find such cute anchor charts on

Pintrest, you know the ones I'm thinking of. These anchor charts must be made by some REALLY talented teachers. They  put mine rushed, slanted writing to shame.

Here are a few tips for creating anchor charts that pop....


1) Plan your spacing and arrangement:
I have 13 students so I always figure out how much room I need for each of their responses and leave room for the tile and embellishments.

2) Use bright colored markers to make important text stand out:
I picked up these really cute Scentos smelly markers at the craft store. They make my anchor charts really stand out. Plus the kids have fun guessing what the smell will be.

3)When all else fails, make a computer template:
I have to admit I do not have cute teacher handwriting, its something that I am working on. I will often create my titles or labels in PowerPoint using cute font and fun colors. I've been really attracted to KG Second Chances Font. You can download a free version here, but you have to buy a commercial license if you intend to sell any of your creations.  

Here is an example of a my computer embellished What Writes Write About anchor chart. The day before I presented the lesson I asked the students to brain storm about the topic. I then took their topic ideas and some ideas I had and got to work looking for cute clipart. I found all of these images for free at mycutegraphics.com.

You can snag your own copy of my anchor chart here. I love Freebies

I hope these tricks help you create beautiful and and useful anchor charts in your classroom. Now hop on over to see the tricks and treats the others have in store.

An InLinkz Link-up