Keeping Them Curious: Halloween Edition
(This Halloween facts email was sent on October 30, 2023.)
Halloween on a Tuesday?! It’s going to be a long week! 😱 This edition of the “Keeping Them Curious” email series has some fun facts and helpful resources to make your week a little easier.
My goal with this email series is to help you with thematic teaching by giving you cool facts to share with your students, along with links to relevant resources from my site and across the web.
You can find the previous editions all in one spot over here so you can refer back as needed!
Keeping Them Curious is an email series for teachers who are passionate about actively engaging students in thematic learning. I’m posting the email content here for those who might like to have a place to revisit each theme. If you would like to receive this content by email, please let me know below!
Did You Know? Halloween Facts for Your Class
I’ll start with some fascinating Halloween facts you can use to engage your students this week!
🎃 As many as 500 years ago in Scotland and Ireland, children participated in “guising,” the tradition of putting on costumes (disguises) and going door to door for treats. Those children would perform a song, joke, or poem in exchange for a treat of nuts, fruit, or even money!
🎃 Just this year, a Dutch candy company set a world record for making the world’s largest gummy bear. It weighed 1728 kilograms, which is about 3800 pounds! Watch a fun video of the process here.
🎃 In America, Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups are the most popular Halloween candy. What’s your favorite?
🎃 In 1958, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was the first person to decorate the White House for Halloween. Since then, many Halloween celebrations have taken place there.
🎃 Lots of world records have been set by groups of people dressed in the same costumes (witches, scarecrows, vampires, etc.). In 2020, a school in Garwood, New Jersey, United States, set a record for having the most people (367) dressed as butterflies at one time!
When I was searching for the 30 Best Calming Videos for Your Classroom, I came across this sweet video, “Little Ghost Is Tired,” that’s perfect for the end of a long Halloween day!
And here are the rest of the calming videos! This post has songs, read-alouds, relaxing timers, mindfulness strategies, and more—lots of videos that will come in handy as you make your way through a sugar-ful and exciting week!
Find additional thematic videos that will help you harness the excitement of the Halloween season and use it for learning!
And if you need any ready-made resources to make your week a little easier, take a look at these!
If you have time for a quick trip to the library, see if any of these pumpkin read-alouds are available:
Best wishes to you as you embark on this wild week!
I hope you’ve enjoyed the Halloween facts and resources in this edition of the “Keeping Them Curious” series! I’m looking forward to continuing this series with more exciting themes. What topics do you have coming up? As always, please feel free to comment below or send me an email—I’d love to hear from you!
Find more “Keeping Them Curious” posts here!
Bat Math Puzzles Center
Bring your bat theme into your math instruction with this set of easy-prep math puzzles! Perfect as an independent practice math center, these fun bat math puzzles include four skills: shape matching (2D & 3D), numbers 1-10, teen numbers, and beginning addition (sums through 5).
October Bundle: Thematic Units
This October Bundle includes three thematic units that will help your students explore pumpkins, spiders, bats, and owls with informational PowerPoints, printable activities, and more!
