Halloween Hodgepodge Freebies

Happy Halloween! 
A treat for all
Perfect night for a
Party in fall...
Y'all ready to trick or treat?

Here's the teachers
All dressed awry
Lookin' for goblins
Listenin' for cries... 
Oh, my! 
Which way did they go? 
Empty, dark  
Eerily too quiet, but 
Not one ghost in the hall tonight!

Click here for a complete list of Halloween products!

No tricks, no treats! The Educator Helper wishes all a Happy Halloween 

and enjoy some fun, free, engaging holiday activities!

Friday Night Lights

The excitement is contagious! Throw on your hometown pride, football t-shirt and get ready to cheer to for your team because it's time for Friday night lights! Then, half-way through the high school football season comes one of the most important holidays of the school year--homecoming! 

Back during the day (for me that would be the 1970s), we built real, ol' fashioned floats: the kind that had chicken wire stapled onto wooden floored, iron framed trailers. They required detailed planning and lots of man hours and were true works of art.

First, someone, an adult but I'm not sure who, chose a theme for the parade. For example, fairy tales, western movies, historical time periods, etc... Then, during grade level, class meeting times, we brainstormed and voted on choices, such as Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for a fairy tale theme. Next, each grade level formed small committees to come up with designs. These were sketched and material lists were made as items were gathered. Finally, it was time to beg local business owners, farmers, friends, and relatives for secret float building locations. 

Once the hidden locations were chosen, it was time to start building the greatest float that ever graced the streets of Maysville, Oklahoma! Hours and hours were spent stuffing chicken wire holes with colored toilet paper during homecoming week. Getting the paper meant trips to the opposing team's town, if close enough, to loot public restrooms for toilet paper. We folded and taped streamers and made props from cardboard, duck tape, and sheetrock. All students' talents were needed to concoct the perfect float that would win first place in the parade!

On Homecoming Day, our excitement peaked as the police car's shrill siren meant the parade was beginning. The band marched to the fight song and

candy was tossed from floats that overflowed with student actors, cheerleaders, and football players. The streets were more crowded on Homecoming Day than any other time of the year! 

Homecoming Day was special, especially in our rural town where Friday night lights meant a uniting of our community and school. We cheered for a common goal--a home team win. 

To help your students make lifetime homecoming memories, here are some fun, free activities to incorporate learning into homecoming week:

For more, visit: Homecoming Activities Packet 

What? Back to School, already?

Is it possible that we are already approaching "Back to School" mode? It's time to start thinking about the first week of school and getting to know new students. It's true that our classrooms are more diverse than ever. So, how can we get students to appreciate and understand their classmates' cultures? Through active learning, hands-on lessons that build critical thinking skills and increase peer interactions!

Here are some ideas for getting to know students as we gear up for "Back to School" mode:

Road of Life Maps
These come in many forms whether sharing hobbies, life events, or reading and writing experiences. Road of Life Maps get students thinking and talking about their pasts and futures. Here are some students' life maps as examples. Click here for the complete lesson plan: A Common Core Approach to Narrative Writing.

Let students introduce themselves through peer interaction. Here's an example of Find Someone Who bingo:

Back to School Information Sheet helps teachers get to know students and their families:

Back-to-School, Get to Know Students, Fill-in-the-Blank Stories (for more, click here): 

More Back-to-School Lessons:

Let early learners work together to help Wacky Wayne find I-Spy objects... 
Back to School Coloring Sheets are excellent for assessing motor skills!

Make a Book Project with 6 templates helps build peer relationships!
What letters do students know? Back to School Letter Recognition handouts...
Writing activities with cellphone example and more... for get to know fun!
Pair young writers up for compare and contrast writings lesson plan...
Identify, Understand, and Assess Learning Styles lesson plan with activities so students become aware of their own learning styles and how to use them

Are you hearing school bells yet?

Let Freedom Ring

 As Independence Day nears, children's excitement builds! Remember waiting all day long for the magical moment when fireworks lit up the night's sky? 

As a child, July the Fourth meant rushing to the nearest firework stand to pick out the best items: Black Cats, Roman candles, smoke bombs, and whistling fountains. Then, it was time to go to the town's park for donkey softball, egg tosses, turtle races, and various flavors of homemade ice cream--made the old-fashioned way with rock salt layered in wooden buckets rotated by cranking handles. 

By the time dusk approached, families in cars had jockeyed for positions on top of a hill that overlooked the football field. The first boom brought "ahhhhs" and "ewwwws" and lots of smiles as it filled the sky with red, white, and blue streamers. We declared each year's festivities better than years before! 

Today, as wars rage around the globe, freedom has never been more precious. On this Fourth of July, remember the true meaning of independence, and let freedom ring!

Happy Fourth of July!

Celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with these free coloring sheets:

Fourth of July Products links:
July 4th Coloring Handouts  (includes the above)
Fourth of July: 24 Fun Activities