Halloween and Thanksgiving Activities

In my younger teaching years, and teaching up North, I shied away from the holidays; too afraid to offend. Then I got older and moved down south where they still dress up for Halloween and march around the school and have Thanksgiving feasts.  I love that I can still do that! I have wonderful memories of marching around the neighborhood in my costume at school and all the neighbors coming out to wave at us. We also knocked on doors yelling trick or treat and never worried about what might be in our candy or if someone was going to grab us up. In a time of having to worry about such things and school shootings and snipers and terrorist and testing that would make any grown man cry, it is nice to be able to just have fun. Do a fun but education activity that isn't necessarily preparing for a standardized test or tied to common core standards. I have created two Halloween activities and yes, they are educational but you know what? They are just fun too! Plain old fun! I also wrote down my Thanksgiving Tom the Turkey activity too so I can share it with you. I have been doing it for years but just had it all in my head. It's now on paper so I can share it with you. I think far too much we are so focused on the standard, the benchmark and all the other measuring sticks we are held to and in turn forget to just laugh and have fun. Enjoy the day. Enjoy the holidays. Because let's face it, they are not going to be sitting around the kitchen table in their 30's telling their kids that you taught the best math lessons they have ever seen. But they will tell them about the Halloween Peeps that expanded or turned nasty brown from the soda you poured on them! http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Halloween-Fun-for-Ghouls-and-Boys-A-Scientific-Investigation-910843