Whether you like it or not, Halloween is coming... and soon!
We could spend hours and hours criticizing this holiday and saying that it is not an Italian tradition and that we should not celebrate it. We could say that nobody ( in Italy) really knows the origins of this holiday, why, where and when it all started but... does it really matter? Do we ( as Italians) know everything about the Italian festivities that we celebrate each year? Do we really know why each year we are off school on certain days which were historically very important for our own history? Maybe as adults we do ( or we should) but I have tried several times asking teenagers why they have been celebrating these holidays over and over and... trust me.. many of them have no idea ( and I know this might be frustrating for us as teachers but it is the harsh truth).
So... does it really matter?
What we know is that children, teenagers and adults enjoy celebrating Halloween and... shouldn't we try to engage students by working on things that they like and find attractive? So why not take the occasion to try something fun with them and at the same time teach them something which they will ( hopefully) remember?
So here are some ideas.
First, create a Halloween themed classroom. It always works and creates the atmosphere.
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It is also important to provide candies and sweets for the TRICK OR TREATing activities!
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Here are some fun activities that are really easy to do in class.
1) You need a microwave and some white chocolate.
Melt the chocolate and put the marshmallow ( on a stick) in the melted cream.
2) Put the marshmallows upside down and let the chocolate cool off and become solid again.
3) Melt some dark chocolate and decorate the ghosts with a stick.
You could also do with the same thing using apples and cover them with nuts or cereals or m&ms
I have also tried different recipes using candies.
All you need is some Oreo cookies, some candies ( strings) and M&Ms
You could use some plastic gloves from supermarkets ( the ones they give you to buy fruit and vegetables) and fill them with popcorns. Very easy and a lot of fun!
How about some VOCABULARY GAMES?
I have also tried many Halloween songs. My favourite is Halloween rule
Finally, I have also asked my students to dress up and they LOVED IT.
And.... of course... if your students dress up... you have to be willing to do the same! Happy scary Halloween!
Thank you,
Miss Alex
