Halloween Comes to Life Across Curriculum

From pumpkin carving and “ghost rockets” to spooky stories and international traditions, Halloween is providing students with creative, hands-on classroom lessons.

Throughout the Lower, Middle and Upper School, teachers are incorporating Halloween themes into a variety of subjects.

In Pre-Kindergarten, students are exploring the pumpkin life cycle by cleaning out pumpkins, planting seeds and making observations. They are also measuring pumpkins with Unifix cubes, testing whether pumpkins sink or float, and beginning a decomposition experiment that will be revisited on Earth Day. In second grade, students are putting their writing skills to work by describing their own pumpkins with adjectives, complete sentences, and proper punctuation. They are also learning about bats through fiction and nonfiction texts, researching facts, and publishing their own informational paragraphs.

Math lessons are getting a seasonal twist, too. Through the poem “Five Little Pumpkins,” students are practicing counting, recognizing quantities, and exploring introductory addition and subtraction. Fourth graders are reinforcing previously learned math skills through Halloween-themed math centers, while also learning about the history of Halloween celebrations around the world before participating in a scavenger hunt featuring Halloween facts.

Science is bringing some spooky surprises to the classroom. Second graders recently explored solids, liquids, and gases through a hands-on experiment called “Ghost Rockets,” observing how a chemical reaction produces gas and enough pressure to launch their ghost creations into the air. Students in WOW are also investigating the science behind pumpkins, learning about their growth and structure while examining the different parts of the fruit.

Technology and STEM students have created costumes for Ozobots, small programmable robots, and designed paths for them to follow as they trick-or-treat. The activity also reinforces mapping concepts introduced in second-grade STEM lessons, blending creativity, technology and problem-solving.

In the library, Halloween-themed reading and crafts are encouraging students to explore stories while developing new skills. Pre-K students recently read Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara before creating their own ghosts using glue and white paper, an activity that also strengthens fine motor skills. Kindergarten through second-grade students are enjoying seasonal stories, while third graders are exploring Tony DiTerlizzi’s The Spider and the Fly. 

World language classes are also taking a festive turn. In Spanish, fourth graders are exploring the vocabulary of los pasatiempos, or hobbies, of Halloween characters. Middle School French students are watching the entirely French-language short film Le Petit Monstre, while other classes are enjoying Halloween songs and riddles. In the Upper School, Spanish I and Spanish II Honors students are learning about Mexico’s Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1 and 2, through films and related activities.

In the middle school, creativity and critical thinking are taking shape in Graphic Design classes, where students are preparing to research superstitions and design posters featuring rhymes inspired by their findings.

Upper School AP English Language and Composition students read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and, according to Department Chair Sharon Wendler, "contemplated the deeper philosophical essential questions that the text raises: What moral limits should guide intellectual curiosity and scientific discovery? When does personal ambition cross the line from a noble pursuit into self-destruction? Is human nature fundamentally good at birth, or is moral character forged through experience?" 

Even the college application process is getting a Halloween boost. As seniors work toward November 1 early action and early decision deadlines, a cauldron filled with candy offers a welcome treat and a little encouragement during one of the busiest weeks of the year.

The celebrations will culminate with the school’s annual Halloween Parade on Friday.