Halloween Musings, and a Pumpkin Party Freebie!

Hello, Teaching Friends!

It's fall again, one of my favorite times of the year ... beautiful clear skies, crisp cool nights, gorgeous autumn colors, family birthdays and anniversaries... it's a busy time in the Nelson household!


I love the annual jaunts to the pumpkin patch and the excitement of little kids in costumes going door-to-door. But I must say I'm not a fan of what Halloween has become in the past few years.


Personally, I just don't get the "fun" in gravestones on front lawns, or store displays that make you jump out of your skin when you pass them. But then, I never was a fan of scary movies, either, and I  have no say about how people choose to celebrate Halloween within their own homes.


But in school - well, as I see it, that's a whole 'nother matter. First of all, a lot of people have convictions against celebrating Halloween. Although they can keep their child home for a day, a month isn't feasible, for sure. I have no problem with a Halloween class party or costume parade, or even some cute (not scary!) clipart on worksheets or center cards. In fact, you'll even see a few of those at my TPT store. But what purpose does it serve to have dangling skeletons, scary masks, mummies, or blood-dripping creatures in a classroom? Why are we filling little kids' heads with this stuff? Sure, they may be exposed to it through the media, stores, and sometimes even their parents, but why do schools need to be part of that?


Okay, off the soapbox.  Just to show you that I'm still totally fine with the cuter aspects of the holiday, here's a Pumpkin Party math freebie for you! It's Common Core-aligned for adding and subtracting ten to and from numbers through 120. Click on either picture to download yours.

If you'd like to see a lot more freebies for October events like Fire Prevention Month, Columbus Day, Red Ribbon Week, bully prevention, and more ( but no Halloween!), stop by Primary Inspiration for a new linky party.  Collect some freebies for your class, and share some of your own.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by Teaching Blog Roundup.  See you in November!