Halloween Haunted Houses:

The grade ones at St. Monica School made Halloween Haunted Houses. We covered a small milk container with foil and taped it to a Halloween Paper plate. Students then covered their whole house with chocolate icing. Students used pieces of black licorice to frame their house and made it look spooky.

A parent piped purple or orange icing around the haunted house. Students brought in a variety of foiled candy to decorate their spooky houses. We purchases small plastic bats, skeletons, rats, spiders and ants to add to the spook-tacular effect.

Items required:

1)                Foiled covered milk container

2)             Halloween paper plate

3)             Half-tub of chocolate icing

4)            Variety of foiled candy (eyeballs, fingers, ears, candy corn, goodies, black licorice, etc.

5)            “1” plastic knife

6)            “3” small plastic Halloween animals (rats, spiders or ants)

Recipe for Buttercream Icing:

1 cup butter             half tsp. salt
   1 cup shortening        8 cups of icing sugar
   2 tsp. of vanilla          6 tblsp. milk

We used purple and orange paste to colour the icing for the haunting trim. We piped the trim with a decorating bag.

Beat at high speed till light and fluffy. This recipe makes six cups of icing to trim the haunted houses.

Haunted Houses:

I print the directions on the board so parents and students can read and follow along together.

1)                Cover the whole house with chocolate icing.

2)             Frame the house with pieces of black licorice.

3)             A parent will pipe a purple or orange trim on the haunted house.

4)            Make a pattern with M&Ms for the roof.

5)            Decorate your haunted house with your candy.

6)            ENJOY!

Haunted House Poems:

Students wrote their own Halloween Haunted House poems after reading a variety of Halloween books. We brainstormed words to describe haunted houses.

For example:       Spooky  haunted houses,
                Scary  haunted houses,
                Eerie  haunted houses,
               Ghoustly  haunted houses,
 

Students chose their own haunting words and decorated the front of their haunted house. They used a black felt to outline the shape of the house. They used black construction paper to make doors and windows, spooky ghosts were made out of white paper to add an eerie effect.

Spook-tacular Open House

The grade ones at St. Monica School had a Spook-tacular Open House to celebrate and share the Halloween activities that were happening in the class. The Open House was from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. and everyone was welcome to come and share in the special evening.

The atmosphere was spooky! Eerie music filled the hall and classes. The classrooms looked haunted with their hanging black webs, spiders and flashing pumpkin lights. Lights were dimmed so students brought flashlights to the open house and circulate through the class to share their special work with their parents.

Students were each provided with a check-list of activities to share with their parents.

For example;   ____ Scary Witches (art)

            ____ Spooky Spiders (art)

            ____ Slimy Bats (“5” senses)

____ Humbug Witch

____ I like Witches (poem)

____ Polly Pumpkin

____ “5” Little Pumpkins (art)

____ Pumpkin Weaving

____ Jaunted Houses

____ Touchy Feelie Centre 

Students read their poems and stories to their family. Parents were welcome to make a special comment regarding the child’s activities.

As a surprise the teachers set up a Spooky Feelie Centre in the hall. We covered a long table with black paper and hung a black spider web on the wall. We had poster boards which read; Witch Eyes, Cat Guts, Witch’s Fingers, and Slimy Intestines. On the table we had plastic pumpkin containers which were filled with all of the touchy feelies.

We used grapes for the eyes. Kidney beans were used as cat guts. Carrots were witch fingers and spaghetti was used for intestines. We had paper towels available for children to wipe their hands and a can for the garbage. The Spooky Feelie Centre was enjoyed by all.

Students wore spooky head bands and had a formal presentation to their parents at 6:00 p.m. The students MC’d their own performance and introduced each song as well as thanked their parents for coming to the celebration.

Presentation included;  

1)                “5” Little Pumpkins Song

2)             Ghost and Witches Song

3)             Have You Seen the Pumpkin Man?

4)            Witch Witch Poem

5)            “3” Ghosts Dance and Song

The evening was a great success and was well attended.  Students were eager to share all of their art work, poems and stories. It was a wonderful celebration of learning and the Arts!