Getting Ready for Halloween in the OC - Teachers Lisa & Jelena

The children arrived on Monday to find that our room was crawling with spiders. There was a water spout for washing them away in our tub.

At the light table there were webs and long tweezers for catching and/or rescuing bugs.

Children could play a spider tossing game, or one where they counted spider rings as they stacked them on a straw.

There were spider web cookie cutters out with the play dough, along with other fun Halloween themed accessories.

At the building table spooks and trick-or-treaters were arranged in a haunted house.

The texture table was filled with jack-o'lanterns, skeletons, ghosts and bats. We'll keep adding more fun things to the mix in the weeks ahead.

Children had fun acting out Caps for Sale during their free play time.

They also enjoy relaxing in our book nook.

Here are some of the other things that were happening during our free play time:

On Monday we added our first items to our memory boxes - sunflowers and red pom-pom "clown noses." Each child made a little sticker book and added sunflower and ice cream cone stickers. The final step was to dictate something fun they remember from September.

It was "Web Weaving Wednesday" with yarn and paper plates. When their webs were finished, children added a bejeweled spider. These are on display in our classroom windows.

On Friday we planted daffodil bulbs in the garden across from our classroom. It will be so fun to watch these flowers come up next spring!

At story time we read more books about kindness and being a good friend: Being Friends, and The New Bear at School. We also read some Halloween stories: Creepy Carrots, The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything, and Big Pumpkin. We played a stick song about raindrops and thunder, learned two new yoga poses ("I am a ghost" and "I see the moon"), and danced to a song dressed as little ghosts.

We also did our first "Friday Friendship Circle" which is something we will try and do weekly. We sit in a circle and pass the "Talk Rock". This week we each shared about something that makes us feel happy. Friendship circle is a great way to get to know each other a little better, to practice speaking in front of the group, and to be a thoughtful listener.

The days are a little chillier, but it feels great to get outside. The kids love to swing, play hide-and-seek, and make Bug Bread :).

Next week we have a 3-day project: building, painting and decorating haunted houses. This is always a favorite and we know the kids will enjoy it!

We'll see you soon,

Lisa and Jelena