A Walk in the Neighborhood

This morning, some friends came over for an early morning walk in the neighborhood on the Swamp Rabbit It was fun to see some houses decorated for Halloween. It was also nice to see the plants along the trail too! What a great way to start the day! 

Original Photos by Pat Hensley

Happy Halloween

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 in the United States. Many people carve pumpkins, wear costumes, have parties, and take children trick or treating. This day’s origin comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain which was a pagan celebration to welcome harvest at the end of the summer. People would light bonfires and wear costumes to scare off ghosts. Pope Gregory III declared November 1 as All Saints Day and the evening before was now as All Hallows Eve which later became Halloween.

However you celebrate this day (or don’t), I hope you have a safe and fun day!

Happy Halloween

This Sunday, October 31, 2021, is Halloween.

I notice more and more neighborhoods are not having trick-or-treats for children. Unfortunately, the crazy people in the world have just made people feel too unsafe to go door to door. I remember when I was a child, I would trick or treat in the neighborhood for hours and we never had to worry about safety. But I remember my parents always checking my candy, to be on the safe side. I wasn’t allowed to eat any unwrapped candy even though there was never a problem with anything happening in our neighborhood.

Our city is blocking off Main St. to encourage the children to “trunk or treat” at all the businesses along the street. Some of the malls are allowing children to trick or treat at all the stores.

Whatever you do to celebrate Halloween, stay safe and stay healthy!

Photo by Bekir Dönmez on Unsplash

Trick or Treating

Saturday is Trick or Treating and this year may seem very different than other years. 

• Please help your children enjoy this day safely. 
• Encourage them to keep their masks on. 
• Try to keep socially distanced from the other children. 
• Don't eat any candy until they wash their hands. 
• When they get home, have them wash their hands. 

Have a good Halloween weekend! 

Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash

Scary Stories

 One of my favorite times for creative writing in my classroom was during October and the Halloween season. For some reason, my students were at the peak of creativeness during this time. Monsters and unique situations were all in the land of possibilities. Nothing odd or unusual was off-limits (other than sex, drugs, or illegal activities) in their stories. This was the land of pretending for all ages. 

I usually set the mood off with some scary music. I played some of my favorite old songs especially Monster Mash. 

Sometimes I would give a list of scary story prompts to the students and let them pick one of them. Or they could make up one of their own stories. I had them first picture the scene in their minds and then I had them describe the scene.  I would do the same thing for their characters. Have the student describe them. They can jot down words on the paper or even draw a picture.  Once this was done, I would have them get out a fresh sheet of paper and have them start writing the story. 

I had a little recipe that would help them get started.

• Write about the setting so the reader can picture what it looks like. Where are the characters? What does the surrounding area look like? What does it feel like? Is it cold or hot? 
• What are the characters like? Describe them. Are they tall or short? What makes them look scary? What things do they do that scares others? 
• Then I have them begin the narrative. Tell me what is happening. 
• How does the story end? What happened? 

Usually, when students follow this recipe, they write very interesting stories. When they are done, I will help them make corrections and write up a display copy to be shown either on a bulletin board, or a newsletter or to parents. They can also draw an illustration of the story to go with it. 

Here are some prompts you can use: 

• The Monster in the Closet. 
• My friend, the Monster. 
• The Scary Monster
• The Friendly Monster
• The Scariest Thing that Happened to Me. 
• One Dark and Spooky Night. 

What other prompts would you add to this list? Please share. 

Halloween 2020

I started thinking about how this Halloween is going to be so different than other Halloweens. Trick or treating in my neighborhood is almost nonexistent anyway. It seems it isn't safe anymore like when I was a child. When I was a child, we knew most of our neighbors but I still remember my parents going through my candy. Anything not wrapped was thrown away unless we knew the person well that gave it to us. 

When my children were growing up, they did a little trick or treating in the neighborhood but we didn't have a lot of neighbors so it was quick and painless (from a parent's perspective). Then the local malls started having Trick or Treat in the mall and it was so nice to see all the children in the mall stopping at each store for candy. It didn't matter what the weather was like because it was all inside. 

Over the past few years, our city has closed off our Main St. and how they have a "Trunk or Treat" which means the children walk up and down Main St. to stop at all the stores for candy. There is no traffic on the street and lots of people show up. It was fun to see friends and neighbors that you never have time to visit with during the rest of the year. 

This year I expect it will be somewhat different. I think our city is doing the Trunk or Treat again but everyone will be wearing masks. I know some places plan on having a table out with the candy on it so children can pick up their own candy instead of someone placing in their bags. This helps people keep social distancing in place. It will be hard to hold long conversations with friends because let's face it, it is hard to hear and understand people easily while they have their masks on. Elderly people who look forward to this day because it brings visitors and short conversations with others, won't give out candy because it is too risky for them. 

I see having conversations with young people about how we used to do it in the "olden" days. 

Yet, overall, it may be a good thing. Halloween has become way too commercialized with the price of costumes and candy increasing. 

Maybe now, it is a good time to think about decorating your classroom instead of focusing on candy. Have a neighborhood contest for the best decorated scary classroom. Have a separate winner for each grade level. Have students vote on the best decoration for each grade (great practice and lead up to the discussion on voting.) The winner of the contest is announced on Halloween.  Maybe have some kind of prize for each student in each winning class. 

What is something fun you can do in the classroom for Halloween? Please share. 

Photo by Bekir Dönmez on Unsplash

Monster Mash

In honor of Halloween, I thought I’d share my favorite Halloween song.

Monster Mash  by Bobby Pickett

I was working in the lab, late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my monster from his slab, began to rise
And suddenly to my surprise

He did the mash, he did the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
He did the mash, it caught on in a flash
He did the mash, he did the monster mash

From my laboratory in the castle east
To the master bedroom where the vampires feast
The ghouls all came from their humble abodes
To get a jolt from my electrodes

They did the mash, they did the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
They did the mash, it caught on in a flash
They did the mash, they did the monster mash

The zombies were having fun, the party had just begun
The guests included Wolfman, Dracula, and his son

The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds
Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds
The coffin-bangers were about to arrive
With their vocal group, 'The Crypt-Kicker Five'

They played the mash, they played the monster mash
The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash
They played the mash, it caught on in a flash
They played the mash, they played the monster mash

Out from his coffin', Drac's voice did ring
Seems he was troubled by just one thing
He opened the lid and shook his fist and said
"Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?

It's now the mash, it's now the monster mash
The monster mash, it was graveyard smash
It's now the mash, it caught on in a flash
It's now the mash, it's now the monster mash

Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band
And my Monster Mash is the hit of the land
For you, the living this mash was meant too
When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you

Then you can mash, then you can monster mash
The monster mash and do my graveyard smash
Then you can mash, you'll catch on in a flash
Then you can mash, then you can monster mash

Mash good!
Easy, Igor, you impetuous young boy
Mash good! Grrr!

Source: LyricFind

Halloween Safety Tips

October 31st is Halloween. Even though many towns are now trying to encourage trick or treating on the weekend, many are still going out on October 31st. Many malls are having trick or treat in the mall. Our small town is closing off Main St. to allow children a safe area to trick or treat. 

Here are some safety tips for children and adults. 

Child: 

·      Make sure you wear bright colors so if it gets dark, cars can see you. 

·      Don't eat any candy until it has been checked by an adult. 

·      Don't wear a mask that makes it hard to see because you might trip and fall. 

·      Don't wear a costume that is too long that will cause you to trip. Ask an adult to shorten your costume with tape or staples.  

·      Put reflector tape on your costume so cars can see you more easily at night.

·      Carry a trick or treat bag/pail that is bright and has reflective tape on it.

Adults:

·      Drive slower than you normally do.

·      Avoid streets if possible, that may have large crowds of children trick or treating.

·      Avoid driving at night if possible.

·      Check your child’s candy before allowing them to eat it.

·      If your child is too old for trick or treating, have them be in charge of giving out candy.

·      Put reflector tape on your child’s costume so cars can see them more easily at night.

·      Give them a trick or treat bag/pail that is bright and has reflective tape on it.

What other safety tips do you have for Trick or Treating?

 Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash