43 Activities for October, by Elizabeth Swartz

43 Skill-Building Activities You Can Use Right Now!

Primary Grades

The Colors in Our World
Vocabulary/Art Make a simple clothes-hanger mobile. Print the name of a color on an index card and attach it to the middle of the mobile. Have students find or make pictures of objects of that color and glue the pictures to additional cards. Hang these pictures on the mobile. When a new color word is introduced, make a new mobile.

Seasonal Shirts
Vocabulary/Art/Reading Send a note home asking that the children come to school dressed in fall colors. When the children arrive, share the book, Autumn by Ruth Thomson (Franklin Watts, 1989). Then have the children arrange their bodies to make a beautiful autumn mosaic. Have each child take turns identifying colors worn by others.
A Myriad of Movements
Science/Phys. Ed. Take a trip to the playground. Explain what kind of movement each piece of equipment requires: pushing, pulling, sliding, spinning, etc. For a related show and tell, have students bring in toys that require different movements (forces) and invite the children to show how to set the various toys in motion.
Bird Behavior
Poetry/Science/Phys. Ed. Show the children pictures of the birds mentioned in the following poem. Tell the children a few facts about each bird. After you read the poem, have the children act out the parts, or play a follow-the-leader game with the leader playing a particular bird.

Bird Exercise

by Jacqueline Schiff

I climb like a woodpecker,
High in the tree.
I dive like the eagle,
And you can't catch me!

I race like a pigeon.
I walk like a duck.
I hop like a robin,
And I call, "Tut-tut."

I swim like a mallard.
Like a blackbird I fly.
I flap like the crow
That cries, "Caw!" in the sky.

Bird Treats
Science Use peanut butter as a treat to attract birds. Put a rock out on the window ledge and dab some peanut butter on it. Sprinkle birdseed on the peanut butter and have the class write about and draw what they see.

Birds of a Feather
Science/Art After identifying the birds at your window, make oaktag patterns of a bird shape for students to trace in the correct color for the species of bird. Make a slit in each bird where the wings would be. Accordion-fold sheets of tissue paper and slide through the slit. Attach a string to the bird for hanging.
Sunflower Wreaths
Art/Science Materials: paper plate, 12 yellow paper baking cups, scissors, glue, sunflower seeds.

Step 1: Cut the center from the paper plate and discard.

Step 2: For each flower, use two paper baking cups stacked together. Fold the cups three times to form a wedge shape. Cut a V shape in the wedge at the opposite side from the point.

Step 3: Open the cups and rotate one slightly so all the petals show. Glue in place. Repeat for five more flowers.

Step 4: Glue the flowers to the wreath.

Step 5: Spread glue in the center of each flower and sprinkle a small amount of sunflower seeds there.

Step 6: Attach a string hanger.
What's So Funny?
Reading Collect a set of comic strips and cartoons. During circle time, share several of them and ask the students to explain what it is that makes them funny. Are there ordinary things in unexpected places? Is it because a character doesn't know what is going on? Explore the elements of humor. Have students collect comics to bring in for a future discussion.
Water Magic
Science/Poetry Read the following poem to the class and try to do what it says. Put out a couple of shallow bowls with water in them. Try drawing a circle in the water with a pencil. Then drop water from an eye dropper into the dishes and see the circles that are made. Experiment with dropping the water from different heights. What does that do to the circles?

Raindrops

by Martin Shaw

It's hard to make a circle,
On a pond or on a lake,
A pencil or a crayon,
On the water, will not take.

But tiny, little raindrops,
Seldom find it hard at all,
They're always making circles,
On the water when they fall.

Magazines Just for Us
Reading During October, which is Children's Magazine Month, see your librarian for copies of early-reader magazines. Use them for read-alouds and place them in a learning center for children to look through on their own.
Reading Pals
Reading Provide an opportunity for two students to go to the library or the classroom bookshelves to select a book that they can partner-read together purely for enjoyment. Provide rugs, pillows and time for the pals to enjoy a book together. Don't forget to choose a pal for the teacher, too!
Too Hot?
Poetry/Health/Science After reading the poem below, discuss temperature. What's the temperature range of the human mouth? Do some experiments with ice cream and a lemon ice, a bowl of soup and a cup of coffee. How many degrees are in our safety range? Are "temperature hot" and "spicy hot" the same thing?

Witch's Brew

by Heidi Roemer

Bubble, bubble,
Beware of trouble!
Supper is in the pot –

A flame below,
And steam above;
Take care, my child –
It's hot!

Thanks for Lunch
Writing During National School Lunch Week, October 13-17, take your students on a "field trip" to the cafeteria to meet the workers and see the facility that feeds them every day. Arrange for the district dietitian to be there as well, so he or she can explain why certain foods are served. Find out where the food comes from, who plans the menu, what time the staff arrives, etc. After the trip, have the students write thank-you notes to the cafeteria staff.
Parents Activity
Health Collect recipes for healthy snacks using fruits, vegetables, cereals and nuts. Spend a rainy afternoon or a lazy Saturday discussing and making some of these snacks. Many good books exist for children to use themselves or with parents. One excellent example is: Delicious Desserts: Step-by-Step Healthy Recipes for Kids by Bobbie Kalman (Crabtree Publishing, 2004). Have your child copy some of the recipes onto index cards and start a snack recipe swap at school.
Safety on the Bus
Health/Safety/Writing The theme for National School Bus Safety Week, October 20-24, is "Be Smart – Be Seen, I wait in a safe place!" Go to www.nhtsa.gov and see what else you can do with your students during this time. Have students make a list of all the things they can do on a bus that won't distract the driver. Discuss with them things that are unsafe to do on the bus. What should happen to students who make it dangerous for others? Is riding the bus a right or a privilege? After the class discussion, have students write their own essays about riding the bus responsibly.
Keep Your Home Safe
Health Prior to Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11, take your students to www.firepreventionweek.org and have them read about how to keep themselves safe. This year's theme is "Working Smoke Alarms Saves Lives". Allow them to print and take home any suggestions that they feel would be helpful to their families, and/or neighbors. There's always a lot of attention paid to this in schools, but not among adults. Can your class use this information to make posters for the lobby of an apartment house? the bank? the grocery store?
What's the Angle?
Math Make a matching set of cards, one set with the number of an angle, and the other set with pictures of the angle, ex., 45°, a picture of a 45° angle. Set the cards in a learning center where students can practice matching them on their own or play a kind of concentration game with a partner. For a quick spot-check, give a student a piece of yarn and ask him or her to show you an acute, right or obtuse angle, or even something close to a 45° angle.

Who's Afraid of Halloween?
Reading/Writing Ask your librarian for a selection of the many Halloween-related picture books. Put them in the room and allow time for students to read several. Give each student a paper ghost on which to write the name of the book that this student feels best illustrates his or her own feelings about Halloween, be they scary, silly or unbelieving. Hang all the spooks on a bulletin board. After the bulletin board is completed, ask students to write an explanation describing why they thought their particular book was scary or silly.

Intermediate Grades

Auditory Clues
Music Bring in the soundtrack from a popular movie. As students listen to it, have them write or draw what kind of actions the music seems to suggest. What kind of music is used at the beginning? When a crime or big event is about to take place? When something sad is happening? What can they tell from changes in tempo, pitch or style of music? Could it be used as a prediction? As a follow-up, have students select a different soundtrack to listen to and report on in groups. Will this change the way they watch and listen to movies? Discuss this a month later – have they used this new skill? When? How?
Can You Hear Me Now?
Science/Writing Place one student behind a visual barrier with some objects that makes a sound: a tape dispenser, a comb, a fly swatter, a cell phone etc. The student who describes the sound correctly goes behind the barrier next. Students will sharpen their ability to focus on details. As each sound is identified, place a list of suggestions for describing that sound on the board. Have students incorporate some of these specific descriptions in future writings.
Whether the Weather
Science/Writing Check out the weather in your area or in a part of the world that you're studying. The Weather Channel has a website at www.weather.com and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration has one at www.noaa.gov. Read about what goes into predicting the weather. Decide whether or not you can believe it. Have students choose a location from a book that you are reading or from somewhere mentioned in current events. Ask students to chart and record that location's weather for 10 days, then write a paper to compare that weather to their own.

String Pumpkins
Art/Writing Do the following art project with the class, then have them each write how-to articles about the project using steps, flow charts and/or diagrams. Materials: round balloons, white glue, orange embroidery thread, green thread, empty thread spools, green chenille stems, plastic gloves, plastic cup.

Step 1: Inflate a balloon and tie it closed. Working in a covered work space and wearing plastic gloves, squeeze glue onto the orange thread and tie it to the knot on the balloon.

Step 2: Wrap the glue-soaked thread around the balloon randomly until the balloon is completely covered.

Step 3: Wrap the chenille stem around the knot of the balloon.

Step 4: Set the balloon on a plastic cup to dry.

Step 5: Break the balloon and remove it.

Step 6: Glue the green spool to the top for a stem.
Rhyme Time, Anytime
Vocabulary Play this game any time the class is standing in line, waiting. The teacher says a word and someone must respond with a rhyme for it. Then that person starts with another word, etc. All words must be able to be defined by the user. Require the use of larger or different words each time you play.

Sticky Arrays
Math When introducing or reviewing multiplication, give students stickers and paper on which to build arrays that demonstrate the times table. Students at the semi-concrete level can be given the choice of doing homework arrays with drawings or stickers.
Just How Big?
Science/Math When studying insects or animals, have students collect pictures as well as information. Then, as a class, make a life-size picture of the animal on a bulletin board or with chalk on the playground. What does the animal's actual size have to do with its environment? What does it have to do with the animal's place in the food chain? Does the student's impression of the animal change when faced with its real size?
Keep on Poppin'
Social Studies/Health October is National Popcorn Poppin' Month and a great time to research the origins and health benefits of popcorn. Go to www.popcorn.org for some beginning information. Send the students to the library for more. Compare types of popcorn – air-popped, microwave, etc. What makes popcorn pop? Why is popcorn sold at movie theaters? If the popcorn kernel is colored, will the popped piece of popcorn be colored? If 1/4 cup of kernels is popped, will it still fit in a 1/4 cup container? Do some experiments and have some fun!
Meeting an Author
Reading Meeting a real-live author is very exciting for any group of school children. Prepare for that special day by reading the author's books ahead of time, thinking about questions to ask and decorating for the special guest. One good book to read with the class in preparation for the visit is called The Day Eddie Met The Author by Louise Borden (Simon & Schuster, 2001). Ask your librarian for others.
Fire Dangers
Science/Health Before National Fire Prevention Week, October 5-11, have your students collect articles related to fires from magazines and newspapers. Organize them according to the cause of the fires. Are there patterns in your area? What could prevent some of these fires? Have students make posters or a slide presentation for an early primary class. Your class can be the guest speakers during Fire Prevention Week this year!
Parents Activity
Math/Consumer Awareness Go shopping with your child in a department store. Ask your child to select items that are on a percentage sale. Work out the amount actually taken off of the price. Is it as good a deal as originally thought? What makes it seem like a bigger sale than it really is? What games do retailers play with percentages? Go back to the same store a week later and check the same merchandise. Is the percentage larger? Why? Will the store still make money on the product? How?
Square that Number
Math When introducing the concept of the square of a number, give each student a paper towel and a number of small, square crackers. Demonstrate a square on the overhead. Then ask them to "build" the same square at their desk. Ask for other squares. Why is it called squaring the number? Next have them build a square of 25 crackers, ask them to find the square root of that number. Practice with other digits. When you're satisfied that they understand, take a cracker break!
Today's Words
Poetry/Writing Discuss the hurting and healing power of words. After reading the following poem and/or placing it on the overhead projector, talk about the words your students have heard so far today. How did the words make them feel? Ask the students write a response about how much of those feelings are under their own control. How do they plan to change the tone of the day/school/class with the words they use?

Words For Today

by Heidi Roemer

Today is a page
without any words.
A song unsung
that no one has heard.

The words you speak
can hurt or heal.
Before you speak – think
how others might feel.

Today is a page
on which you'll write.
Will you speak words
that are good and right?

Middle Grades

If I Wore Those Shoes
Writing/Reading Place a pair of fireman's boots on a table. Ask students to write what their life would be like if they wore those shoes every day. Try again with steel-toed factory shoes, nurse's shoes, etc. Have students do some research before completing their piece. Do they really know what the career entails? How much do those shoes cost? How much does that job pay? The same writing activity can be done using hats or uniforms.
Eyes On the Moon
ScienceThe next Penumbral Lunar Eclipse will take place on October 8, 2014. Discuss and research this phenomenon. Have students make a model of a lunar eclipse, using painted tennis and golf balls. Contact a local planetarium and/or university to arrange related guest speakers or field trips.
Odd One Out
Geography Take information from a current unit or from current events. Make a set of cards, listing four cities on each card (or transparency) and have the students identify the city that does not exist in the same country as the other three cities. Play with rivers, political personalities, etc. Use in a large group or in a learning center.
Parents Activity
Writing/Organization Prepare for this first parent/teacher conference of the year by talking with your student about school. Have your child make a list of questions or concerns that he/she would like to have brought up at the conference. Ask your child to make an educated "guess" as to what the teachers comments might include as far as grades and work effort. Have the predictions put into writing. After the conference, go back over the written report together. Was the prediction close? Does your child know his/her own work? strengths? weaknesses?
Who's News?
Reading/Social Studies During National Newspaper Week, October 6-12, provide your students with local, regional and national newspapers. Have the children read and compare the contents of each. Who is the audience of each? Then, invite the students to take a survey of their parents, asking: "To what paper do you subscribe? For what three reasons do you subscribe to the paper? What is the most important section to you? What section do you always skip? Do you think the newspaper is a good value for the price, or is it too expensive?" Have students plan their query and the best way to record and present results. Invite someone from your local newspaper to come in and talk to the students about their work, their audience and the results of the student survey.
Your Favorite Sport
Writing When practicing how-to writing, have students explain their favorite sport. Stress that separate paragraphs discuss different facets of the sport. Have sports books ready to use as examples for students to see how clearly how-to's can be written. Also stress the need to include illustrations, diagrams or photos. Two excellent examples are: Wrestling In Action and Cheerleading In Action, both by John Crossingham (both Crabtree Publishing, 2003).
Only One Way
Geography/Social Studies Initially, use a large globe and sticky-notes with the names of countries or cities, one on each slip. Select a student to place the sticky-note on the correct part of the globe. For an extension, give one student three place notes and have him/her put them in the correct order from east to west, north or south, smallest or largest area or population. Each student who answers correctly chooses the next student to play.
Keep Those Stats!
Math Invite the coach of your high school football team to class. Have him or her show your class what statistics are gathered from each game and what is done with them. What percentages are figured? Why? Have the students each select one game (high school, college, local or on TV) during which they will take statistics. Perhaps one quarter or one half of the game would suffice.

Where Does it Stop?
Math When introducing signed numbers (positive and negative) give each student a horizontal number line or a vertical line representing a thermometer. Get them used to seeing and hearing positive numbers and showing where they're located on the number line. Select a card from a prepared pile and read the directions (+5, -2, +4, -7, etc.). Have the students tell you what number they'd land on. The student with a correct answer selects and reads the next card.
Distance and Diameter
Science Have students design a hypothesis and set up an experiment with distance and diameter. Does one affect the other? Use a spray bottle filled with water. Spray onto a blackboard or a black poster board from different distances. Mark the distance and measure the diameter of the spray. Can your students make any correlations?

Family Holiday History
Writing/History Prior to Halloween, have students research its beginnings in the sixth or seventh centuries. Also have them research at home, what does our family do at this holiday and why do we do it? Have we always celebrated? Why? Why not? Continue the home holiday interviews all year. At this time in October, have each student start a notebook about their holiday traditions. Include interviews with people from both sides of the family. Are the traditions the same? Is there compromising?
Awards Everywhere
Social Studies Students hear about awards all the time – the Newberys, Caldecotts Grammys, Emmys, Tonys etc. Discuss what makes something or someone worthy of receiving an award. Decide who or what would be worthy of an award in your class. After the determination is made, get a local business or parent group to donate a trophy that your class can award at the end of the school year.

THIS MONTH'S CONTRIBUTIONS:
Helen Wubbenhorst, Mesa, AZ, #1; #32; Jacqueline Schiff, Moline, IL, #2, #4; Harry Roman, East Orange, NJ, #5; Sherry Timberman, Albany Township, ME, #7, #22; Joanne Calcagno, Jackson Heights, NY, #6.

POETRY: "Bird Exercise" by Jacqueline Schiff, Moline, IL. "Raindrops" by Martin Shaw, Bronxville, NY. "Witch's Brew," "Words for Today" by Heidi Roemer, Orland Park, IL.

Illustrations by H. Robert Loomis.

30+ Days of Activities

43 Activities for October, by Elizabeth Swartz

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