10 Favorite Halloween Books For Your Primary Classroom

Halloween is a time filled with excitement and anticipation, making it the perfect opportunity to engage your students through these entertaining read-aloud books. These stories not only embrace the spooky spirit of the season but also provide valuable lessons and promote creativity. I've gathered some of my favorite Halloween read-alouds to share with you. I hope you find some new titles to add to your classroom library. All the books below come with an affiliate link to Amazon.

Hallo-Wiener by Dav Pilkey

This humorous and heartwarming tale follows a dachshund named Oscar who faces teasing from his canine friends. With its message of self-acceptance and the importance of being true to oneself, "Hallo-Wiener" promotes empathy and overcoming adversity in a delightful Halloween-themed story.

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds

In this suspenseful and amusing book, Jasper Rabbit begins to suspect that the carrots he loves to munch on might be following him. With its unexpected twists, "Creepy Carrots" keeps young readers engaged while also highlighting the power of imagination and conquering fears.

The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing

Capture the excitement and anticipation of Halloween night with this rhyming book that follows children as they prepare for a spooky evening of trick-or-treating. "The Night Before Halloween" is a delightful read-aloud that builds anticipation and embraces the traditions and excitement of this special holiday.

Where's My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi

Join Little Baby Mummy as he plays hide-and-seek with his mummy in a haunted Egyptian tomb. This charming and not-so-scary story promotes problem-solving, patience, and the importance of family bonds. With its playful illustrations and engaging narrative, it's sure to capture the imaginations of young readers.

Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds

From the same author as "Creepy Carrots," this book tells the story of a young rabbit who thinks he's outgrown his old undies, only to discover they might have a life of their own. With its humor and relatable themes of growing up and facing fears, this book is perfect for Halloween and beyond.

Bone Soup by Cambria Evans

In this captivating twist on the classic folktale "Stone Soup," Finnigin the skeleton arrives in a town looking for a hearty meal. Through humor and creativity, "Bone Soup" teaches the importance of cooperation, resourcefulness, and sharing, making it an ideal choice for Halloween festivities.

The Good, the Bad, and the Spooky by John Jory

From the same author as the "Bad Seed," this book tells the story of a young seed who usually looks forward to Halloween each year, but is struggling to find the perfect costume because all the good ones are already taken. He creates a plan to postpone Halloween to buy himself more time. Doing so may just help him to realize what Halloween is really about.

How to Make Friends with a Ghost by Rebecca Green

Delightfully illustrated, this whimsical book provides a guide on how to befriend a ghost. It celebrates friendship, empathy, and embracing differences, offering a gentle and friendly take on the Halloween season.

That Monster on the Block by Sue Ganz-Schmitt

This fun and colorful book introduce young readers to the friendly and misunderstood monsters living on their street. Through playful rhymes and vibrant illustrations, "That Monster on the Block" encourages acceptance, empathy, and celebrates diversity.

At the Old Haunted House by Helen Ketteman

Follow the brave protagonist as they navigate through an old haunted house filled with classic Halloween characters. This rhythmic and atmospheric tale will captivate young readers while introducing them to the spooky icons and themes associated with Halloween.

By sharing these fun-loving Halloween read-aloud books into your classroom, you'll engage and inspire your students during this festive season. These stories provide not only entertainment but also valuable lessons on friendship, self-acceptance, empathy, and problem-solving. So, gather your students and dive into the magical world of Halloween through these delightful books. 

{DON'T FORGET IT! PIN IT!}

It's Time for Ghoulish Fun!

One of my favorite times of year is just upon us....that's right my friends, Halloween! Halloween is a HIGE event in our neighborhood! So big, that tour busses drop people off to trick or treat in our neighborhood. Now, our 'hood is not like Candy Cane Lane at Christmas time, but people get into it. We always have a gathering at our house with families from our kids' school and some of our friends. Each year, I search for new ideas to make the party better than the last. Pinterest has been a savior the last couple years. Here are a few of my favorite finds so far:

I made these Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats last year. The kids loved them and they were a hit!. You need a lot of green food coloring to get them the right shade of green.

                                

I also made these mandarin orange cup jack-o-lanterns. These are great school treats because they are a healthy alternative to candy. All you do is draw jack-o-lantern faces on each of the cups and arrange them in a cute halloween bowl. Ta-dah!

I thought these looked super cute too! Here is the SOURCE.

How cute are these? Easy peezie and adorablness all in one package. SOURCE

Now, let's get to the good part. Halloween is not all about the kids. I found this drink recipe on Pinterest. Here is the SOURCE. Looks yummy to me!

I would love to find some ideas for main dishes and side dishes for the party. We are getting pizza for the kids and making ghostly red velvet cupcakes (picture to come). Last year I made butternut squash lasagna and salad for the adults. The lasagna is a good make it ahead of time dish. I would love to hear some of your ideas? What are you making for Halloween?

Binders,a Freebie and a Halloween SALE

This may sound silly to many of you but I LOVE 3 ring binders! They keep my organized and and I love being able to find my units quickly. My biggest problem is that my binders have been busting at the seams. I keep adding ideas to them and they keep getting fatter and fatter. I had to fix them and QUICK! I loaded up on 3 ring binders and of course plastic sleeves from Costco and created new spines and covers for all of the binders. 

A huge smile was on my face after I reorganized everything. I now have some more space to continue adding to my ideas to my units in math, language arts and monthly ideas. 

We wrapped up our geometry unit this week with this Freebie activity from Jamie Rector. Each student got a baggy with "treats" in it. 

They had to identify the 2D or 3D shape, the number of sides, vertices and real life objects of the same shape. The kids love anything with food and don't realize they are learning at the same time. I love that! 

I am throwing a SALE this weekend in my TpT store. Everything is 20% off through Sunday!

And don't forget I have these adorable pumpkin glyphs that will be great for this coming week.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Apple Abbreviations and a Frankenstein Treat

This week I was teaching abbreviations to my class and during the lesson I got this feeling that they just weren't catching on to how many things are really abbreviated in our world. Sure they know Mr. and Mrs., but do they know Gov. and Capt., Blvd. and Ln???? I knew I needed to take the lesson a little further to reinforce the skill because they are going to be tested on it this coming week through our district ELA test.

I created and set up a center with apple abbreviation cards for the students to practice matching whole words with the appropriate abbreviation. Some groups played a game of Memory with the cards, while others worked in pairs to just match the words up. I loved the interaction between the students. They had over 80 cards to match up and really took their time and worked together as a team. When all the cards were matched correctly, they filled in their student response sheet. 

Each student then created their own Abbreviation Apple. They wrote the word on the leaf. Then they wrote the abbreviation and used it in a sentence to create this:

They also created their own flip book with 3 words that I gave them. The first page is the name of the whole word. On the second page, the students write the abbreviation and on the third page they use the abbreviation in a sentence. 

The kids loved the activities. Whenever I have them make a craft to go along with a concept I am teaching them, they have NO idea that they are "learning". They think we are just doing a fun project. When I point it out to them that we are reinforcing a skill I taught them earlier, I always see the look of "shock and awe" on their faces. It's hilarious! It's like sneaking vegetables into your kids food without them knowing-just cracks me up!

Check out these adorable Halloween treats! I made these cute Frankensteins with my 5 year old yesterday for his school bake sale.

Just follow the regular Rice Krispie recipe and add green food coloring to the melted marshmallow mixture before you add the cereal. Let them cool a bit and then cut them into squares. Take each square and dip one end into melted chocolate.

Use colored frosting to make the eyes and mouth.

Add a pretzel stick and mini marshmallows to each side to look like Frankenstein's bolts and there you have it folks-edible Frankensteins for you kiddos delight! Easy-peesy! Enjoy!

Geometry Freebie and a Halloween Treat

We are finishing our geometry unit this week and my student teacher is teaching the last lesson before the kids take their test this week. We were discussing the lesson and she was looking around the internet for some ideas to inspire her. We came up with this cute activity for the kids to do as a great review of their skills before their test. Today, we had the kids make a riddle flip book of plane shapes and solid figures.

Each student chose 3 shapes with a combination of 2D and 3D shapes. They wrote how many sides and vertices the shape has and then decided if it was a plane shape or solid figure.

On the last page they wrote the name of the shape and drew a picture of it. The kids loved this activity and it was a great way to see what still needed to be reviewed before testing. 

You can grab this freebie HERE! If you do, please leave a comment or follow my little blog. I love hearing back from each of you!

Halloween is a little over a week away and my two boys could not be more excited. I am one of the room parents in my son's kindergarten classroom and we are going to have a party on Friday before their school Halloween carnival. I wanted to come up with something sort of healthy to share with them because they will be loading up on so much sugar in the next few days. I saw this idea on Pinterest and had to make them for his class.

I bought mandarin orange cups and drew jack-o-lantern faces on them, put them in a Halloween bowl and there you have it- a healthier Halloween treat! Have a great evening everyone!