A Spooky Sustainable Play Preschool Halloween
Our Educator team worked hard to plan meaningful and inviting experiences for the children during Halloween week that encouraged inquiry, collaboration and invited a sense of wonder. Our play-based curriculum is designed to facilitate this kind of play and exploration!
True to our philosophy, Educators offered the children experiences full of natural resources to help foster the children’s connection to the natural world to encourage exploration and creativity during the Halloween festivities.
Read on for more about our Halloween celebration!
Preschool Pumpkin Carving
We first cut our pumpkin open with a cut at the top and used our hands to scoop out the pumpkins insides. We engaged in scientific inquiry about the squishy and stringy contents of the pumpkin and observed its seeds.
We then used metal cookie cutters and hammers to create the facial features on our carving pumpkin. This was a great way to incorporate risky play and real tools into this experience. It also made it simple to decorate the pumpkin with preschoolers.
Homemade Halloween Playdough
We made playdough (see recipe below) with the children the day prior in fun Halloween colours. The children used the Halloween-themed playdough along with Mr. Potato Head parts to create monsters. Some were super scary with sharp fangs and big growls!
How does this experience preparing the children for formal schooling?
This experience helps prepare the children for formal schooling by developing their fine motor skills essential for writing, enhancing their ability to follow instructions, and encouraging social interactions that foster teamwork and communication, which are skills crucial for a classroom environment.
Yarn Spider Webs
We used gathered sticks and biodegradable cotton twine to make spider webs that could be hung as decoration. The children carefully concentrated as they threaded the yarn around each stick. They were quite proud of their finished webs as they persevered even though it was tricky to execute!
Bubbling cauldrons made from bicarbonate of soda and coloured vinegar!
During the potion-making activity, the children engaged in a hands-on, sensory-rich experience that stimulated their curiosity and creativity. Using bicarbonate soda and white vinegar (coloured with primary colours), the children explored the fascinating reactions that occur when these two substances are combined.
As they mixed the ingredients, the children observed the fizzy reaction, which not only captivated their attention, but also sparked questions about cause and effect. This process encouraged scientific thinking as they hypothesised what would happen when different amounts of bicarbonate soda or vinegar were used, promoting inquiry-based learning.
The use of primary colours in the vinegar added an artistic element to the activity. The children could experiment with mixing colours, observing how different combinations resulted in new colours. This not only enhanced their understanding of colour theory, but also encouraged creative expression as they created visually stimulating potions. Furthermore, the potion-making activity fostered fine motor skills as the children squeezed, poured, and mixed the ingredients. We also observed collaborative play emerging as the children shared materials and discussed their findings, enhancing their communication and teamwork abilities.
Overall, the potion-making experience provided a rich context for learning, integrating science, art, and social skills. The children’s engagement in this activity allowed them to explore their environment, make discoveries, and develop a sense of wonder about the world around them.
Frozen Creepy Crawlies
We froze creepy crawlies in coloured water in gloves to provide the children with a sensory and STEM experience. They enjoyed the feeling of the ice as well as problem solving to break out the bugs trapped inside the ice. They used the plastic syringes along with a variety of other tactics to melt the frozen blocks and get their hands on the creepy crawlies!
Did you know?
Sensory play encourages learning through exploration, curiosity, problem solving and creativity. It helps to build nerve connections in the brain and encourages the development of language and motor skills. There are many benefits that may go unnoticed, such as the development of abilities to focus and block out distractions.
Interactive Storytelling: Is there room on the broom for me?
On Halloween, we explored an interactive story version of ‘Room on the Broom’ written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
About the story. This magical tale about friendship and family follows a kind witch who invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom.
Creating a broom. A broom was crafted from an old stick and lemon myrtle branches. The branches were attached with twine. This sustainable broom was hung in our mulberry tree, so it looked like it was flying.
Creating the characters. The day before, some of the children helped to create the props for the story by sticking cut out characters to cardboard. When they had been contacted, the children played with them, role playing and making dramatic stories up using the props.
Interactive storytelling. To tell the story, Freya read from the book and as each character came into the storyline, a different child added the character onto the broom stick, the characters were attached with Velcro dots. When it was time for the witch to use her cauldron to conjure up a new broom, the children added gathered items to the cauldron. As the broom transformed, flower petals were thrown in the air to represent the magic.
How does this experience foster school readiness skills?
Interactive storytelling often presents choices and challenges, encouraging critical thinking and decision-making. This is handy for school readiness skills, helping children develop problem-solving skills and assisting them in making informed decisions.
‘Room on the Broom’ Story Extension: Mini brooms
To extend from our ‘Room on the Broom’ story, we engaged in a hands-on craft experience. The children gathered small sticks and some rosemary branches. They then attached the branches to the stick using a pipe cleaner (biodegradable twine or wire would be best for a holistically sustainable experience as they can be composted or reused at the end of their life). The children wound the material around the rosemary and the stick to attach the sweeper to their tiny broomstick.
How does this experience foster school readiness skills?
This experience allowed the children to connect with natural materials. The aroma of the rosemary was highly sensory and the children enjoyed the feel and the smell. The experience was considered process art by following simple steps to create the broom. Hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity were seen as the children manoeuvred each part to attach it together. Process art provides children with a safe space to express their feelings, thoughts, and ideas, helping them better understand, manage, and regulate their emotions. Process art encourages children to engage in trial and error, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
‘Room on the Broom’ Story Extension: Bows and plaits
“The witch had a cat and a very tall hat and long ginger hair, which she wore in a plait.”
Learning how to plait. Today, we looked at a life skill of being able to plait hair. To teach this, we used pipe cleaners – they are sturdy and bendy with the wire inside. This is a great tool to help start the basics of plaiting hair – each child was given three pipe cleaners which they used to learn how to plait.
Learning how to fold a ribbon into a bow. For this activity, the children were given a length of ribbon to practice folding a bow. This activity was another basic life skill that is important to learn. This experience taught the children how to tie a knot and use their hand eye coordination to make a bow.
Why are practical life skills important for children?
Practical life activities are applicable for all ages, even infants, and change depending on what the child can do at each stage of development. When taken seriously and presented as an approachable, impactful challenge, these activities hold inherent dignity. It’s not “just” getting dressed or “just” juicing an orange if one is doing it oneself. The child is learning to follow a complex motor sequence, independently, in order to fulfill his or her own desires and needs. These skills, when taught early in life, allow children to believe in themselves as well as develop the self-discipline needed for success throughout their lives.
How does this experience foster school readiness skills?
Learning basic life skills encourages independence. Self care teaches children the value of looking after themselves and being respectful to their own bodies and others.
Thank you for reading our spooky compilation of Halloween activities! If you are a Sustainable Play Preschool family or a community member with a suggestion for celebrating a holiday with sustainability in mind – please contact us!
Written with language from Emma S., Freya, Grace, Tammy and Suzie