Halloween Mash-Up

Well, it's been a good long while, hasn't it? I guess starting out, blogging is difficult to be motivated to update without many followers. But, on the flip side, I'm not comfortable 'marketing' this blog until I have a good set of content to fall back on - and proof that I will actually continue to update so it's even worth following.

So, I am back. Now that I am getting used to our new schedule at school, I am ready to squeeze in some time to post.

I am a sucker for holiday projects, ESPECIALLY Halloween. I don't get into Christmas projects as much for whatever reason, but spooky, creepy, and silly lessons are where it's at. For the next few days, I am going to be overloading you with Halloween lesson ideas, as the 31st is coming up fast! Of course, there are always students who don't celebrate some or all holidays, so I have alternatives ready to go as well.

First, I have a Pumpkin Patch project, which I teach to my 3rd graders. It seems like a simple drawing, but there are tons of vocabulary words and drawing skills jam-packed in it. I start by showing my example, below, and asking students why some pumpkins LOOK closer than others. They are always inclined to say, "Because it's closer...", but I insist that it is not actually closer, I just used some drawing "tricks" to make them look that way. Eventually we discover together...

Objects that look closer are...
1... bigger
2... lower on the paper
3... overlapped in front
4... drawn with more detail



We also briefly cover horizon line, foreground, middle ground, and background, and I show them quickly how to make a road/river/railroad tracks that come from the background to the foreground.

Whew!

Students are then free to draw their pumpkin patch and add whatever details they want. It can be a Halloween-themed patch, but it doesn't have to - it can just be a farm or whatever. Before outlining with Sharpie and coloring in with crayons or colored pencils, I usually have students check their drawings with me to be sure they have enough DETAIL. I'll post some kid results later on.