Halloween is a wonderful time to learn about ghoulish goblins, bob for apples, visit Sleepy Hollow, and go trick-or-treating. However, if some of these activities aren’t an option, there are still plenty of fun things to do virtually to satisfy your need for creepy crawlies and menacing mummies!
The Library will be hosting two fun and spooky STEAM projects: one for grades 1-6 and one for grades 4-8. Twelve kits will be available for each age group and patrons can register online through the library calendar to pick up their kits. Both kits will include items needed for the program, instructions, and recommended reads.
Our first Halloween STEAM program will take place on October 26th from 4:30-5:30 p.m. This program is geared towards grades 1-6. First we will read Giracula by Caroline Watkins and illustrated by Mark Tuchman. Bring some snacks and take a bite into a gory story about a giraffe who has a long neck and a sweet tooth! Afterwards, we will decorate a slime kit which includes slime, googly eyes, a spider and a snake. You might also need a mold (like a cookie cutter, or something to help make shapes from the slime), plastic knives and forks (optional.)
Our second Halloween STEAM program will take place on October 27th from 4:30-5:30 p.m. This program is geared towards grades 4-8. First we will be reading two short stories from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark: “The Dead Man’s Brains” and “May I Carry Your Basket.” Next, we will learn about parts of the brain and work on creating our own color-coded bloodcurdling brains! The 4-8 kit includes the parts of a brain worksheet, a piece of scrap paper, clay and a template to color code your brain. You might also want to use food coloring to color code the parts of the brain (optional.)
We hope you’ll join us at one of these spooktacular afternoons!
Phineas Gage: A Gruesome But True Story About Brain Science by John Fleischman
Library Catalog / OverDrive
Did you know that headaches are caused by a chemical reaction, and dreams result from a combination of imagination, physiological, and neurological factors? If you are interested in the complex organ that is the brain please check out Phineas Gage. This is the true story of Phineas Gage, a construction worker who survived after an accident that destroyed most of his frontal lobe. Not only is Phineas Gage an interesting phenomena in medical history, you may also recognize his story as referenced in season two of Stranger Things.
Fright Club by Ethan Long
Library Catalog
Fright Club is just another fun organization for vampires, mummies, witches and other creatures. Each year on Halloween Eve Fright Club meets to go over their Halloween plans: Operation Kiddie Scare. What happens when a little bunny wants to join in the fun of Fright Club? Will the other monsters let him in? Or will they spook him away? Read to find out. A hilarious tale!
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz
Library Catalog / OverDrive
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a gory collection of ghost stories that would be perfect to tell by a campfire or under a blanket using a flashlight. The collection includes stories about a woman who receives a strange visitor from her chimney, a song that welcomes wriggling worms to play pinochle on your snout and a game about feeling the remains of a dead man’s brain. These short stories are a perfect collection of terrifying tales to celebrate Halloween.
The Twilight Zone: Fan Favorites
Library Catalog
This DVD is a collection of nineteen episodes, including “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” one of my very favorites from the first season. The episode starts out with a neighborhood coming together to find out why the power is out, why lights are flickering off and on, and if someone in the neighborhood is causing mayhem. If you have never seen The Twilight Zone, I highly recommend watching the fan favorites for Halloween.
Giracula by Caroline Watkins, illustrated by Mark Tuchman
Library Catalog
Giracula is a wonderful picture book that is perfect for Halloween. This fun story features a giraffe that gets bitten by a bat. As the young giraffe wakes up the next morning he becomes something else: Giracula finds himself hungry for sweets and treats. He wants ice-cream, cookies and cupcakes and eats them all through the night. Uh oh! Is that blood or pie on his teeth? A fantastic treat for all ages.
Recommended Websites:
- Dancing Frankenworms
- Zany Zombies
- Pumpkin Fun
- 31 Days of Halloween STEM Activities
- Screaming Ghost Balloon
- Spider Web Science Activity for Kids
- Halloween Optical Illusions
- Dissolving Candy Pumpkin
- Wings Wanted
- Halloween Slime
- Dancing Apple Seed
- Play Brain Surgeon
- Eyeball Slime
- Twilight Zone Theme Song
- The Monster Mash
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