Halloween science

Here are some Halloween science ideas that we are going to consider doing this month.

1. Sink snd float experiment witches couldron

I thought you could do this with candy or bits of nature collected or even general household items.

Easy experiment does the item float of sink ??

2. Twig/nature skeleton

I have seen a brilliant nature skeleton and really want to try and do it this year if we get chance.

3. Magnetism ghost

To do this you simply attach string to a paper clip and the opposite end Sellotape to a surface. You then attach the paper lip to a paper ghost. Using a magnet you can make it look like the ghost is floating.

4. Make slime

There are many different ways to make slime. When I do it I will update this post which I liked best.

5. Balloon rocket ghost or witch on a broom stick

A balloon rocket is basically a balloon attached to a straw which is threaded on a wire (fishing wire works best). Decorate the balloon to look like whatever and blow it up the let it go and it should move along the string.

6. Density potions

Mix liquids with different densities such oil, treacle , water and syrup they seperate when mixed and it looks good.

7. Make various luminaries to explore light

Using tin cans pierce them to allow light to shine out of them. 

8. Pumpkin float or sink

To investigate if different parts of the pumpkin float or sink.  Also various size pumpkins.

9. Chromatography

Draw a Halloween picture on filter paper and add a drop of water and watch the colours seperate.

We will probably try a pumpkin first.

10. Mixing potions 

Sodium bicarbonate and vinegar is always good fun.

11. Ice play melting

I have bought some Halloween ice cube trays and made milk ghosts and orange pop pumpkins. Not sure what they will come out like.

12. Static electricity ghost

To make a ghost out of tissue paper or grease proof paper may work. Rub it with a plastic ruler and it should stand up with the ruler.

13. Shadow puppets 

Halloween themed puppet show. I got a template and ued them to make the puppets. 

14. Rolling pumpkins

You could talk about kinetic movement energy and investigate the mass and how fast they roll down a ramp.

15. Creepy crawlies magnifying glass 

To have an insect hunt to try classify the bugs.

16. Inflating ghost / pumpkin

This is done by releasing carbon dioxide tk inflate a balloon attached to a bottle 

You can do this with baking soda and vinegar or yeast and warm sugar water.

17. Egg smoke bombs 

To explore diffusion as the egg shells filled with talc and smashed the talc diffuses and spreads out .

19. Fizzing pumpkins

We tried this with sodium bicarbonate and vinegar as well as effervescent vitamin C tablets and warm water.

20. Ghost rockets

Decorate a bottle as a ghost and add a mento style mint to fizzy pop like lemonade or come . Turn it upside down and the reaction will force the bottle up.

21. Halloween light table 

To place led lights in a box and have a variety of Halloween objects to explore.

22. Bouncy goblin eggs

35 Street sign post ideas

1. Finger letter tracing

To trace the letters on the sign with your fingers.  My son came up with this, you could then reproduce the sign at home on paper.

2. Wash

You could take a bucket of water an sponge and clean the signs which teaches them about helping keep their community clean.

3. Water brush trace

A similar activity to number one but with a paintbrush and a pit/bucket of water.  Again good for learning the alphabet and could be continued st home with writing materials.

4. Copy Writing

You could take a writing pad and write the road names of all your local roads.

5. Postcard image

A sketch pad would be just as good to draw the sign post and the surround area like a postcard.

6. Water pistol target practise

You could take a water pistol out and ask them to locate letters and shoot them.  My son loved this, first time he shot letters as I said to based on the sign. The second time we searched for letters on alphabetical order which meant we had to revisit some signs.

 

7. Match 

To have cards/photos of the sign in a basket for them to search through when you get to a sign and match it. 

8. Body shape letters 

To use your body to recreate the letters seen on the sign. Obviously some easier than others. You could then take photos and collard them to make a body shape road sign.

9. Number of letters tally

You could produce a tally chart to record how many letter A's you have seen. You could have valves versus consonants or letters of their name.

10. Hidden words

This is for older children, you could look for words in sequence hidden in the sign. Such as Haden hill road you can pick out Had, den hi, ill.

  

11. Measuring signs

You can measure the signs with tape to order the biggest - smallest.

12. Water balloon target practise.

To throw water balloons at certain letters. Remember to pick up the litter.

 

13. Map

To follow a map or produce a map of your local signs.

14. Sequence in alphabetical order 

After visiting the signs and record them you must put them in alphabetical order and revisit them in sequence.

15. Photograph

 

You photograph them to use for lots of the other activities.  

16. Playdoh 

You could take a board and playdoh out to make a model of the sign. A photograph of the sign can also be used as a playdoh template. 

17. Verbal journey recording

A to route throttle tge neighbourhood can be decided and they can follow the route and verbally record the journey . This can be used to write a set of direction to follow next time.

18. Follow verbal directions

The directions can be from a previous journey . They are told the directions to follow either by you ir a voice recording they/you made previously.

19. Magnetic spell board

You can take a magnetic whiteboard and the magnetic letters and copy the sign. Photos can also be taken to use again.

20. Prize hunt

Small prizes can be hidden behind the signs for them to collect on the journey.

21. Hidden message

A set of clues and a letter can be hidden  at the sign to spell out a hidden message. So the letter can be the 'first letter' and a glue might be " the next sign is by a post box".

22, Name extraction

To help recognise and spell their name them could search for a sign that they can spell their name in if this isn't possible maybe search for the one with the most letters of their name or mom and sad or other family members.

23. Spelling soup

To use the letters of the sign as the letters in a spelling soup. The idea is to make as many words as they can. A magnetic white board with letters might be handy for this.

24. Sign to image converting 

To come up with an image that represents a sign . So meadow drive I would draw a meadow. 

25. Journey stick

To create a stick that represents the signs on your journey. So for example if you have been to green drive take something green and put it on your journey stick. It can be items that you find at the sign to help them remember the journey or items that represent the name of the sign. The stick vmcan be used to retell the events of the journey or write a story.

26. Musical sign

I'm sure all the neighbours would love you to use the signs to make music.

27. Footsteps

To count footsteps in between signs.

28. Pipe cleaner sign

To take pipe cleaners out to make a copy of the sign.

29. Stringy sign

Using the same principle make a string version off a sign. 

30. Chalkboard

To take a chalkboard and copy write the sign. A pavement option can be used if you clean up after.

31. Nature writing

You could use twigs, leaves and other bits of nature to copy write the sign.

32. Eat a sign

Use the sign post for the inspiration of snacks made with fruit, veg, biscuits or chocolate spread writing on toast.

33. Candy sign post

To make a candy sign post either out in the neighbourhood or back home .

34. Toy sign post

Use toys to write the sign post name

35. Toy adventure 

To use their favourite toys to explore sign posts . My son used his avengers to climb up the signs and talk to each other about the street name.  The toys can be combined with the use or development of a map.

Fizzing and foaming pumpkin fakers

We had lots of oranges in the fruit bowl that had been their for a while so I decided to test the new pumpkin carve set and do some Halloween science too.

So we carved a face into an orange.

We added a vitamin C effervescent tablet and then Dylan squirted the orange juice onto it.

This is what happened.

We practised sucking up more juice .

Then we tried the baking soda and vinegar.

Great fun. I thought the orange effervescent tablets would foam more orange but there was just a little fizzing the baking soda was better. We will try orange food coloring next year.

Dylan 2.11

Beaded pumpkin

As part of our non-carve pumpkin fun we decided to use beads. For this we used the small pumpkin.

I placed double sided sticky tape on the pumpkin and left Dylan to stick the beads on.

This was a totally fun activity although it can be used for colour and numeracy learning at a late date.

How?

I can ask him to count the beads , add and subtract.

I could ask him to match the colour sequence with beads on a piece of paper or simply using crayons/felts.

I could also use it as a threading activity but these beads are too small for Dylan's tiny hands.

I could ask him to rearrange the beads in a certain sequence ie the rainbow.

Again another quick and easy activity but supervision is required as the beads are a chocking hazard.

Dylan 2.11

Googley eyed pumpkin

A good way to decorate pumpkins without mess and looks funky.

I simply placed double sided sticky tape tot he googley eyes and my two year old put them

Where he wanted.

Moving them around develops fine gross skills further. 

Dylan 2.11

Pumpkin mad hatter!

This was a totally off the cuff activity inspired by my sons hat on the dining room table as we did other activities

I think we needed a bigger pumpkin but it was still very funny trying on hats ourselves and making the pumpkin into different people.

This has sparked a new idea to do other dress up items like glasses, moustaches, scarves and ties.

This encourages imaginative play and role playing characters. Great fun and very easy to do. Give it a try.

Dylan 2.11

Chalky pumpkin

This activity was quick and easy but wasn't that impressed with how well it worked,

Maybe as we polished it first it redipuced the quality of the chalk drawn on.  However Dylan seemed to like this and it was after many other pumpkin activities too.

An extension of this could be to paint the pumpkin with chalkboard paint first.

Dylan 2.111