We are a Charter School, and choose not to promote Halloween. Our Principal came up with a great idea as a substitute. This coming October 31st we are celebrating Heroween. We are asking all our students to dress up as their favorite Hero (Real or Fantasy). We have had a good response with our Harvest Dance/Games and we will continue to have that the 2nd to last Friday in October. I'm so excited about next year I could burst. It's going to be fun and hopefully run smoothly.
On the masked race for harvest track and field - I think they covered up the eye holes of the mask so the wearer couldn't see. A smaller child would sit on the "blind" child's shoulders and they had a short race where the seeing child had to navigate the other around some obstacles (like hay bales).
It was in a big, grassy area, so even if they fell down -they just laughed.
Last year our PE teacher deliberately planned Fall Track & Field (for grades 3-5) on Halloween. It was a great idea, as the kids are too keyed up to get much studying done anyway. It was a wacky Harvest version of Track and Field with cake races, pumpkin relays, wagon races where children's wagons were filled with hay and the classmates had to pull one another, something with masks - I forget what. The best was probably the "scarecrow relay" where each runner had to dress in big, oversize clothes (I mean HUGE), run the length of the course and back, then give the clothes to the next runner. It was hilarious! Parents were encouraged to volunteer or just come watch. The younger kids had parties in their rooms, and some had a costume parade throughout the school and through the track and field area.
The whole idea was really well done and a lot of fun for everyone.
[This message has been edited by JHB (edited 05-19-2001).]
During the day we have the Halloween Parade. Most of the teachers and staff dress up, as well as the kids. We all gather in the quad area and each classroom parades around the quad. Then the Principal calls forward groups of costume themes (sports, 50's, monsters, etc.) This is all done to halloween music and is fun for the kids and parents who attend.
We also have our Fall Festival on the Sat before Halloween. Kids (and adults) are encouraged to come in costume and we have games, food and a raffle. This is a lot of work but one of the only events we have for the entire school community.
We have a Sat. Night Halloween party at the school. We are a rural school, so hayrides are always a big hit. Also, we ask a few teachers to dress up and the kids get to wear their costumes again and go trick or treating at the school. We also have game stations with halloween prizes that we get from oriental trading. A big hit!
I would like to know what other schools do to celebrate the Harvest season / Halloween season. We have classroom parties, but I would like to expand to other ideas/events that would involve the parents.
