Posts Tagged ‘Halloween’

Homophones Matching Games

Sunday, March 18th, 2012

Miss Pat was getting ready to teach the class about homophones, those words that sound alike, but have different meanings and different spellings.

She asked the class, “Can anyone tell me what homophones are?” The whole class stared at her with blank looks on their faces. Even Orrie was stumped!

Miss Pat continued, “Can anyone tell me what homonyms are?” Orrie’s hand went up like a shot. When called on, he answered, “Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different meanings.” Miss Pat smiled and said, “Very good, Orrie.

Homophones are a type of homonyms that also sound alike and have different meanings, but they also have different spellings.”

“Huh,” said Hector, ” Can you give us a few examples of homophones?” The class nodded their agreement.

“Okay,” said Miss Pat here are two examples of homophones. I will even use them in a sentence.

Witch and Which

I am going to be a witch on Halloween.

Which one of you wants to write on the blackboard?

Break and Brake

Don’t break that glass, or you will have to pay for it.

Is the brake on your bike working properly?”

Miss Pat waited for her examples to sink in and then she announced, “Now we are going to play some computer matching games that use homophones. Be sure to pay close attention as tomorrow I will give you a quiz on some of the homophones you match today.”

Then Miss Pat had the class go to their computers and play the Words that sound alike games.

Want to play along with the “Can Do”Kids? Just go to the “Can Do” Club House, choose games, then choose words That Sound Alike.

Tags: Can Do Kids, games, Good Choices, Halloween, homonyms, homophones, matching games, miss pat, sound alike/mean different, spelled differently, spelling, teacher pat, vocabulary
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Spreading Halloween Cheer

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

When the “Can Do” kids arrived in class the day after Halloween, they were not in the mood to see a huge pile of candy on Miss Pat’s desk.

Most of the “Can Dos” had their fill of Halloween candy over the weekend. Some of them had eaten more candy at one time than they should have and now they had the tummy troubles.

When Miss Pat looked at the pile of Halloween candy, she saw a note that said, “This is from the “Can Do” Street Chamber of Commerce.” She turned to the class and said, “What should we do with all this candy?”

Hector was the first to answer saying, “I think we should split it up among the class. That way we will have extra candy for when we eat all of the Halloween candy we have at home.”

Miss Pat didn’t say anything. She just looked at Hector in a way that meant she didn’t think it was such a great idea.

Nellie raised her hand and said, “Why don’t we give it to people who may not have gotten any candy for Halloween?” Miss Pat smiled and said,”Nice idea, Nellie. That is a generous and thoughtful suggestion. Let’s take a vote. All in favor of sharing the candy with others raise their hands.”

Well, everyone but Hector raised his or her hand. When Hector saw that the whole class was for the idea, he slowly raised his hand and said, “Okay, but who should get the candy?” Everyone through for awhile, then Eulyn raised her hand and said,”There is a home for seniors nearby. I bet they didn’t go trick or treating. I bet they would love some candy.”

Miss Pat said,” Great idea, Eulyn! I think more than the candy, they would love a Halloween visit from us. If there are some seniors who can’t eat candy, well they can give it to someone else as a treat.”

With that, Miss Pat directed the children to each make a card to give each senior at the residence. Arthur J, Willie and Bobby brought out the plastic pumpkins they use for trick or treating and Kathy, Nellie, Maria and Annie put candies in each pumpkin to bring to the senior residence.

Miss Pat called the principal and asked for permission to take the children on a field trip the next day to distribute the candy. The principal agreed and said Miss Pat could have the use of a school bus from right after lunch until dismissal time. Then Miss pat called each parent and got their permission for the field trip. Two parents volunteered to come along and help Miss Pat. When Miss Pat had all the permissions, she called the senior residence and made sure that they could stop by and visit, not just drop off candy.

Miss Pat turned to the class as they were completing their cards and said, “I am very proud of all of you for wanting to share your Halloween candy.”

The “Can Do” kids all smiled and looked very pleased with themselves, the way kids do when they know they’ve done something special. Nellie said, “I can’t wait until tomorrow. I bet the seniors will be so happy to see us and the Halloween candy!”

Tags: Can Do Kids, candy, Halloween, Halloween Candy, Halloween costumes, Senior residence, sharing, spreading cheer
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Halloween Facts!

Thursday, October 27th, 2011

Here are some Halloween facts to share with your family and friends.

Halloween is a very old holiday begun about 2,000 years ago in Ireland.

Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who celebrated the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange, the color of pumpkin.

According to folklore, the Halloween jack-o-lantern got his name from a man named Jack.

Turnips and beets served as the original jack-o-lanterns.

Jack o lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the holiday.

Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!

Pumpkins originated in Central America. When Europeans arrived in the New World, they found pumpkins plentiful and used in cooking by Native Americans. They took seeds back to Europe where they quickly became popular.

Growing big pumpkins is a big time hobby. Top prize money for the biggest giant pumpkin is as much as $25,000 dollars at fall festivals.

A pumpkin is a berry in the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes melons, cucumbers, squash and gourds. All these plants are native to the Americas.

Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first. People spend as much as over $2.5 billion during Halloween on candies, costumes, decorations and parties.

Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.

Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters.

It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating. In preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, Irish townsfolk would visit neighbors and ask for contributions of food for a feast in the town.

The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

Tags: black cat, Can Do Kids, Celts, Halloween, Halloween facts, Jak o lantern, pumpkin, witch
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Halloween Safety Tips

Monday, October 24th, 2011

The “Can Do” kids want to share their Halloween safety tips with you so you are sure to be safe and have fun on Halloween.

Be sure to have a snack or dinner before you go trick or treating so you won’t be tempted to eat anything from your treat bag until you get home
Don’t complain when your parents want to add some reflective tape on your costume. It will help drivers see you as you walk along a dark road
Wear face paint and a hat and not a mask, since masks can make it hard to see, especially on dark roads.
If you are with a group, with one or two parents, stay with the group, don’t wander off
Don’t go into someone’s house unless your parent goes with you.
Be respectful…say thank you for the treat, whatever it is, even if it is not a favorite of yours. You can always trade with a friend later or the next day.
Once you get home, let your parents inspect everything you have in your treat bag to make sure it is safe to eat. They will check to make sure that all the candies are popular, well known candies that they recognize from the grocery store and they are all unopened and well sealed.
Be sure not to share any small treats or toys with a younger brother or sister, as they might choke on them.
Don’t eat too much candy at once. You will only have tummy troubles later on and that is no way to end a fun Halloween .

Happy Halloween from the Can Do kids!

Tags: Can Do Kids, candy, costumes, face paint, Good Choices, Halloween, Halloween safety, trick or treating
Posted in Be Safe, Good Choices, Just for fun, What Can a "Can Do" Do? | No Comments »

A Halloween Happening

Friday, October 21st, 2011

Halloween is always a big event on “Can Do” Street!

Just about everyone participates in Halloween, even adults who don’t have kids or grandkids because it is always so much fun.

The Halloween celebration starts at the recreation center, which is decorated both outside and inside to look like a haunted house. Everyone gathers around 2 PM. The “Can Do” kids carry and hang up their Halloween costumes in the storage room to be put on just before they go trick or treating.

They walk through a pumpkin patch and each “Can D0″ picks out a pumpkin to paint in the crafts class. There’s a hall of funny mirrors maze where the “Can Dos” walk through and see themselves as all different shapes and sizes.

Then the “Can Do” Kids take a tour of the haunted house, stopping to look at the decorated rooms. If they want, they can paint a window pane on one of the windows of the house and the best window painter gets a prize. Some of the “Can Dos” make Halloween desserts that everyone can enjoy at supper before going trick or treating. The seniors club members help the kids make and decorate:

popcorn balls
eyeball in mud pudding ( marshmallow with a dried cranberry stuck in the middle and sitting in a small bowl of instant chocolate pudding )
pumpkin bread
ghost and witch cookies

Just before supper some of the “Can Dos”, who have been taking square dancing lessons put on a show of what they have learned. Then the choral group, directed by Grandpa Dooley, the music instructor, sing Halloween songs and the audience sings along.

At dinner, in the recreation center cafeteria, the “Can Dos” eat with all their parents and friends and other adults.

Then it is time…time to have faces painted to match costumes…time to get into costumes. Then the big event…the ragamuffin parade, when all the kids parade around in their costumes, parents and grandparents take pictures and there are prizes for the best costumes.

Just when the “Can Dos ‘ think they can’t possibly have any more fun…it is time to trick or treat up and down “Can Do” Street and all the side streets!

Some of the adults leave to get back home in time to give out Halloween treats to the kids as they go from door to door.

Parents and grandparents walk with the children and stay with them as they go from house to house tick or treating. The “Can Dos” all mind their manners, saying thank you when they are handed a treat.

After they visit the last house, it is time to go home. Once home, each “Can Do” spills out his or her bag of Halloween treats to see what treats the bag holds.

The moms and dads usually say, “You can eat one treat now, then it is off to bed. Tomorrow is soon enough to portion out your treats over the next few weeks, so you don’t get a stomach ache”.

And that is how Halloween happens on “Can Do” Street!

Tags: Can Do Kids, candy, crafts, face painting, Good Choices, Halloween, haunted house, mazes, pumpkin, pumpkin patch, ragamuffin parade, recreation center, trick or treating
Posted in Do You Know?, Good Choices, Just for fun | No Comments »