Halloween has an interesting history. It is believed it originated from an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain.

Halloween is a contraction of Hallow's Evening or All Hallows' Eve Or All Saints' Eve!

Reasearch the history of Halloween with library books and online!

LEARNING ACTIVITIES

OUR HALLOWEEN TRADITION: PUMPKIN CARVING AND HOT DOGS!

Remember: Safety first when trick or Treating!

CHARITIES - The Spirit of Kindness:
Halloween doesn’t have to be only about dressing up to receive candy; it can be about giving as well. Use it as an opportunity to help others.

Here are some Halloween Charities to consider:

1. Donate unopened candies to local Youth Groups, Programs or Youth Homes.

2.Donate unopened candies to troops overseas. I know my husband said he and his fellow troops appreciated it. Contact your local base or even the post office as sometimes they have mailing programs set up.

3. Donate unopened candies to hospitals for children.

4. Donate unopened candies to homeless shelters for soup kitchens.

5. Hold a Food Drive while Trick or Treating. Post a notice before Halloween stating your intentions and then as you go with your child you can collect!
To collect canned foods for your local food bank on Halloween night to "scare away hunger" register here: https://www.we.org/we-schools/program/campaigns/we-scare-hunger/
6. Collect for UNICEF: www.trickortreatforunicef.ca

5. There used to be a charity called Sight Night that collected old glasses but I cannot find a link to that anymore. Let me know if you discover something similar.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY:

Print out my Halloween Safety Family Brainstorm Sheet and together as a family discuss and write down ways to be safe this Halloween. For some safety ideas you can check on these websites:

http://www.halloween-website.com/safety.htm

http://www.parachutecanada.org/injury-topics/item/halloween-safety-tips

NOTE: Don’t forget to give out peanut/nut free candy on Halloween.

WEBSITES:

For information about the history and origin of Halloween check these two sites: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Halloween

HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS PAST AND PRESENT:

Print out my Halloween Traditions Worksheet and together as a family write down different Halloween traditions from the past and present as well as those your family follows. You may find some books in the library to help you with this worksheet or try the Halloween Websites below.

OUR HALLOWEEN TRADITION: PUMPKIN CARVING AND HOT DOGS!