Halloween Lesson Plan
I thought doing a lesson on Halloween, it’s history and traditions, would be a fun activity. There is so much history behind the holiday, both in it’s origins and in how it is celebrated in America. There is a lot to Halloween, mor than just dressing up and eating candy. So I found some of the best sites to give a well rounded view and picked out a few books that are great reading material.
For history buffs the History Channel has a great History of Halloween section up. You can also order a copy of their miniseries on Halloween to have to watch.
Some links to check out:
- Where Our Weird Rituals Originated
- History of the Jack O Lantern
- Halloween Superstitions
- Halloween traditions from around the world
- You Call It Hallowe’en… We Call It Samhain
Some books to check out:
The Halloween Book of Facts and Fun
Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History
A Halloween Reader: Poems, Stories, And Plays From Halloweens Past
Halloween, or Samhain, was a fire festival. The Celts would light giant bonfires in celebration, and the townspeople would bring home embers from those bonfires to light their own hearths with. Often gourds were used to carry the embers home. It was also a time that marked the beginning of winter. Animals had to be secured for the winter or killed in a final slaughter for meat during the winter months. Often a feast would be prepared on that night, with bowls of food left out for the spirits to eat. To gt into the spirit of the time a great recipe to make would be Irish Stew. It’s a great stew for using up any vegetables that won’t be stored for the winter, some of the sheep from the slaughter, and is great for a big feast.
Halloween, history, homeschooling, lesson plans
October 10th, 2007 at 2:38 pm
Hi there! This is a great entry about the history of Halloween. Do your kids have their costumes ready?
I have a website, http://fashionmash.com that is meant to help you organize your clothing into outfits. But right now, some folks are using it to organize their costumes pieces into costumes. Might be nice for organizing play dressup things too.
Just wanted to mention it, since it might be a fun activity for older homeschoolers who have access to a camera.
- Meg
October 10th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Thanks for the awesome resources.
October 10th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Thanks for the info…most people have no idea the history of the holidays they celebrate.
October 11th, 2007 at 7:20 am
I just wanted to say how much I love your blogs!
I’m so glad you left a comment on mine so I could blog hop! So much information and so useful…I will be visiting often! Love finding new jewels to bookmark. 
Have a great day!
Heather
October 11th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Those “most people have no idea” would be me–but not any longer after this great list of links, thanks!
October 12th, 2007 at 10:54 am
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October 12th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Thank you for putting this together hun. I’ve been wanting to do a Halloween unit with the kids this year but haven’t had the time to find a single thing! You make my life so much easier you know that?
October 19th, 2007 at 6:08 am
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October 30th, 2007 at 11:01 am
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