Halloween's just around the corner!

With Halloween being just under 2 weeks away, we've already started prepping for the festivities that are to ensue at CEIP Antonio Devalque! Since November 1 is a holiday in Spain (día de todos los santos aka All Saints' Day) and it is a Tuesday, naturally, it's only logical for us to have that Monday, Halloween, off from work too (typical Spain)! As such, we will be celebrating at school on Friday the 28th.

Since the commercialized Halloween as we Americans know it hasn't fully arrived in Spain yet, pumpkins are not mass-grown here and are, thus, a lot harder to find. Yolanda came across one in her sister-in-law's garden in Granada and decided she would bring it to school for the kiddos to carve. Wait, I take that back. For me to carve. Since hardly anyone here has ever carved a pumpkin (what sad childhoods they must've had, right?), I was deemed the designated pumpkin carver. Since we only had one pumpkin for the whole school, I carved it one step at a time with each class either watching me or helping me with that part. With the 5th graders, I cut the hole in the top. The 4th graders got the best part...they got to help me de-seed the pumpkin! Yolanda got some good pictures of the funny faces they were making as they reached into a pumpkin for, what was for most of them, the first time ever at age 10! Next with my little ones, the 2nd graders, I drew the face on the front and cut out a single eye...had to save the rest of the cutting for other classes! That was as far as we got the first day but I'm assuming we'll finish carving it tomorrow or Thursday.

As for the rest of the preparation, I'm making a Powerpoint about Halloween history, traditions, and customs in the US (super-dumbed down haha), trying to come up with some Halloween games for the party next Friday, and preparing a Halloween story to read to the kids.

Any of you Trinity people remember any games from the Halloween Carnival that I might easily be able to put together by next Friday? Also does anyone remember any Halloween stories/short books from when they were little that might be conducive to a short 30 min-1 hour activity? The floor is now open to suggestions so comment them here! Thanks in advance :)