Besides the reading, writing, STEM and social studies, these lesson plans address higher order thinking skills of synthesis, evaluation, analysis, process and outcome-based thinking, problem-solving, lateral thinking, deductive and inductive reasoning. I've also included other literature connections and Halloween themed activities.
1) Create a treasure hunt game board game. First, establish the setting: rooms in a house, a farm or forest, your backyard, a city. Next, create a map to attach to the a folded piece of cardboard or to the inside of large flat box. You can also draw directly on the cardboard. Make a path of footprints or squares to mark the path around the board game. Here are some free printable board game templates.
Next, collect ten 3D found or recycled items that can be opened or lifted so that the treasure can be hidden under or inside. Examples: paper cup, clean food container (not clear), plastic bag, box, clean aluminum can, envelope, toilet paper tube, jar. Students should decorate items to look like things you would find in the real setting chosen (barn, silo, chicken coop, pig pen, hayloft for barn scene or tree, river, rock, bush, cave for forest scene. Don't attach them to the board. That way they can be rearranged each time you play. You will also need a very small representational treasure (coin, rock, small bag or treasure chest).A non-player hides the treasure in or under one of the places before play.
Students will need to write a list of rules and make 20 or so cards with directions on them telling where to move the player's playing piece. To look in or under each place a player must land directly on the space. Directions to write on card include things like:
go forward two spaces
go backward one space
skip two spaces
move to (name hiding place)
move to the next red space
2) Play Mystery Ingredients food box challenge. You can give each student the same or different ingredients. I prefer to do different with children to avoid frustration of feeling someone else's idea was better. This is to boost creativity not competition. Winning the challenge involves using all ingredients not beating someone. Write your recipe and add it to the family recipe book. Have a tasting party. You can do Halloween or fall themed foods.
3) Play charades having children act out different animals, occupations or characters from the book.
4) Make an obstacle course or maze in the yard. For an obstacle course, set out different obstacles for people to find creative ways around. Make a map of the obstacle course and a list of directions: hop over the puddle, swim across the pool, scoot under the fence, swing for minutes, walk backwards up the ramp, skip down the path, step on every crack of the sidewalk, crawl through the tunnel in the treehouse.
For a maze, arrange cardboard boxes, pillows, bales of hay, pieces of furniture, tubes to crawl through, or whatever your imagination can come up with. Make a list of directions.
5) Play Clue or Memory.
6) Makes your own masks or Halloween costumes. Here's my blog post of 25+ easy, homemade, no-sew Halloween costumes to make cheap or free. These are so super simple that the youngest learners can help make them. Then everyone dresses up and have a costume parade. Collect an assortment of fabric, old towels, old clothing, hats, fake flowers, buttons, ribbon, yarn, sheets, anything you can think of. The recycle bin will have lots of stuff you can use. Paper plates or paper bags work well for masks. Just cut eye holes and decorate however you want. Here are free printable mask patterns to cut and color.
7) Play The Price is Right grocery cost guessing game. Assemble different groceries or use the ones in your mystery ingredient box. You can simply have kids estimate or arrange the groceries on the table with cards listing various amounts that they match. Put stickers with answers on the bottom. The students should organize this game. This will teach them estimation math skills plus awareness of how much food really does cost.
8) Sensory exploration identification game. There are several ways to play this, from easy to more complicated. The easiest way it to put an object in a bag. Kids may use all senses but sight to figure out what it is: touch, taste, smell, feel, sound. You can do this with any objects but it's especially fun to play using new and unfamiliar foods: eggplant, daikon radish, fennel bulb, broccolini for example. You don't have to hide it then, just have them explore it.
Another way to play is the Creepy Halloween Foods game. This can be kind of gross and may trigger kids on the spectrum and or frighten others You put out the foods and have them touch, taste, feel and smell them then give them the spooky explanation of what they are (for example: popcorn is mummy brains). Spooky-tastic Halloween foods. Have kids write the labels and prepare the treats.
9) Write a mystery story, cartoon or graphic novel. It can be true or invented. Illustrate and "publish" by making a cardboard cover. To make a cartoon, just fold a piece of paper in half long way and then in half again and then in half one more time. You will have 8 frames.
10) Science Chem-ysteries. Perform some magic with my article on Harry Potter Magic tricks and Science mysteries. Kids should assemble all materials and practice ahead of time. The only one an adult needs to do is the Magic Fire Shield of Invincibility.
11) Kids can watch Blues Clues, Odd Squad, Scooby-Doo or Busytown Mysteries while they are drawing illustrations for their mystery story. Youtube has Scooby-Doo episodes here.
13) Spelling words: mystery, puzzle, clue, detective, Halloween, problem, solve, solution, explore, investigate
