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Welcome to our “Spooktacular Stories Week” – a collection of days filled with relaxed learning and fun activities all themed to the spooky stories! Perfect for Halloween, late night camp fires, or just plain old spooky fun, this week is perfect for keeping little ones entertained and learning while they enjoy some not-too-scary days devoted to some ghost stories!
For our final day, we turned to a familiar favorite and a much less scary story with a ghost – Madeline and the Old House in Paris. Read on to check out a fun filled day of learning, reading, crafts, and activities all themed to this adorable ghost story!
A TYPICAL DAY
All kids are different and you can definitely vary your day with whatever works for you 🙂 Our relaxed & learning fun day kicks off with an introduction to the day’s theme. Then, we move onto videos and themed activities (reading, writing – or story telling – time, crafts, food crafts/snacks, and games or experiments). Feel free to pick and choose whatever works for you 🙂
INTRO
You may have already heard the first few lines of the Madeline books and even spoken them to a rhythm. They are a series of books about a little girl in Paris with each book telling a tale of the adventures Madeline gets into.
If they haven’t or aren’t familiar with Madeline, these sites are great introductions with interesting facts, images, and related content! They’re perfect for providing a brief intro for your little ones (or to gather up some knowledge as well!)!
WHAT TO WATCH
We find that mixing in a short video themed to our day is a great way to add some learning fun! We try to pick informative videos OR mix in a cartoon favorite (where they don’t even realize they’re learning). Below are some of the videos we picked from for the day:
- Madeline 1998 Movie (1.5hr)
Madeline has been adapted for TV and movies, but is only available on some streaming services. Take a look at yours and see if you find one! There are also some read aloud versions of books and snippets of cartoons online as well!
FOOD CRAFTS / SNACKS
What’s more fun than taking a break and having a simple snack??? Including the snack in your theme of the day! We find that our kiddos are more than happy to eat the snacks they create especially when they can arrange them into fun shapes and scenes!
For our snack of the day, we snacked on some french bread, croissants, and crepes 🙂
READING
It’s no secret that reading is an important part of learning, which is why we pick out a handful of books that are fun and filled with some learning tidbits. For our older ones, we have them fill out some worksheets (or let them create some of their own comics) to describe what they read and/or learned! These are a few we picked from for the day:
- Madeline and the Old House in Paris
WRITING & WRITING PROMPTS
Just like reading, writing is a great way to keep kids learning by both encouraging their creativity and thought process as well as helping them practice their motor skills and penmanship.
If you’ve got a little one, have them trace words related to the theme: GHOST, SPOOKY, STORIES, MADELINE, OLD HOUSE
If you’ve got older children, have them write a sentence or two up to a page or two (depending on their age). Encourage them to be creative AND give reasons for why they made certain choices. This was our writing prompt of the day (and we offered up some examples as well) but definitely pick something your kiddo might be interested in writing about!
- Imagine being one of the girls in the story. Would you be like Madeline and help the ghost out immediately or would you be a little scared? Write the story from your perspective!
- In the story, an old ghost waits a very long time for a comet. Describe a time where you waited a very long time for something. Be sure to include all five senses!
CREATE & CRAFT
If you’ve got a crafty little one, a simple craft is a great way to keep them interested in the topic. While their creative juices are flowing, you can also chat about what they’ve learned so far or ask them what else they’re excited about learning! Below are some of the crafts we looked at:
- Make a Telescope
- Draw a comet
STEM & STEAM ACTIVITIES
While crafting and writing get their creativity and imagination flowing, we also like to add in an activity that gets them thinking along the lines of science, technology, engineering, or math! These engaging activities or experiments are a great way to keep them learning!
- How Does a Telescope Work? We revisited some of the lessons from our Out of this World Space Week – Telescope Day
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for checking out our ghost story week! If you did enjoy this, please let us know below or follow us on Pinterest. Also, If you’re still looking for more Halloween Learning Fun, check out our other days in our Spooktacular Stories Week, Halloween Week, or Halloween Ideas!
Happy Learning & Happy Halloween!
MORE SPOOKTACULAR FUN:
Trick or Treat: It’s Halloween Week!
15+ Family Friendly Halloween Parties!
