October is one of my favorite months of the year. Give me all the pumpkin carving, fall festivals, and trick or treats! (Give me some fall weather too, please, because it is HOT in Texas.)
Here are some of my favorite Halloween-themed books and Halloween science experiments for kids in 4th grade and 5th grade.
Get out your glow sticks, your tiny pumpkins, candy corn, and balloons with baking soda and vinegar because your class is about to have some fun with simple supplies!
Halloween Science Read Alouds
Wanting to work in some Halloween and fall themed read alouds into your classroom along with Halloween science experiments? Well, I have 8 favorites to share with you. Skulls, bats, spiders, and pumpkins– yes!
(This post contains affiliate links.)
Topic: Human Body
What are skulls and why do we have them? The illustrations in the book are so fun!
Topic: Human Body
I love reading this rhyming book aloud in my terribly awesome pirate voice. It’s funny while being informative, teaching students the names of different bones in their bodies.
Topic: Animal Behavior
What does a mother bat do at night? Learn ALL about bats in this lovely book.
Topic: Traits & Behaviors
Fictional, but informative. A young bat learns to live with the birds.
Topic: Animal Behavior
This is a lovely story of a girl and her family who are citizen scientists that track the population of bats in their barn over the years.
Topic: Plants
This storybook has a message of overcoming anxiety, and perfectionism while also incorporating the science of how leaves change.
Topic: Traits & Behaviors
This book is based on the real story of a spider that went to space for 100 days!
Topic: Plant Life Cycles
I love the real photographs of the pumpkin life cycle in this book. And it’s fun to read out loud!
Spooky Halloween Science Investigations
Nothing is scarier than variables!
If your students are like mine, they need a lot of practice with variables. Spooky Science Labs is such a fun way to hone those scientific process skills with some fun Halloween science experiments.
Study physical science concepts while focusing on scientific practices like identifying variables, collecting and recording data, and drawing conclusions.
Let’s take a closer look at the 4 investigations.
Investigation: Glow Ghosts
Topic: Forms of Energy
Question: How does the temperature of the water affect the brightness of the glow stick after 3 minutes?
Investigation: Witch’s Brew
Topic: Matter
Question: How does the amount of vinegar mixed with baking soda affect the amount of gas produced?
Investigation: Pumpkin Plummet
Topic: Force & Motion
Question: How does the type of pumpkin dropped affect the size of the crater formed?
Investigation: Disappearing Candy Corn
Topic: Mixtures
Question: In which type of liquid does candy corn dissolve the fastest?
Get your copy on TpT: Spooky Science for Halloween Science Experiments
Each investigation includes:
→ Set-up Info
→ Investigation Photos
→ Teacher Directions
→ Student Sheet Sample Photo
→ Discussion Questions
→ Student Directions Page
→ Student Sheet Options
The materials needed are affordable and easy to find:
◻Mini pumpkins
◻Plastic bins
◻Flour
◻Rulers
◻Plastic cups
◻Glow bracelets
◻Timing device
◻Vinegar
◻Baking soda
◻Balloons
◻Plastic bottles
◻Candy corn
◻Clear soda
◻White vinegar
◻Timing device
◻Spoons
◻Cups
◻Measuring tape
“I was told I was the ‘most fun teacher’ today after the Pumpkin Plummet! This was our first investigation out of the bundle. Little do they know there is more fun coming from this ‘most fun teacher’! So, I guess I owe a huge THANK YOU to Science Penguin!” -Jessica G.
“I always try to tie in some fun, content centered activities around holidays. These investigations are perfect! My students are always engaged with them and truly practice their critical thinking/ STEM skills. Thank you for a great resource!” -Amy R.
“This resource is super fun and engaging during the month of October when I’m teaching the scientific method, it allows for students to be excited and learning all in one, highly recommend!” -Jessie G.
“This was such a fun activity to do before Halloween. I did it as a whole group, with student volunteers helping with the steps in the experiments, and they all recorded their predictions, results and conclusions. Easy materials too, had most lying around at home!” -Andrea D.
