Hurray for Halloween!

Whether you believe in ghosts or goblins, you probably have experienced Halloween. What’s it all about, and why do we celebrate it? Hopefully, the answers won’t spook you!

CONNECT:

• Here’s everything you ever wanted to know about pumpkins: http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/
• The History Channel  has several videos about Halloween around the world: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween-around-the-world
• Did you know that candy corn is over a 100 years old – and that it wasn’t always associated with Halloween? Find out about its history at http://www.hauntedbay.com/history/candycorn.shtml
• Los Dias de los Muertos, or the Mexican Days of the Dead Festival, shares some of its origins with Halloween. Find out about this event and other festivals of the dead at http://edsitement.neh.gov/not-just-halloween-festivals-dead-around-world
• R. L. Stine is a scream for lots of middle school readers. Here’s his online nightmare room [enter at your own risk]: http://www.thenightmareroom.com/

CREATE:

• What does ice cream have to do with Halloween? This website by Ben & Jerry’s has fun Halloween activities and crafts: http://www.benjerry.com/halloween/
• Are you batty about bats? You can make some fun bat crafts at http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/bat_crafts.html
• Learn the history of pumpkin carving, and how to carve your own at http://www.pumpkin-carving.com/.  (Make sure you do this as a family so everyone is safe.)
• Be creative with do-it-yourself costuming; get some good ideas at http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/halloween/costumes.htm
• Try cooking up some yummy Halloween snacks by checking out http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/halloween-recipes-kids-treats-party-food/ and http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/holidays-and-entertaining/holidays/halloween/kids-party-menu.aspx

CARE:

• Halloween can be scary and even unsafe. Get some safety tips at http://www.halloweenmagazine.com/play2.html
• Want to make a child happy? Help them plan a Halloween party. Here are some fun ideas: http://www.marthastewart.com/274488/halloween-games/@center/1006806/halloween-parties
• Do you have a college-age relative or friend? They would probably like a Halloween care package; check out http://www.parade.com/211055/nancyberk/halloween-in-a-box-sending-seasonal-college-care-packages/ for ways to help the collegiate be in high spirits.
• Show you care by making a homemade Halloween card: for the hospitalized, day care centers, or the elderly: http://www.making-handmade-cards.com/card-making/category/card-ideas-by-occasion/halloween-card-making-idea/
• Here are some good ideas for Halloween service projects: http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2012/10/ideas-for-halloween-service-projects/

CAREER:

Think of all the people associated with Halloween: pumpkin (and sugar cane and chocolate and… ) farmers and growers, transportation workers, nutritionists, artists, costumers, manufacturers, packagers, sales people, writers, party planners, film makers, entertainers, clergy.  You might trace a Halloween product from its raw materials to your doorstep.

• Here are a few Halloween-inspired careers: http://myfootpath.com/mypathfinder/job-seekers-find-a-halloween-inspired-career/
• Here’s a fun take on careers: 10 scary jobs: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/10/31/the-10-spookiest-jobs/ 
• You can find out 10 ways that Halloween is like a career at http://careersoutthere.com/10-ways-halloween-is-like-your-career/

And Away We Go!

Think about all the ways we get around: foot, tricycle, car, airplane, horseback. Trying brainstorming all the possible means of transportation alphabetically, or by use according to age from infancy to old age.  What gets transported? Almost everything! Learning about transportation can be a moving experience.

CONNECT:

• You may ride in a car almost every day, but do you know how the average car engine works? Look under the hood at http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
• Enjoy a variety of online activities exploring the principles of aviation and spaceflight at NASA: http://airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/online.cfm
• Sometimes a boat carries airplanes. Find out about aircraft carriers: http://www.newtonsapple.tv/TeacherGuides_techInvention.php
• Have you ever wondered what the fight deck controls of aircraft like the777, 767, 747, 340, 320, and the F-16 do? For future pilots, pilots upgrading to new equipment, cockpit engineers, hobbyist, or just the curious looking for some information, the Flightdeck Simulations here has these details at your finger tips: http://meriweather.com/flight-decks/
• Going down under with this web site about the history of New York City's subway system and other transportation systems: http://www.nycsubway.org/
• If you read “Peanuts,” you’ll have heard about Zambonis:  a brand of ice resurfacer. Learn how the Zamboni works, read about its inventor and the famous machine's history, and keep up to date on Zamboni news and trivia: http://www.zamboni.com/
• Learn about the fastest car ever, and read how others are trying to break the record for speed  at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fastcars/

CREATE:

• Have fun with car licenses, and make your own! Check out plates from around the world at http://www.worldlicenseplates.com/
• Design helps make the car run better and look better. Concept cars are the start on the way to production. Take a look at fun concept cars at http://www.conceptcarz.com/, and try your own hand to designing one.
• There are lots of fun ways to create airborn transportation. Here are some good websites to inspire creators: http://www.zurqui.com/crinfocus/paper/airplane.html, http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/, http://www.origami-instructions.com/paper-airplanes.html, http://www.amazingpaperairplanes.com/Simple.html
• Let young Leonardo da Vinci guide you through this website which is a history of flight. Designed by sixth graders, this site has a timeline beginning in 1000 AD, biographies of some famous aviators, external links, experiments you can try, and photos of numerous planes: http://library.thinkquest.org/3785/
• Take a virtual road time on Route 6 (http://www.paroute6.com/), and then create your own road trip using http://maps.google.com or http://maps.yahoo.com

CARE:

• It’s not enough to be transported; you need to stay safe. Boat Safe Kids (http://boatsafe.com/kids/index.htm) gives good safety tips and provides fun facts.
• Otto’s Playland (http://www.ottoclub.org/) is an interactive site with many fun games and activities about being safe with automobiles.
• Many teens enjoy dirtbikes. Dirtbike School (http://www.dirtbikeschool.org/) offers safety tips, an image gallery, and more.
• Use this bicycle safety activity kit: http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/bskitboth/3152bskit/pages/section1/section1toc.html
• Remember to keep your head when you use bikes. Here are good tips: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/safety-wellness/bike-helmet-safety/
• Get back to basics: foot transportation. http://www.foothealthcare.com/shop/walking_sport_and_outdoor_activities provides tips for the family.
• Not only people but most products are transported. http://food-hub.org/files/resources/Food%20Miles.pdf discusses how food is transported, and health issues associated with these processes.

CAREER:

Transportation is a moving career…. From creating and manufacturing to driving and maintaining transportation, as well as supervising transportation, there’s hardly any job that doesn’t involve transportation. Here are some starting websites about such jobs.

• http://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/home.htm
• http://www.khake.com/page44.html
• http://ethemes.missouri.edu/themes/516
• http://wings.avkids.com/  a guide to careers in aeronautics.