Cast Your Vote! An Election Activity for the Whole Class

Teach students about the voting process with this fun and cross-curricular activity for the whole class. While you are teaching about U.S. government, elections, and the voting process, this activity will help students have a hands-on understanding of the process. Students will create candidates, make campaign slogans, give speeches, cast votes, and so much more. Bonus! Get free downloads below.

Fall is Here!

For adults, fall means that we can start sipping on pumpkin spice lattes and wearing scarves. For our students it means it's time to learn about the changing of the seasons...and that Halloween is almost here.  Let us help you ring in the fall season with a free worksheet download and some fun fall-themed activities.

Pump Up Your Pumpkin Lessons this October

October is a great time to make this super-fruit the center of your lessons on observation, measurement, problem solving, seeds and growth, and more. For these activities, you will need one to two large pumpkins. Let's start by introducing students to the pumpkin with their senses.

Sensory Boxes
You will need:

• Fresh/raw pumpkin seeds

• Cooked or store-bought pumpkin seeds

• 4 shoe boxes with lids or empty tissue boxes

• Scissors (to cut holes in boxes, not necessary if you use tissue boxes)

• Tape (to keeps lids closed, not necessary if you use tissue boxes)

• Blind fold or bandanna
• Put fresh/raw pumpkin seeds in 3 of the 4 boxes and label them:

Smell – Poke small holes in this box so that the students can smell the contents, but not see inside the box  
Touch – Cut a hand-sized hole in this box. Have the children put their hands in the box and feel the slimy/wet seeds  
Sound – No holes necessary on this box. Tape the lid onto this box extra tight. Instruct the students to rattle and shake the box.  
Taste – Add cooked or store-bought seeds to this box. Cut a hand-sized hole in the box. Blind fold students and hand them a pumpkin seed to eat (know your students’ allergies before allowing them to participate in this box).  
Sight – for a unique and fun challenge, skip sight. Students will all get to use sight in the next activity.