Halloween is just around the corner, and while your children are probably looking forward to dressing up for the day at their private schools in Orlando, that doesn’t mean the holiday has to be all about costumes — it can be about learning, too! As a parent, holding your child’s interest when they’re focused on candy and trick-or-treating can be tough, but we have a few activities to try at home that make Halloween both fun and educational.

Make Your Own Potions

Making Halloween potions can help kids get in the right mindset for science class! Set out bowls of sugar water, food coloring, and whole candies. Use a standard mortar and pestle to grind up the candies for younger kids and let older ones do it on their own. Then, let your child combine the ingredients in a test tube. Once they’re finished, they’ll have a delectable, sugar-filled potion perfect for celebrating their inner mad scientist this Halloween.

Build a Structure

Every kid loves building structures out of building blocks. For this Halloween activity, make use of tasty Halloween candy. Candy corn or candy pumpkins make the perfect placeholders, and toothpicks are the perfect beams. Let their creativity run wild! If they want to recreate the structure of an atom, they can, and if they simply want to build a skyscraper from candy and toothpicks, that’s great, too! Either way, they’ll learn about structural integrity and the importance of a solid foundation.

Paper Jack-O-Lanterns

For young children starting to learn their shapes and numbers, this activity is perfect. Cut out the rough shape of a pumpkin using orange construction paper; it doesn’t have to be perfect. Then, using black construction paper, cut out several different shapes: triangles, diamonds, squares, circles, and rectangles are ideal. Let your child assemble their jack-o-lantern, sticking the pieces down with a glue stick. Once they’re done, ask them to count up how many of each shape they used to create the jack-o-lantern.

Dissect a Brain

Gelatin molds let your kids create fun shapes, but they can be educational, too! Use a brain mold and fill it with gelatin dessert. Once the mold sets, pop the brain out and let your kids dissect it. Set them up with plastic spoons, knives, and any other kitchen tool you deem appropriate. They’ll love getting their hands dirty while also learning about the different parts of the brain like the frontal lobe and temporal lobe!

At Lake Forrest Prep, one of your private schools in Orlando, we believe learning begins at home. Use these fun Halloween-inspired activities to keep your kids engaged and learning when they’re not at school. For more information about our upcoming activities, check out our calendar!