Halloween Fun

Halloween is creeping up on us!  We have just a few days left!  I wanted to write about another intervention that I have been using with my clients this week besides "Pass the Pumpkin".  When you think of creepy crawly fun Halloween songs, what comes to your mind?  I know that "Thriller" has to be in there somewhere.  To me, this is one of Michael Jackson's best creations.  I love this song!  It is so fun for everybody!  I decided, with the idea from my intern director, to create a dance for the older kids in my classes.  I looked at some simple "Thriller" dance moves on YouTube and found great resources.  I looked through several and picked a few movements that would be simple and fun for the kids.  I was worried because I had never introduced a dance to them before.  I didn't know how they would react, or if they would think it "uncool".  But it turns out, they really enjoyed it!  I was so excited to see them having such a good time with it!  And of course, they were working on goals they didn't even realize were being fulfilled.  This intervention is great for gross motor movements, motor planning/processing, social interaction, sequencing, patterns, and unity.  Here is a video that I used to help me plan out the dance moves.  There are several parts in which I would pick and choose the best dance moves for my purposes.

Pass the Pumpkin

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to carve some pumpkins to get into the Halloween spirit.  It was so much fun!  I finally carved a real pattern, and I was so proud of myself for my cute little bat cat.  After we finished and put the lights underneath our pumpkins, I suddenly felt inspired.  I was thinking, "I should write a song about a Jack-O-Lantern for the kids next week in sessions."  I thought about what goals I wanted to work on and instantly I thought of passing and socialization.  This is always a big one in the school groups.  And the product of this inspiration was, "Pass the Pumpkin".  It is a spooky little tune talking about the different faces that can be carved into a pumpkin and how Jack sits there at night waiting for everybody.  The chorus says, "Pass the pumpkin....and don't let him land on you."  This throws some extra fun into the kids trying not to have the pumpkin land on them during this phrase.  I decided I am going to have them pass a real pumpkin.  The small kind of course, but I figured that would be really fun for them to see it in real life rather than just a laminated piece of paper.  I hope you enjoy this tune and feel free to download it for your own use!  Please leave comments below if you have any other ideas in which this song could be used.

Pass the Pumpkin