FRIGHTFUL FUN

I don't know about where you live, but here it has been an especially gray, rainy, chilly fall. I guess our ghoulish weather is fitting preparation for Halloween next week. Plus, it's certainly perfect weather for snuggling up with a good book.

Have you been reading any spook-tacular books lately? If not, here's a few suggestions from my website under FRIGHTFUL READS.

There is also a HALLOWEEN CROSSWORD puzzle to try.

Or for those looking for an activity, see if you can MAKE A SPIDER or a SPIDER SNACK.

So no matter the weather between today and Halloween, you'll have plenty of fun stuff to do. Enjoy!

HIGHLIGHTS and Halloween

One more note about my HIGHLIGHTS poem, "Reaching for the Stars"--

You can see and hear the poem online at HIGHLIGHTS Kids magazine. I hope you have a chance to explore all the other fun stuff they have there as well.

Now for a Halloween treat. Be sure to visit KidLit Central News blog on Halloween for a chance to win some spook-tacular prices.

Online Games for Educational Fun

I've discovered a treasure house of free online games at Primary Games.

This site offers games that cover the curriculum from Math, Science, Language Arts, and more. Plus, there are curriculum guides for the games to help match up the difficulty level and subject interest.

I tested a few of the games. CODE BREAKING was fun--trying to figure out which letter stood for which symbol without using too many "hints." I did good on THE TYPING OF THE GHOSTS which really tested my typing skills--and I consider myself something of a typing whiz. It was a challenge even for me. NAME THAT PRESIDENT was a cinch, but DRAGON UNIVERSITY left me all washed out trying to stay afloat on the word logs. I'm not really that awful of a speller. I think maybe I didn't move quickly enough. 

Allow yourself plenty of time when you visit Primary Games. And if you haven't already explored some of the games on my website, please do so. If you're planning a Halloween party for next month, check out my list of spook-tacular games. One of my favorites is the EYEBALL RELAY. There's also a monster-licious Halloween Crossword Puzzle. I triple-dog dare you to solve that one.

The monster coloring page at the top right is courtesy of artist, John Blackford. You can see more of his illustrations at his blog.