• Third grade is an ideal age for enjoying Halloween: The children are old enough to understand the holiday and fully participate in activities, but they haven't yet embraced the more cynical scare tactics that older people associate with Halloween. Teachers can implement activities as lessons and as enjoyable projects to celebrate the holiday.
  
  

Ghost Stories

• You need to choose a ghost story with care, but with the right one, you can make a great creative exercise for Halloween. Start by reading a story aloud to the children. You can use a piece of American folklore, such as the story of the Headless Horseman, or a more modern story, such as one of R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" series. The stories need to be scary, but not so scary as to give the children nightmares. When you're done, give the children a short writing assignment: have them come up with a ghost or goblin of their own and either draw a picture of it or write a few sentences describing the creature. The kids can read their piece aloud when they're done or display their pictures on the classroom walls.
  
  

Scavenger Hunts

• For strictly fun, hide miniature pumpkins throughout the classroom or in the playground. Let the kids hunt for them during recess or play time, and have a prize for each pumpkin they find. Another option is to use a classroom skeleton: break up the different pieces and hide them, then assemble the complete skeleton as the children find them. For an literary twist, use objects that might correspond to a ghost story you have read to them--a locket, a plastic sword from a ghost pirate or the like--and tell them to help you hunt down the ghost from the story.
  
  

History Lessons

• Combine traditional Halloween activities like carving a pumpkin or bobbing for apples with a brief history lesson on each activity. Talk about the origins of Halloween and details like why pumpkins are called Jack O' Lanterns, how trick or treating got started and why people wear costumes. Starting with the lesson and then proceeding to the activity helps the children connect to the historical content, and it engages them in the activity much more readily. If you need more academic heft, give them a short quiz on the historic material.