October 2020 Edition | An Idea for Every Day
(Updated 6/24/2022.)
I’m happy; it’s officially fall! Leaves are changing colors, some are even falling off trees, and it’s the season of soups and stews 😊, baking and pumpkin spice. That chill in the air and the smell of leaves awakens my spirit and soothes my soul. I’m soaking it all in.
All these signs hint at October’s arrival, and we’re here to
help you prepare for it. With the changing of the seasons, we’re changing the
style of delivery for our Idea for Every Day posts. In an effort to meet more
of my blogging goals, we will return to posting the Idea for Every Day blogs to
once a month, instead of the weekly ones we’ve been doing since March. I hope
you’ll still find them helpful, and we’ll keep it pinned to the top of our blog
for the entire month so you can quickly access it.
If you’re here for the calendar (an efficient way to see
every idea at a glance with clickable links), click here.
Oh, and here's a blank October 2020 Calendar to make your own plans.
If, however, you’d rather scroll through, continue on! Or,
use the hyperlinks below to quickly navigate to the date of your desire.
- Remaining September Days (9.27.20 - 9.30.20)
- First Week in October (10.1.20 - 10.3.20)
- Second Week in October (10.4.20 - 10.10.20)
- Third Week in October (10.11.20 - 10.17.20)
- Fourth Week in October (10.18.20 - 10.24.20)
- Fifth Week in October (10.25.20 - 10.31.20)
First, browse the ideas for the remaining September days.
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| Buckingham Palace by Keith Ban via Pixabay, Love Note by Bru-No via Pixabay, Emergency Kit List from Ready.gov |
- World Tourism Day (9.27.20)
- Tour your own town
- Virtual field trip suggestions from Good Housekeeping. We'd choose:
- M&M Factory tour by Food Network via YouTube
- Buckingham Palace tour via Royal UK
- UPDATES even more virtual tours:
- Tour Dubai's unique attributes with myBayut (Shoutout to Aubree, the geography nerd, for the recommendation.)
- Thanks to Corrine's geography project we also recommend:
- A Virtual "Road Trip" through the USA compiled by Title Max. Three of our favorite stops were:
- The Mark Twain House in Hartford, CT
- The New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts
- The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
- Famous Landmarks and National Parks of Wyoming tour guided by Wyoming Trust & LLC Attorney
- Amanda, contributor to the "Exploring the World from Home" workshop, recommends:
- Virtual Tours of Amazing Architecture Around the World compiled by Alan's Factory Outlet. It was beyond difficult to choose two to share. (There are so many good ones!) But here are our choices:
- Anne of Cleeves House (the fourth wife of King Henry VIII) in East Sussex
- The Great Wall of China courtesy of The China Guide
- Interactive Historical Virtual Reality Field Trips at VR.Space. The two we'd choose:
- The Holy Land Virtual Tour in Israel
- The Tomb of Queen Meresankh III in Egypt
- Amelia and her mother found this amazing cite that tours the architecture and geography of Mexico. Two places we're checking out:
- Chichen Itza especially the history (at Chichenitza.com) and The Sacred Cenote (at MetMuseum.org)
- Catedral Metropolitana which features an article on the cathedrals (at LiturgicalArt'sJournal.com) and a virtual tour of the Catedral Metropolitana via YouTube.
- Let us know:
- What's your favorite tourist spot in your hometown?
- Of a virtual field trip you've experienced that was excellent.
- Read a Child a Book You Like Day (9.28.20)
- My two favorite picture books to read aloud are:
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle (opens to YouTube read aloud by VidswithRy)
- Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson (opens to YouTube read aloud by Hearts and Heroes Read Aloud)
- Books I loved that I would enjoy reading aloud to a child are:
- The BFG by Roald Dahl (links to author's website's teacher page for the book)
- The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop (links to author's website's teacher page for the book)
- Let us know what your favorite book is to read to a child.
- World Heart Day (9.29.20)
- Sneak love notes to your littles (backpacks, desks, lunches, etc) with these seasonal printables from Teaching and Much Moore.
- Brainstorm ways to show others love with this activity from Meaningful Mama and the "Five Love Languages."
- Prepare-a-Thon Day (9.30.20)
- Leaders: Check out FEMA's preparedness portal
- Learners: Learn to prepare with Ready Kids!
Week One
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| Book It, Bulletin Board via Pinterest and Halloween Cards from Red Ted Art |
- BOOK It! Day (10.1.20)
- Sign your learners up - homeschool or traditional with digital and print options
- Who wouldn't want to earn a personal pan pizza?
- Custodial Workers Day (10.2.20)
- Make a bulletin board display
- Write individual, "Thank You's" with these (free) templates from Keep Your Chin Up via Teachers Pay Teachers (we personally like the one on page 20 best)
- World Card Making Day (10.3.20)
- Learners: Find 20 ideas at Red Ted Art. Our favorites:
- Pop-Up Halloween Cards with a printable joke list
- Paper Quilling Emoji Cards
- Leaders: Find inspiration for nearly any occasion at Fiskars. Our favorites:
Week Two
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| Cinnamon Rolls/Tastes of Lizzy, Strong Kid/Ben White/Unsplash; Tag/Active for Life; Sparky/NFPA; Ugly Duckling/CC BY-NC-ND; Mad Hatter/CC BY-NC-ND; Yarn/Skeeze/Pixabay |
- Cinnamon Roll Day (10.4.20)
- Buy some OR
- Make your own with this promising "secret ingredient" recipe from Tastes of Lizzy T.
- Child Health Day (10.5.20)
- Preschool Learners check out Sesame Street's "Healthy Habits for Life" via Kids Health
- Guides for movement, diet and combining the two
- Available in English and Spanish
- Or checkout the Healthy Habits website
- Kindergarten to 8th Grade check out Kid's Health teacher guides, which include guides in the areas of fitness & fun, hygiene, nutrition, growing up & emotions, and safety.
- Mad Hatter Day (10.6.20)
- Make a hat
- Engineer one with this Mystery Science lesson.
- Choose a hat to craft at 123 Homeschool for Me (our favorite is this Mad Hatter Hat from DIY Inspired).
- Host a tea party (ideas from Homeschool with Love) where you wear your hat.
- Activities for the tea party
- Reading - the chapter containing the tea party from Homeschool with Love.
- Writing - rewrite Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star like they do in the book with Homeschool with Love
- Singing - A Very Merry Unbirthday to You via YouTube courtesy of AlCheetoh
- Make sure to fix your watch (clip from the movie at so you won't be late!
- Inner Beauty Day (10.7.20)
- Fill a human body outline with inner beauty words that describe you.
- Read a book (or watch a video) with inner beauty themes:
- Preschool to First Grade I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont (links to YouTube video by Books with Blue)
- Second to Third Grade Walt Disney's adaptation of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson via YouTube uploaded by Tatiana Uglova
- Fourth to Fifth Grade The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin, illustrated by David Shannon (links to a YouTube read aloud courtesy of Heath Jones)
- Sixth and Up Wonder R.J. Palacio (links to the book's website)
- Touch Tag Day (10.8.20)
- Play traditional tag with these directions from wikiHow
- Or variations with these ideas from Active for Life. One we'd like to try: Band-Aid tag.
- Fire Prevention Day (10.9.20)
- Teach using the help of Fire Prevention Week (October 4-10) Lesson Plans courtesy of the National Fire Prevention Association (links to a PDF). Some highlights from each grade band:
- Preschool and Kindergarten Sparky's Firehouse app (AppStore, Google play or Amazon)
- First and Second Fire safety at home video with anchor chart labels
- Third through Fifth Firefighting's Weird History video
- Make Home Fire Escape Plans courtesy of National Fire Prevention Association (links to a PDF)
- Color to remember (Preschool to 3rd and 4th to 6th) with these pages courtesy of National Fire Prevention Association (links to PDFs)
- I Love Yarn Day (10.10.20)
- Start a new project by browsing ideas at:
- Felt Magnet (We choose this coffee cozy by The Natural Rose).
- Or The Idea Room. We like this yarn-wrapped monogrammed letter from Catch My Party.
- Finish a project you've already begun.
- Or make use of a yarn-made object.
Week Three
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| Raking Leaves/Peggy Choucair/Pixabay; Sausage Pizza/Baked by an Introvert; Slang Dictionary/Oliver Munday/NY Times; The Recess Queen/ CC BY-SA; Oscar the Grouch/CC BY-NC-ND |
- Sausage Pizza Day (10.11.20)
- Order a sausage pizza
- Or, prepare your own with the help of Baked by an Introvert
- Columbus Day (10.12.20)
- Preschool to First Grade Make a Columbus Hat with this Mailbox pattern.
- Second and Third Grade Read Columbus Day Poems from Woo Jr.
- Fourth and Fifth Grade Read and complete some hands-on activities (like tying nautical knots ore simulating a hurricane) from the book Christopher Columbus and the Age of Exploration for Kids by Ronald A. Reis (links to its Good Reads' page)
- Sixth Grade and Up Form pro and con arguments regarding celebrating Christopher Columbus day after reading these editorials from The New York Times and The Washington Examiner and a neutral article from History.com.
- International Day for Failure (10.13.20)
- Choose a book from Book Roo's list of books about failure. We'd pick the following for each grade level band.
- Preschool to First Grade After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat (links to its Book Roo page)
- Second to Third Grade Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty, Illustrated by David Roberts (links to its Book Roo page)
- Fourth to Sixth Grade Fantastic Failures by Luke Reynolds (links to its Book Roo page)
- Teach them how to fail with Big Life Journal. Our favorite tip is number three: "Embrace (and Celebrate) Failure."
- Stop Bullying Day (10.14.20)
- Stand up to bullying with these ideas from Very Well Family.
- Read books to open up a conversation about bullying.
- Preschool to Second Grade The Recess Queen by Alexis O'Neill, Illustrated by Laura Hulisk-Beith (links to a YouTube read aloud by Mrs. Britton's Book Nook)
- Third and Fourth Grade Bully by Patricia Polacco (links to a YouTube read aloud by JShortt2004)
- Fifth and Sixth Grade The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale (links to a review on Fantastic Fiction)
- Seventh and Up Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (links to the book's website)
- Grouch Day (10.15.20)
- Preschool to First Grade Listen to Oscar sing "I'm Sad Because I'm Happy" in this YouTube video posted by Sesame Street
- Second to Third Grade Finish the statement "I'm a grouch when..." on this Oscar craft from DLTK
- Fourth to Fifth Grade Challenge your "stinkin' thinkin'" with I Don't Stink. (We especially like the "Hey SMELL This!" exercise.)
- Sixth Grade and Up Be a positivity ambassador by learning these affirmations that counteract negative thinking and speaking to themselves and to others when they experience negative thinking. One of our favorites: "I matter, and what I have to offer this world also matters."
- Dictionary Day (10.16.20)
- Preschool to First Grade Make (with Teach Mama) or read alphabet books (list from Fantastic Fun and Learning). A book we'd pick: Apples A to Z by Margaret McNamara, Illustrated by Jake Parker
- Second to Third Grade Play dictionary games with Minds in Bloom. We like the speed word search game.
- Fourth to Fifth Grade Write a dictionary entry about yourself with the help of The Owl Teacher.
- Sixth Grade Explore slang with this NY Times activity by Amanda Christy Brown and Holly Epstein Ojalvo.
- Sweetest Day (10.17.20) - Surprise somebody by doing something especially sweet for them today.
Week Four
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| Chocolate Cupcakes/Life, Love and Sugar; Confident Kid/Raw Pixel; Dinosaur/DK Find Out; Swallows/Mission San Juan Capistrano; The Day the Crayons Quit/CC BY-SA-NC; The Secret Garden/ CC BY-SA-NC |
- Chocolate Cupcake Day (10.18.20)
- Buy some
- Or make some with these moist chocolate cupcakes from Life Love and Sugar. Just the pictures make my mouth water.
- New Friends Day (10.19.20)
- Learn how to make friends with these "3 Simple Techniques" from Sunshine Parenting. The one we probably need to work the most on: extending invitations.
- Read books about making friends (list from Book Roo). Check out our picks for each grade level band:
- Preschool to First Grade To the Sea by Cale Atkinson (links to its Book Roo page)
- Second to Third Grade The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, Illustrated by Patrice Barton (links to its Book Roo page)
- Fourth to Sixth Grade The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (links to it's Book Roo page)
- Youth Confidence Day (10.20.20)
- Read tips on raising confident kids from Child Mind. One that we probably need to work on most is expecting them to pitch in.
- Engage in confidence-building activities from Nature's Path. We like the idea of playing "That's What I Like About You."
- Reptile Awareness Day (10.21.20)
- Preschool to First Grade Draw a reptile with Kiki Colors via YouTube
- Second to Third Grade Learn more about them with DK Find Out
- Fourth to Sixth Grade Complete a reptile fact file with Sparkle Box.
- National Color Day (10.22.20)
- Read The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (video at Reading is Fundamental)
- Choose and complete a follow activity from one of these websites: Teaching Ideas, Crayons Picture Books, or Monochromatic Painting with Edu Ref (5th and Up). We'd choose the following lessons for each grade level band:
- Preschool to First Grade "Create a picture using all of the colours in your crayon set...just like Duncan does" (idea from Teaching Ideas)
- Second and Third Convincing Class Color (from Crayons Picture Books PDF p 8)
- Fourth to Fifth Duncan Writes Back (from Crayons Picture Books PDF p9)
- Sixth and Up Monochromatic Painting from Edu Ref
- Swallows Depart from San Juan Capistrano (10.23.20)
- Read Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi (YouTube read aloud by Strawberrymom)
- Learn about the legend at Mission San Juan Capistrano
- Discover efforts to bring the swallows back at Audobon
- Take Back Your Time Day (10.24.20)
- Discover five time reclamation tips from Karen Leland at Huff Post
- The one we want to try out is cooking for the week.
Week Five
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| Spatzle/Word Ridden/Flikr; Pumpkin/suju/Pixabay; Candy Corn Catapult/Jennifer Findley; Pete the Cat/The Educator's Spin on It; Monster/CC BY-NC-ND |
- World Pasta Day (10.25.20)
- Eat at Noodles & Company (World Kitchen). I'd get the Pad Thai with Shrimp. What would you get?
- Take a pasta world tour at home with Insider. A dish I'd like to try is the German Spaetzle (links to a Tyler Florence recipe via Food Network)
- Pumpkin Day (10.26.20)
- Preschool to Second Grade Read Little Boo by Stephen Wunderli, illustrated by Tim Zeltner (YouTube read aloud by Molly Angela) and complete a pumpkin life cycle activity.
- Preschool and Kindergarten Pumpkin Printable Pack including a life cycle emergent reader from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures
- First and Second Grade Color, cut, glue pumpkin life cycle book from Twisty Noodle.
- Third through Fifth Grade lessons from The Ag Classroom. We'd choose the pumpkin processing activity for our learners. Don't miss the recommended YouTube video Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin from farm to can.
- Sixth Grade ideas from Education World. Our favorite idea - brainstorming more uses for pumpkins.
- Navy Day (10.27.20)
- Make a sailor hat (with DLTK) or submarine (with Simple Mom Project).
- Learn about the Navy in an:
- Statue of Liberty Dedication Day (10.28.20)
- See Lady Liberty courtesy of Earth Cam
- Teach some lessons courtesy of Edsitement
- Preschool to Fifth Grade Lesson plan on "The Meaning and Use of a National Symbol"
- Sixth to Eighth Grade Lesson plan on "Bringing 'The New Colossus' to America"
- Watch the video "Statue of Liberty for Kids" by Homeschool Pop via YouTube
- National Cat Day (10.29.20)
- Preschool to First Grade Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin activities collected by We Are Teachers. The one we'd choose is the hat craft and movement game by The Educators Spin in on It.
- Second to Third Grade Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss activities collected by The Teachers Corner. From the included activities, we like the "New Hat" one the most.
- Fourth to Fifth Grade Big Cats in Captivity lesson plan by National Geographic
- Sixth and Beyond How Cats Conquered the World article with included discussion guide and teacher's toolkit by National Geographic
- Candy Corn Day (10.30.20)
- Preschool to Third Grade
- Candy Corn Math from We Art Teachers
- Candy Corn Poem from A Teachable Teacher
- Fourth to Sixth Grade a wide array of candy corn activities from Jennifer Findley. Our favorite is the Candy Corn Catapult STEM Activity.
- Halloween (10.31.20)
- Preschool to Second Grade "Walk on the Witch" with Teacher Version. It's a Halloween version of Musical Chairs.
- Third to Sixth Grade
- Create "Creature Recipes" with Teacher Vision.
- Craft a creature.
- Draft a recipe.
- Have "Halloween Conversations" with Teacher Vision. Keep your candy by not saying the "Halloween words" during a group discussion.
That's a wrap, folks! October ideas for every day for you. We'd love to know which activities your learners loved as well as different activities you look forward to doing every October. Stay posted for our November ideas for every day; you should see it toward the end of October. And, consider subscribing, then you won't miss it! Here's to hoping you find pockets of JOY in every October day.
At Your Service,
These are such lovely ideas. I love Autumn too, a pretty month
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Autumn really is pretty, in so many ways. Happy to connect with a fellow appreciator.
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