Halloween Music Activity BUNDLE: Candy Composition, Write the Room, & KABOOM!

It's October, pumpkins are everywhere and my students are beyond excited for Halloween. What better way to ensure engagement than to gear your lessons towards your students' interests? This Halloween bundle (reinforcing quarter notes, quarter rests, and eighth notes) is exactly what you need to turn all that Halloween excitement into productive learning! 

This bundle includes three very different types of lessons: a candy composition packet, a write the room, and a game of KABOOM. 

Here is what is included in each and how you can use them. 

1. CANDY COMPOSITION:

This print and go, candy composition packet is the PERFECT way to get them composing music, reading and notating rhythms, practicing performing quarter notes, rests, and eighth notes (and even improvising on Orff instruments).

Included:

• A cut and paste page with 16 popular candy rhythms (quarter note, quarter rest, & beamed eighth notes; each 2 beats)
• A "paste page" for students to create their 16 beat candy composition using the previous page (2 rows, 4 measures each)
• A page with 16 candies where students must determine the rhythm of candy (example included)
• A composition page with a word bank at the bottom (opportunity for students practice notation)
• A "What Candy do you Love?" page where students write in candy names that they love and determine their rhythms
• A Candy Coloring page (great for early finishers, classroom decorations, or to take home)

While there are clear instructions on each page, this set is quite versatile and comes with suggestions for extensions. For example:

1. After a student has composed a rhythm, have them play it using body percussion. Then transfer to unpitched percussion, and finally Orff instruments for melody improvisation practice (you could use a pentatonic scale, so-mi, so-mi-la, etc.). Have your students share their compositions as a class performance.
2. Use as a station in centers: have students practice/perform their classmates compositions. They'll all be different!

AND MORE!!

2. WRITE THE ROOM

Here's how to play:

1. Place (or hide, depending on how challenging you want it to be) cards all over your classroom.
2. Give each student a "Write the Room" recording sheet.
3. Have students go on a scavenger hunt to find the cards.
4. When they find a card, they must match the number and symbol to the correct spot on their recording sheet, and notate the rhythm.
5. Once they have found all ten rhythms, they are done and ready to have their work checked. (If you want to turn it into a game, you can have the first person to finish be "the winner").

There is an answer key provided, making correction easy for you, but also makes this a great activity for a non-musical substitute teacher.

There are two versions, one in color and one in black and white. Everything listed below comes in both color AND b&w.

What's included:

• 10 large rhythm cards (quarter and eighth notes)
• 10 smaller rhythm cards (great for extensions--suggestions included with purchase)
• 10 blank cards (these can be used as recording sheets for students who need more space to notate their rhythms)
• 1 recording sheet
• 1 answer key
• 1 Halloween coloring page (great for early finishers, quiet work, send home, sub tub, time fillers)

3. CANDY KABOOM

The game KABOOM is everything! Students LOVE it and ask to play over and over again. This Halloween candy rhythm version is perfect to use in centers and stations, small group instruction, as filler for a few minutes at the end of a class time, an activity for your sub-tub, and as assessment. KABOOM is super simple to play and, like Monopoly, can go on forever (or...use a timer to make sure it doesn't!).

Here's how you play:

Place the cards (you will have cut out and laminated if possible) in a container (solo cup, box, empty pencil case--whatever you have laying around). Students take turns drawing cards and identifying the rhythm on each one (they can speak, clap, play on an instrument). If they perform it correctly, they keep the card, if not, they put it back. If a student draws a KABOOM card, they have to put all their cards back. Be prepared for the devastation ;p

Whoever has the most cards at the end, is the winner!

This product has:

• 24 different rhythms using quarter note, quarter rest, beamed eighth notes
• 6 KABOOM cards (feel free to take some out if that's too many--you can adjust this depending on how easy/hard you want to make the game)
• 1 sheet of empty cards for you/students to write other rhythms you'd like: think expo marker on laminated sheet so you can erase (these are excellent bin labels)
• Detailed, step by step instructions

If you don't celebrate at your school, check out this Candy Composition activity--it's a perfect swap for the Halloween version in this bundle!

• Music Candy Compositions with Quarter Note & Rest, Eighth notes

Want to go beyond Halloween:

• Autumn Rhythms & Composition Cards for Centers or Whole Class Instruction
• Apple Tree Rhythm Packet: Learn to read quarter & eighth notes (stick notation)
• Teach So-Mi with Apple Tree: Melody Music Packet (Stick Notation)
• Learn to Read Quarter Notes/Rests & Eighth Notes with Stick Notation (No-Prep)
• Apple Themed Treble & Bass Clef KABOOM (+sharps & flats) Elementary Music BUNDLE

Let's be friends! Follow me here on TpT and find me on Instagram: @joannateachesmusic for lots more!