The month of October is notorious for Halloween. In my school, we are not allowed to observe or celebrate, but this does not take away the excitement that comes with the holiday. As an alternative, my team and I shift the focus of the candy to Science by having a Science Day. We call it Mad Lab, and is an excellent alternative to any Holiday, to tell you the truth!
Mad Lab is a day where the focus is on Science through a set of fun and highly engaging activities. The kids visit each classroom and complete a science activity. It has been a successful activity in fourth grade for many years. This day is one of the most cherished activities for my fourth graders.
So, you might be asking yourself, ok, but what do you do? Here is a breakdown and what happens behind the scenes for Mad Lab.
Planning
As a team, we start planning for Mad Lab at the end of September. We choose the science activities we want to do and give everyone a run-through of the activity.
I should have started by telling you that before this meeting, everyone needs to have at least two activities they want to do. We share it to make sure none of the activities are the same. If they are, we resort to the 2nd idea.
This year we decided to align each science activity to the letter in STEAM. The STEAM activities work out great because it is what we submit for the school’s showcase event.
In the second meeting, we finalize the schedule, budget, recording booklet, and overall logistics.
Schedule
For the schedule, we estimate the amount of time the kids are going to be spending in each room. Each science activity has a time limit of 20 minutes, and that includes completing their recording booklet. There are six teachers on my team, so this event lasts 120 minutes, which takes all the first part of our day. It is also perfect because we end just in time for lunch.
Recording Booklet
For each activity, the kids answer questions regarding the activity. All the science activities we chose are related to our fourth-grade science standards. The kids answer two to three questions per activity. They travel from room to room with their booklet.
Budget
Many of the activities require materials that we already have. We make a list of the materials we need, and everyone is responsible for gathering them. The materials we do not have and are perishable gets written down with their cost. We add the total and divide the total cost among the number of kids that are participating. It usually comes out to $2 per student.
Overall Logistics
Other significant things to make this work is communicating with the parents. On the last Friday of September, we send a letter home notifying the parents of the event.
In this letter, parents must check off if they want their students to participate. Here we explain the purpose behind the event and the cost. Even though Mad Lab is academic based Science related parents can opt-out their kids to participate for religious purposes. These kids do not go to another classroom; instead, they stay with their teacher and either become helpers or complete alternative work. Many of these kids do not come to school on this day. This has happened one time in three years.
Dress Up
In the letter, we allow kids to dress up as a mad scientist. It is not a requirement, and many kids just wear their lab coat they made at the beginning of the year.
During the first week of school, the kids make their lab coat out of a white shirt. These DIY science lab coats stay in school, and they wear it every time we do a science lab.
Classroom Decoration
This day could not be complete without props. The classroom decoration and props set the tone for the room. The best part is that a little decor goes a long way here.
I save the items from year to year, and I do not include this in the cost of materials for the day. Many of these items have been donations from parents. I include these items on my wish list at the beginning of the year. The template I use is part of my Meet the Teacher Pack.
My favorite prop for the kids is the plastic construction hats. These plastic hats get purchased every year, and the kids take them home as souvenirs. They come in a one size fits all and I had never had a problem with them. As soon as the kids put them on, it brings out the “scientist” in them.
As soon as the kids walk in the room, they also get their scientist id. A week before the main event, I used the science lab curtain scene to take the kids’ pictures. Then, I add it to the template id badge from my Mad Lab Decor Pack. Last, I print the badges and insert them in these plastic covers with their lanyards. You can also laminate the badges or use clips to hold them.
Last year, I purchased these fun syringe pens for the kids to use. They sure added it to the theme and were fun to use. The kids liked these!
My main prop that turns my room around is colorful tablecloths. You know tablecloths are my favorite prop for any classroom transformation! In this post, I explained why I love them so much and here too! Every group gets a tablecloth, and it makes it so easy to clean up.
Wrapping It Up
As much as I love Mad Lab, there is a lot that goes behind the scene of this day. From planning, ordering, and communicating with parents it is an extra thing that has paid off during holidays.
I am not going to lie, it is a ton of work, but I have the satisfaction of knowing the kids learned, and it was not a waste of a day. If you are unable to do this with your team, you can still do it in your classroom by having kids rotate through each activity in the classroom.
If you are looking for an alternative activity for Halloween, try to make a day out of it while still teaching your standards. The kids’ excitement towards holidays can easily disrupt a classroom if you do not plan. Mad Lab has been a great alternative to do with my kids for Halloween.
