Every year on Halloween, for the past 5 years or so, I have decided to lean into the idea that the kids are really hyped up and want to have fun.  Instead of just doing random Halloween activities, which some kids might not be able to participate in for one reason or another, I have done a GLOW DAY!   I always keep this as academic and standards-based as possible, while hooking up the black lights!   The end result is always a day the kids remember, while not losing out on any of that precious learning time we are always fighting to fit in.   At this time of year in 4th grade, we are studying animal adaptations, so bioluminescence was a natural fit. I also wanted to work in some math and give the kids a chance to create something of their own. Here is what our fourth-grade Glow Day looked like!  (if you would like set up and logistics, see this post here about when I did this in 3rd grade...it was the same materials I needed) To set the stage, and before we tu......

For many years I have seen Glow Day posts from teachers on Instagram showing off what they did during their day under the cover of black lights.  To be honest, I never thought this type of thing was for me.  But this year, in lieu of Halloween activities, I thought we could do a fun Glow Day to keep things festive, yet not focused on the holiday.   Logistics When I was researching how to do this all, I had LOTS of logistics questions, so I am going to start this post by answering them.   Here are all of the materials I bought (or borrowed) to pull this day off. Black Lights - this was the biggest stressor for me.  How many would I need?  What kind would work?  I found these LED strip lights (that are popular on TikTok with the teens) and figured they would work just fine.  And they did.  I bought 4 sets of 2 strips for my room.  My classroom is fairly large, but has low drop ceilings so I was able to reach them to adhere the strips. ......