The Lighted Rose Homeschool

Our carefully curated October playlist introduces topics in a gentle, intentional sequence. Pop it on in the background during morning time, car rides, or sensory play:

• Welcome to October: Exploring October as a month of the year and enjoying spooky season vibes
• Halloween Fun: Festive, child-friendly songs celebrating Halloween traditions
• Cradles of Civilization: Musical journeys exploring the history and wonders of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
• Desert Biomes: Discovering the unique landscapes, plants, and animals that live in the world’s great deserts
• The Wonderful Human Body: Catchy anatomy tracks focusing on our bones, brains, organs, and internal systems
• Math in Motion: Learning all about shapes, including spatial properties of both 2D and 3D geometry
• Rest & Reset: Winding down with mindful breathing techniques and warm desert meditations

🔗 Ready to listen? [Find October’s Amazon Music Playlist here.]

These books have been such a joy for us. I’ve included links if you’d like to add them to your home collection, which is a lovely way to keep them ready for when these themes come back around each year. Of course, I also encourage you to check your local library—it’s a wonderful place to let your children browse, explore, and find their own quiet treasures.

📖 Family Read-Alouds (Chapter Books)

Perfect for gathering around to share a longer, immersive story.

• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Sherlock Holmes
• The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond
• Harry Potter
• Harriet the Spy
• The Magic Treehouse Series
• The Chocolate Touch
• Wishbone
• Biographies on Susan La Flesche Picotte

📖 Illustrated Picture Books

A mix of illustrated stories for all ages covering our October themes: Halloween, Bones, Brains, & Bodies, and Egypt

• Please Try to Remember the First of Octember, by Theo. Lesieg (October)
• The Spooky Wheels on the Bus, by J. Elizabeth Mills (Halloween)
• The Night Before Halloween, by Natasha Wing (Halloween)
• Clifford’s Halloween, by Norman Bridwell (Halloween)
• Halloween ABC, by Jannie Ho (Halloween)
• The Monster at the end of this Book, A Golden Book (Halloween, Monsters)
• The Vanishing Pumpkin, by Tony Johnston (Pumpkins, Ghoulish Creatures)
• Bedtime at the Swamp, by Kristyn Crow (Fear, Imaginary Monsters)
• You Wouldn’t Want to be Ill in Tudor Times, by Kathryn Senior (Tudor Times, Spooky History)
• The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, by Linda Williams (Fear, Scarecrows)
• The Berenstain Bears in the Dark, by Stan & Jan Berenstain (Fear, Nighttime)
• What Was I Scared of?, by Dr. Seuss (Fear)
• The Timid Little Kitten, by Barbara Shook Hazen (Fear)
• Too Many Pumpkins, by Linda White (Pumpkins)
• Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen (Owls, Nocturnal Animals)
• Owly, by Mike Thaler (Nocturnal Animals, Owls)
• Where are the Night Animals, Let’s Read and Find Out Science (Nocturnal Animals)
• Backyard Babies Guided Science Reader (Nocturnal Animals)
• Spiders Are Special Guided Science Reader D (Spiders, Arachnids)
• Oh, the Things You Can Do That Are Good For You, by Tish Rabe (Body, Health)
• The Ear Book by Al Perkins (Body Parts)
• The Hair Book by Graham Tether (Hair)
• The Nose Book by Al Perkins (Body Parts)
  • Complete set used throughout the year.
• My Doctor’s Visit, by Cara Florance (Health)
• Enzymes, by Cara Florance (Health Science)
• Vaccines, by Cara Florance (Health Science)
• RNA, by Cara Florance (Health Science)
• The Amazing Bone, by William Steig (Bones)
• Zach at the Dentist, by Jonathan London (Teeth, Dentist)
• The Tooth Book by Theo. LeSieg (Teeth)
• Lose That Tooth!, by Peter Maloney (Teeth)
• Little Rabbit’s Loose Tooth, by Lucy Bate (Teeth)
• Way Out in the Desert, by T.J. Marsh and Jennifer Ward (Deserts)
• The Desert is Theirs, by Byrd Baylor (Desert)
• Wonders of the Desert, by Louis Sabin (Desert)
• See the Reptiles Guided Science Reader B (Reptiles)
• Baby, Find the Shapes! Ekaterina Trukhan (Shapes)

Grab some blankets and cozy snacks! These fun watches pair perfectly with your lessons this month:

• Festive Halloween & Magic Fun: Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire, Girl vs. Monster, Under Wraps, Wizards of Waverly Place, Teen Witch, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Invisible Sister, Upside Down Magic, Zombies, and Ghostbusters
• Monsters, Music & Whimsy: Monsters, Inc., Stellaluna, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Shrek, and The Phantom of the Opera
• Ancient History & Epics: The Prince of Egypt
• Anatomy, Biology & Science Exploration: Bill Nye the Science Guy, educational human body/guided surgery youtube videos, and The Magic School Bus (In the Haunted House / Works Out / Flexes Its Muscles / All Dried Up)

Bring your learning to life out in the real world with these seasonal excursions:

• Autumn Harvest & Halloween Traditions: Planning a family pumpkin patch visit, going on a festive afternoon hayride, or picking out a child-friendly haunted hayride for older kids
• Ancient History Outings: Visiting a regional history or art museum featuring an Egyptian display or ancient artifact collection
• Anatomy, Science & Healthy Bodies: Exploring a local science museum with an interactive human body display, jumping off extra energy at a trampoline park, or scheduling educational interviews/tours with local health professionals (like a family doctor, a dentist, a chiropractor, or a prosthetician)

If you want to add rigorous, free textbooks to our hands-on resources, we highly recommend matching this month’s activities with these specific units:

🧪 Core Knowledge Science

• Unit 1 Unit 5: Human Body Systems*
• Unit 4 Unit 6: Human Respiration and Circulation
• Unit 5 Unit 6: Human Hormones and Reproduction
• Unit 7 Unit 3: Metabolic Reactions

🌍 Core Knowledge History & Geography

• Grade 1 Unit 2: Mesopotamia**
• Grade 1 Unit 3: Ancient Egypt**
• Grade 6 Unit 1: World Deserts

✏️ Core Knowledge Language Arts Units

• Grade 1 Domain 2: The Human Body*
• Grade 1 Domain 4: Early World Civilizations**
• Grade 3 CKLA Unit 3: Third Grade Skills—How Does Your Body Work?
• Grade 7 Unit 3: Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• Grade 8 Unit 2: Frankenstein

💡 Teacher’s Note: For the absolute best learning flow, we recommend reviewing any Science or History & Geography units marked with asterisks before you jump into the paired Language Arts unit!