A Halloween time machine game that teaches telling time
The Haunted House Time Machine Lab turns clock and calendar practice into a spooky adventure. Children read a riddle, set the clock, and enter a date to launch the house. A correct answer unlocks a clip from The Skeleton Dance, a cartoon from 1929, and a Time Capsule card about animation history. This instant guide gives teachers and families everything they need, with a level for Grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5.
How the Haunted House Time Machine works
Each of the eight rooms has a riddle about time. At Grades K-1, children set the clock to the hour or half hour. At Grades 2-3, they also enter a date on the date plate. At Grades 4-5, they use every clue in the riddle to find the time and the date, then work out the year by counting back. A speaker button reads each riddle aloud for early readers, and a hint button explains what the short hand and long hand mean.
Eight rooms, eight moments in animation history
The rooms follow a real timeline, from the first public animation show in 1892 to Toy Story in 1995 and animation today. Along the way, children meet Gertie the Dinosaur, Steamboat Willie, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Best week to play: International Animation Day
International Animation Day is October 28, the date of the first public animation show in 1892. The game begins and ends on that date, so it fits neatly into a Halloween week lesson.
Free printables for Grades K-1 and 2-3
Two black and white printable packs go with the game. The K-1 pack has clock practice, a haunted house to draw in, a skeleton flip book, and a paper plate clock. The Grades 2-3 pack adds clock and date riddles, an animation timeline, and a page for writing a riddle.
Standards and learning goals
The For Educators section of the guide aligns the game to Georgia and Common Core standards for telling time, using details in a text, and putting events in order. It also includes discussion questions, assessment ideas, and ways to support English learners. Please check the alignments against your own state or district standards. You can read more in the Common Core State Standards and the Georgia Standards of Excellence.
Build your own Time Machine Lab
In January 2027, an enterprise edition will let students in Grades 4-5 and Middle School+ research dates, write scripts, film videos, and write the riddles for their own Time Machine Lab. Contact Helina@thismonth.us to learn more.
More Halloween learning from This Month
Looking for more spooky learning? Try Wormly’s first Halloween spelling edition or Wormly’s WordFit sentence game.
