October Blog - Mood and Atmosphere

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL! Welcome to October, 2026!

Coming to you from Charlotte, North Carolina, I have to say I can't wait for more

cooler weather. The heat wave throughout the summer was off the charts so as we head into October with the turning of the leaves, cooler temps and time for the best of Fall foods like Chili, Soups, Stews, we can embrace a new season with enthusiasm and curiosity. Fall has always been my favorite season and incorporating some of the moods of this season can assist us in being more effective in the way we write, learn and behave.

I. For this Writing section, I am addressing how creating mood without scary content can set the atmosphere through the proper words.

As children emjoy the sights and often sounds of the Fall season, they also must take into consideration it doesn't have to scare the life out of you to use words that create a mood that speaks to the emotional side. Something that might sound frightening can also keep people from wanting to read what you have to say.

One of the ways children can create mood and eliminate the scary part is to set the tone and use descriptive words to paint a picture in the reader's mind. For example:

the rain was steady as the sky got ominously darker. The

light wind continued to blow causing leaves to drop as

rapidly as the wind blew. The ten bales of hay that were

stacked in half open piles on the side of the red barn

began to move unexpectedly toward the field across

from the old abandoned Church. When the lights inside

the barn went eerily dark, it felt as the last visitor knew

this haunting moment would reveal the truth behind the

legend.

This made up passage I wrote offers the tone of a spooky story without the shock value and fear. The reader uses their senses to picture the words written and the result is a suspenseful scene rather than a creepy and scary one.

One way to increase the usage of appropriate and effective words is by utilizing a "word bank" before writing. Making a list of "mood words" that you can think of that would be included in your scary mood writing. Drawing from that mood word bank with each sentence helps to create a flow that gives the reader the picture in their mind. Sometimes, simple words that make one think, rather than scare, is most effective especially when writing for content.

II. Education- How mood based Language and Emotional Awareness Supports Emotional Literacy.

From Vague to precise accuracy.

Mood based language is effective in supporting how to turn words into precise accuracy when students need to relate to their feelings in literacy based writing and feeling. Students learn to put their feelings into specific, not vague, writing.

In honor of National Poetry Day (October 15th) a good writing piece to include mood based language in poetry is a good start. Keep in mind that poetry doesn't have to rhyme! Using the mood-based language awareness, here is an example of poetry to support emotional literacy:

As the morning light appears soft, the room feels calm, suddenly a noise from afar

makes my heart beat faster.

With a sharp ray of sun that pierces through the curtain, a gentle smile spreads

leaving a warm steady glow within my mind

Here, the writer is describing how at first the room she was in felt calm with the glow of early morning light but then a noise became concerning until she saw the sun stream through the room and left her with a specific feeling of peaceful calm.

The mood is set for feeling calm using the words light, gentle, warm, glow. Even if they are used in a different context and order, they give off the feeling of relaxed gratitude.

Teaching students to tap into using mood words in their writing helps them to find confidence and security and to help learn to validate emotions. Think of the way journaling creates a calm and peaceful feeling to the writer who unleashes all their emotions through their words. It is a good way for students to learn who they are and can be by the way they think and feel using mood words to define their emotions.

III. Parenting- Talking About Feelings Through Stories as a gentle conversation tool.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts a parent, caregiver, or grandparent can give to a child is the gift of reading. From birth, even when children listen to a familiar voice reading to them consistently everyday in a routine that becomes second nature as they grow, they learn to identify feelings with words and how feelings and emotions connect our relationships with others.

When children are old enough to respond to a story by saying how they feel when a character or event does something, they are making strong connections to others, showing them what empathy and character is all about.

When I wrote my book, "My Baby and Me," I included emotions and feelings in the story because it is a true story of how my daughter and her baby doll had adventures together but sometimes there was feelings of separation. It is the perfect example of how to talk to your child while reading and ask questions that reflect the character's feelings and emotions and to illicit a sense of empathy in your child to connect to the character.

No child wants to worry about things that go wrong or are confusing, or bring sadness even if it's for a short time. Talking about how a story makes them feel, can provide comfort as they are the ones who express that feeling and have a better understanding of the book.

A fun family acitivity for this month's topic is to write a scene in different moods. Family members can take turns writing a short paragraph describing a topic that has mood issues such as losing a toy, missing a friend, going to a new school, etc. The story scene can be uplifting, worrisome, confusing , challenging, scary or any mood that helps to connect understanding to words.

Enjoy October and all the fun Fall activities like apple picking, hay rides, hike in the mountains or rock climbing or just porch sitting with a cup of hot apple cider!

See you next month for NOVEMBER'S BLOG ON REFLECTION AND PRIDE, helping children be proud of their work!