Knitted Zombies at our Library!

Our library knitters are at it again and have created a wonderful Halloween display featuring zombies, Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein.  Here are some photos of the little darlings.

 

 

 

 

I knit the lovely Bride of Frankenstein who sports my old Barbie doll's wedding dress.

 

 

 

Yay for the Library knitters!

Pumpkins!

Books Shared or Recommended:
Pumpkins by Ken Robbins
The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afriad of Anything by Williams

We find pumpkins in the story time apron this month!  Count them!  One, two, three, four, five!  It's the time of year when we see pumpkins everywhere!

We start by 'reading' the book, Pumpkins by Ken Robbins.  I'm not enamored with the text, so I make up my own words to go with the great photos. 

Then we sing a song from the fabulous Nancy Stewart's website, Sing With Our Kids, the 'Pumpkin Song'.  You can listen to Nancy sing it on her website.  If you're looking for awesome, free songs and ideas for storytime, check it out!  Here are the words to the song:

The Pumpkin Song
Put on your jacket and come along!  (Mime putting on your jacket and beckon with hand)
Put on your jacket and come along!
Put on your jacket and come along!
We're going to a pumpkin farm!  (Pretend to drive like a big person)

We'll look for a great, big pumpkin there!  (Look with your hand over your eyes, then hold a big one)
We'll look for a great, big pumpkin there!
We'll look for a great, big pumpkin there!
We're going to a pumpkin farm!  (Drive that car!)

We'll cut off the top and give him a face!  (Cut the top and then put your hands around your face)
We'll cut off the top and give him a face!
We'll cut off the top and give him a face!
We're going to a pumpkin farm!  (Drive!)

We'll put in a candle and watch it glow!  (Hold up your finger and then open and close your hands)
We'll put in a candle and watch it glow!
We'll put in a candle and watch it glow!
We're going to a pumpkin farm!  (Drive!)

Then I turn the pumpkins over one by one and see that someone has carved faces into them.  What's this face?  Happy! How can you tell?  Yes!  He's smiling!   Can you make a happy face!  Go through all of the faces and talk about giving your pumpkin and yourself different faces.

 

 

Someone forgot to carve one of the pumpkins!

Then, of course, we sing:  If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!
I'm sure that you know the words, but for the other faces, use:
If you're mad and you know it stomp your feet!
If you're surprised and you know it, say "Oh my!"
If you're sad and you know it say "Boo Hoo!"

Here's my flannalized version of the Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything:

 

 

I have added a moon in the sky.

 

The little old lady sleeps with her basket!  The moon goes down and the sun (Moon on it's side behind the flannel board) comes up.

 

 

The Little Old Lady is so happy to see a scarecrow in her garden and the scarecrow is so happy to be able to scare things!

 

 

But, along comes a crow (puppet) and he says, "I'm not afraid of anything!" and starts to eat the pumpkin head.  The little old lady has to run out of her house and scare that crow away!

 

Caw!  Caw!  Now the crow gets to sing the good bye song!

Mice are Nice!

 
Books Shared or Recommended:

Cat and Mouse by Schoenherr

Hide and Squeak by Frederick
Maisy Goes to Pre-School by Cousins
Mouse Mess by Riley
Mouse’s First Fall by Thompson
Whose Mouse? By Kraus

 

We start by finding mice in the storytime apron.  There's even a rather funny looking mouse.  This one is for the teachers!

Maisy Mouse, the finger puppet, says that she wants to hear a story about herself.  So we read Maisy Goes to Preschool.  The children really love this one as it is the start of preschool.  It's also short and pithy which is perfect for little ones who are just settling down after the long summer vacation.  Half way through the book Maisy and her friends sing at preschool.  I ask the children if they know what song and then we sing "The More We Get Together" along with Maisy.

 

Hickory Dickory Dock Action Rhyme

Hickory Dickory Dock.  (Swing arms)

The mouse ran up the clock.
(Run fingers from toes up to head.)
The clock struck one.  BOING!   (Clap.)
And down he run.
(Run fingers back down to toes.)
Hickory Dickory Dock.  (Swing arms.)
Repeat with:
Clock struck two…Mouse said BOO
Clock struck three… Mouse said Wee
Clock struck four…Mouse said no more!

Hide and Seek Mice

Can you find me?  Where can I be?

I’m where Santa comes in with gifts all for me.

Can you find me?  Where did I hide?

A squirrel lives here deep down inside.

Can you find me?  Where, oh where?

Look close at my hiding place and
You’ll see yourself there.

Can you find me?  Where have I been?
My favorite hiding place is soft and green.

Can you find me?  What will you do?
I’m behind something you can walk through.

Can you find me?  It’s very dark.
In this place I share with someone who says Bark!

Can you find me?  I’m the last one,

Behind something that grows on a stem in the sun!

 

 

Five Little Mice

Five little mice came out to play,

Gathering crumbs along the way;
Out came a pussy cat sleek and black,
Four little mice went scampering back.
Four little mice came out to play…
(Until: No little mice go scampering back.)
But then they all come scampering back!

 

 

 

Then Maisy Mouse wants another story about herself so we tell the story of Lunch by Denise Fleming using the little finger puppet mouse.

 

 

Much like the Very Hungry Caterpiller, Maisy is still hungry after eating each thing, but at the end, she is so full that she takes a nap until dinner time.  Then she wakes up and sees the fall leaves falling.  This is the story of Mouse's first fall and it looks like this:

 

What beautiful colors!  What wonderful shapes!

Then Maisy wants to rake the leaves into a pile and run, run, run and jump into the pile.  Help her count:  one, two, three!  JUMP!

 

 

Maisy then decides to hide in the leaf pile.  Can you see her?

 

Here she is!  Surprise!

 

Maisy gets to sing the goodbye song!