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!