Pumpkins!

Theme:
Pumpkins

Books:
It’s Pumpkin Time by Zoe Hall
Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas
Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins by James Dean
Pumpkin Heads by Wendell Minor
It’s Pumpkin Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

Board Story:
Five little pumpkins sitting on the gate
Five little pumpkins sitting on the gate. (Hold up 5 fingers.)
The first one said, “Oh, my it’s getting late.” (Hold up thumb.)
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.” (Hold up index finger.)
The third one said, “But I don’t care.” (Hold up middle finger.)
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.” (Hold up ring finger.)
The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun.” (Hold up pinky.)
Ooooo! Went the wind, and out went the light. (Blow through hands, then clap.)
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (Roll hands behind back.)

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Action Rhyme: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin”
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a circle)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a circle)

Five Little Pumpkins Song
One little pumpkin smiling, smiling. (repeat 3 times)
One little pumpkin is happy.
Two little pumpkins pouting, pouting. (repeat 3 times)
Two little pumpkins are grumpy.
Three little pumpkins yawning, yawning. (repeat 3 times)
Three little pumpkins are sleepy.
Four little pumpkins crying, crying. (repeat 3 times)
Four little pumpkins are sad.
Five little pumpkins laughing, laughing. (repeat 3 times)
Five little pumpkins are playing.

“Jack-o-Lantern” Poem from Hand Rhymes by Marc Brown
I am a pumpkin, big and round. (Make a circle with arms over your head)
Once upon a time, I grew on the ground. (Point to the ground)
Now I have a mouth, two eyes, and a nose. (Point to mouth, eyes, and nose)
What are they for, do you suppose? (Curiously scratch head)
With a candle inside, shining bright. (Hold pointer finger out like a candle)
I’ll be a jack-o’-lantern on Halloween night. (Wave hands excitedly.. “jazz hands”!)

Play time:
Pumpkin coloring / early literacy sheet
Pumpkin toss game (pumpkin buckets and orange bean bags)

Early Literacy Asides:

Aside #1:  Our early literacy tip today is on print awareness, one of the early literacy skills children need before they learn how to read.  Reading with children and helping them become more comfortable with turning pages and seeing how books work is the beginning of print awareness.

Aside #2:  As you read books with your children, even babies, they will often try turning the pages of the book.  Even though they might not be too coordinated yet and even though it might take a little longer to share the book, taking the time to let them turn the pages is important because it helps them understand how a book works.

Resources Consulted:
Storytime Katie – Pumpkins
Sturdy for Common Things
Falling Flannel Boards

Other books considered / used for display:
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch by Mary Peterson and Jennifer Rofe
Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor
Pumpkin Cat by Ann Turner
The Pumpkin Fair by Eve Bunting
The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams

Reflection:  Pumpkin Heads is such a fun book.  The kids always giggle at all of the silly pictures of pumpkins. It’s Pumpkin Day Mouse is a simple one but it’s fun to ask the kids to make a happy / sad / silly / scary / friendly face. Pumpkin Trouble is a riot and I love to really get into Duck’s character and muffle my voice by covering my mouth slightly with my hand when he’s inside the pumpkin.  The laughter is so fun and is often from the adults just as much as the kids.

Bats!

Theme:
Bats

Books:
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies
Bat Jamboree by Kathi Appelt
Baby Bat’s Lullaby by Jacquelyn Mitchard
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro

Board Story:
Hide & Seek with Little Bat!

Brown Bat, Brown Bat, what do you see?

There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat by Lucille Colandro

“Hide and Seek with Little Bat”: need felt bat, big yellow hat, baseball bat, welcome mat, gray cat, all in flannel
Little bat likes to play hide & seek! / He’ll hide while you close your eyes,
But don’t you dare peek! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 / Ready or not, here we come!
Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the big yellow hat?
Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the baseball bat?
Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you under the welcome mat?
Where are you hiding, little bat, little bat? / Are you behind the big gray cat?

Action Rhymes / Songs:

BATS ARE SLEEPING
(tune: “Frere Jacques”)
Bats are sleeping, bats are sleeping,
Upside down, upside down.
Waiting for the night to come, waiting for the night to come,
They fly around, they fly around.

BATTY (tune: “Bingo”)
Inside a cave there lived a bat and Batty was his name-oh.
B-A-T-T-Y, B-A-T-T-Y, B-A-T-T-Y & Batty was his name-oh.

1, 2 BATS (use with magnet board figures)
1, 2 bats say “Boo!”
3, 4 see bats soar.
5, 6 bats do tricks.
7, 8 bats fly straight.
9, 10 bats fly to their cave again.

THE BAT (Colin West)
The bat in flight at dead of night (Flying motions)
Can flap about with ease. (Continue)
For with his ears he somehow steers (Cup hands behind ears & sway)
A path between the trees. (Put arms up for tree branches)

FIVE BLACK BATS – finger play
Five black bats hanging upside down. (Hold 1 fist upside down)
The 1st one didn’t make a sound. (Unfold 1 finger at a time)
The 2nd one said, “I’ll fly far tonight.”
The 3rd one said, “I don’t like sunlight.”
The 4th one said, “I want to eat some bugs.”
The 5th one said, “Let me give you a hug.”
Five black bats hanging upside down,
Shhh! It’s daytime; don’t make a sound.

I’M A LITTLE BATLET (tune: “I’m a Little Teapot”)
I’m a little batlet small & shy
(Indicate size with hands)
Hanging here so near the sky.
(Hook thumbs together, hang hands down)
When the night is starting
And the bugs come out,
(Open & close hands quickly)
Watch me & the other bats fly right out.
(Flying motions)

TWINKLE LITTLE BAT (tune: “Twinkle Little Star”)
Twinkle, twinkle little bat / How I wonder where you’re at.
Up above the world you fly / eating bugs that flitter by.
Twinkle, twinkle little bat, / How I wonder where you’re at.

Play time:
Coloring and early literacy sheet

Early Literacy Asides:

The more words children know, the better off they will be when they learn to read.  Research tells us that it’s easier to read a word that you know.  Children will enter school knowing anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 words depending on how much they have been spoken and read to.  They really can’t know “too many” words.  You can expand your child’s vocabulary just by talking and reading together!

Resources Consulted:
Bayviews.org
Perry Public Library
Storytime Katie – Bats

Other books considered / used for display:
Hello Bumblebee Bat! By Darrin Lunde
Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon [big book!]
But Who Will Bell the Cats? By Cynthia von Buhler
Bat and Rat by Patrick Jennings
Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies
Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies
Bat Baby Finds a Home by Robert Quackenbush

Reflection:  Bats is one of my most favorite storytime topics! Bats at the Library is an awesome book to read for many reasons including the rhymes and illustrations. We especially love to look at the pages of the bats in familiar stories like Red Riding Hood and Winnie the Pooh. They LOVE playing hide & seek with little bat and The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bat affords a lot of participation and laughter.

 

 

Farm!

Theme:
Farm

Books:
Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Old MacDonald Had a Farm by Siobhan Dodds
Who Took the Farmer’s Hat? by Joan Nodset
The Farmer in the Dell by Mary Rae

Board Story:
Old MacDonald Had a Farm

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Farm Chores
This is the way we plant our seeds, plant our seeds, plant our seeds
This is the way we plant our seeds so early in the morning
[Water our seeds, weed our seeds, our seeds grow up, pick our plants, eat our plants]

This Little Cow – Fingerplay
This little cow eats grass (pinky)
This little cow eats hay (ring)
This little cow looks over the fence (middle)
This little cow runs away (index)
But this BIG cow does nothing at all (thumb)
But lie in the fields all day! (lay thumb across palm)

Play time:
Wooden block farm set
Farm coloring / early literacy sheet
Farm jokes
Farm pop-up books

Early Literacy Asides:

Aside #1:  Songs are fantastic ways to learn about language.  They develop listening skills and slow down language so children can hear the different sounds that make up words. Clapping along with the beat helps improve motor skills.

Aside #2:  Songs also teach new words and introduce new ideas and concepts.  Sing with your children any chance you have:  at home, in the car, or during a walk.  It also develops listening and memory skills.

Resources Consulted:
Storytime Katie
Perry Public Library

Other books considered / used for display:
Hurry! Hurry! By Eve Bunting
Moo, Baa, La La La! By Sandra Boynton
No Sleep for the Sheep by Karen Beaumont
Spot Goes to the Farm by Eric Hill
Maisy at the Farm by Lucy Cousins
Old MacDonald by Amy Schwartz
How Kind! by Mary Murphy
Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Barnyard Dance by Sandra Boynton
Tractor by Craig Brown
Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell
Color Farm by Lois Ehlert
Mrs. Wishy-Washy by Joy Cowley

Reflection:  Farm is one of my very favorite themes!  Big Red Barn is a classic and it’s fun to point out the connection to Goodnight Moon at the end. I also like to ask the kids if they will let the pigeon drive the bus when we get to that page and that usually gets a laugh out of them. Connections are so important! The songs are easy to sing and usually the kids already know them so that makes it even more fun. Making animal noises is a blast and they love the Melissa & Doug farm set that I put out to play with after storytime.

 

Spiders!

Theme:
Spiders

Books:
The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Aaaarrgghh! Spider by Lydia Monks
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott

Board Story:
Itsy Bitsy Spider / Big Humongous Spider / Teensy Weensy Spider

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Rhyme: Creepy Crawly
Once there was a creepy crawly (Stand up. Creep hand up from toes)
Climbing up the castle wall-y.
Weather changed to stormy, squally (Arms up. Sway like a tree in the wind)
And the rain began to fall-y. (Flutter fingers down)
Down from the castle wall-y.
Fell the little creepy crawly.
Flump! (All fall down!)

Song: “Itsy Bitsy Spider” 
The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the waterspout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the spout again

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the kitchen wall
Swoosh! went the fan and made the spider fall
Off went the fan no longer did it blow
So the itsy bitsy spider
Back up the wall did go

The itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the yellow pail
In came a mouse and flicked her with his tail
Down fell the spider, the mouse ran out the door
Then the itsy bitsy spider
Climbed up the pail once more

Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside,
And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Funny version of Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet,
Eating her curds and whey,
Along came a spider,
Who sat down beside her,
And when he saw Miss Muffet,
He screamed AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
And quickly ran away!

Play time:
Spider hand puppet / spider stamp / spider coloring and early literacy sheet

Early Literacy Asides:
Aside #1:  One of the components of early literacy is vocabulary – knowing the meaning of words.  Young children, especially those under age two, need direct, personal interaction to learn language and to understand words.  Babies also read your gestures and facial expressions.  These are clues to the meaning of words.  As you talk directly with your children throughout the day, you are helping them build their vocabulary and language skills.  We’ll work on this during storytime today as well.

Aside #2:  Using nursery rhyme that has some unfamiliar words is an excellent way to help build your child’s vocabulary.  We’ll use Little Miss Muffett as an example and you will see, saying nursery rhymes expose children to words that are not used in everyday conversation.  Researchers have found that children who know nursery rhymes find it easier to learn to read.

Resources Consulted:
Storytime with Miss Tara
Splchildren

Other books considered / used for display:
The Roly-Poly Spider by Jill Sardegna
I Love Bugs by Emma Dodd
Spider on the Floor by Raffi
Little Miss Spider by David Kirk
Diary of a Spider by Doreen Cronin
Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk
The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out by Troy Cummings
The Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Richard Egielski
Miss Spider’s Wedding by David Kirk
Sophie’s Masterpiece by Eileen Spinelli
Spinderella by Julia Donaldson
Spiders, Spiders Everywhere! by Rozanne Lanczak

Reflection:  This is a classic storytime and the books are easy favorites for all kids. The bright colors of Anansi are fun and kids always love shouting out that the moon is the great globe of light and trying to decide which of the six sons should have received it. Many kids are afraid of spiders and this is storytime is a way to show them that spiders are not really all that scary. They love looking at the non-fiction spider books I put out after storytime.

Leaves!

Theme:
Leaves

Books:
Clifford: The Big Leaf Pile by Norman Bridwell
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Count Down to Fall by Fran Hawk

Board Story:

5 Little Leaves
Five little leaves on the tree next door,
One fell off and then there were four,
Four little leaves all over the tree,
A bird pulled off one and then there were three,
Three little leaves where the wind blew,
One fell off and then there were two,
Two little leaves sitting in the sun,
A bug ate a leaf and now there is one,
One little leaf in the tree all alone
The wind blew and blew and now there are none

Action Rhymes / Songs:

Song: “The Leaves on the Trees Are Falling Down” by Irmagard Guertges
(To the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”)
The leaves of the trees turn orange and red
orange and red, orange and red.
The leaves of the trees turn orange and red
All through the town.

The leaves of the trees come tumbling down,
tumbling down, tumbling down.
The leaves of the trees come tumbling down,
All through the town.

The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish
All through the town.

{last verse added by me}
The kids in the leaves jump up and down,
up and down, up and down, up and down,
The kids in the leaves jump up and down,
All through the town.

Action Rhyme: “Raking Leaves”
I like to rake the leaves (make raking motion with hands)
Into a great big hump (pretend to pile leaves)
Then I move back a bit (take a step or two back)
Bend my knees and jump! (jump)

Song: “The Leaves Are Falling Down”
(Tune: Farmer in the Dell)
The leaves are falling down
The leaves are falling down
Red, yellow, green, and brown

Song: “Ten Little Leaves”
One little, two little, three little leaves,
Four little, five little, six little leaves,
Seven little, eight little, nine little leaves,
Ten little leaves fall down.

Play / Craft time:
Early literacy handout/coloring sheet; hand stamps; real leaves to examine.

Craft idea:  paint a black silhouette of a tree, use school glue to adhere real crumbled leaves.

Early Literacy Asides:

Aside #1:  In today’s storytime I’ll be talking about the importance of singing to language development.  Many of us cannot sing on key – myself included!  But don’t let that stop you!  Singing slows down language and there is often a different note for each syllable.  Both of these help children hear the smaller sounds in words.  It’s called phonological awareness and it’s important because it will later help them sound out words as they learn to read.

Aside #2:  The roots of phonological awareness, hearing each individual sound in a word, can be found in the nursery rhymes, movement and word games that we play with our children.  Just by signing songs and playing with words we are helping them get ready to read.  Let’s work on that now by singing a fun song together!

Resources Consulted:
Storytime Katie
Awesome Storytime
Storytime Katie – Flannel Friday
Sturdy for Common Things
Storytiming
Storytime Secrets
Lisa’s Libraryland

Other books considered / used for display:
By the Light of the Harvest Moon by Harriet Ziefert
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey
Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall
Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson
Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson
The Leaves on the Trees by Tom Wiley
Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmett

Reflection:
I have yet to meet a kid that doesn’t love jumping in piles of leaves. This is a fun storytime because it’s something they can relate to and a physical representation of fall. I make sure to have actual leaves brought in from outside so they can touch them and notice differences and make leaf rubbings. They also love singing the leaf songs and doing the actions — especially the jump up and down verse.  I have big book versions of both Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf and the Clifford book and that makes it even more fun.  Clifford is always the favorite of the books for this storytime.  It’s a silly one but they just love it.  Leaf Man is a fun one too because they are inspired to make their own leaf art pieces at home.