Fall storytime

Preschool: Pumpkins and Scarecrows

IntroductionWelcome by Miss Carole
Daily ReportReview over the month, date, day, season, and weather.
ASLPumpkin
Book
Weekly RhymeThis is Big, Big, Big
This is big, big, big.
This is small, small, small.
This is short, short, short.
This is tall, tall, tall.
This is fast, fast, fast.
This is slow, slow, slow.
This is yes, yes, yes.
This is no, no, no.
This is up, up, up.
This is down, down, down.
This is square, square, square.
This is round, round, round.
This is left, left, left.
This is right, right, right.
This is a great big hug and a kiss goodnight.
Group ActivityScarecrow Shape Hats
Place a scarecrow on the board.
Show the kids different hats and have them match the hat to the nose shape.
Caregiver/Child/GroupPumpkin Emotion Board
Have kids identify different faces on their bingo sheet.
Pattern RecognitionPumpkin on a Vine
Hand out pony beads and cords.
Have kids work with a caregiver to figure out the pattern using their green and orange beads.
Action RhymeScarecrow Says
Kids become scarecrows
1. Stretch your straw arms. (reach arms out)
2. Shoo the birds (wave arms wildly)
3. Wobble in the wind. (wobble side to side)
4. Fall Asleep. (pretend to be asleep)
5. Winter Freeze (freeze)
6. BIG WIND (fall dramatically)
Repeat by saying “Scarecrows back in the field!” Kids pop back up.
Source: My creation
  Action SongCorn, Corn
Corn, corn (crouch)
Growing up tall. (slowly grow)
Corn, corn, Sway and fall! (wiggle and fall)
Source: My creation
Action SongPopcorn, Popcorn
Popcorn, popcorn (crouch down and bounce gently)
Sittin’ in the pot
Shake it, shake it (wiggle side to side)
POP! POP! POP! (jump high 3 times)
Dance Song
Dance Song
Closing SongsABC’s and Counting to 10.
Goodbye songSkidamarink By Old Town School of Folk Music

Craft:


Toddlers – Pumpkins and Scarecrows

IntroductionHello Everybody by Miss Carole
Daily ReportReview the calendar. I give them two options. Example: Is it sunny or rainy? Month, Season, Weather
Weekly RhymeClap, Clap, Clap Your Hands
Clap, clap, clap your hands
Clap them now with me
Clap your hands, let me see
Clap your hands with me

Additional Verses:
Beep, beep, beep your nose
Touch, touch, touch your shoulders
Tap, tap, tap your knees
Shake, shake, shake your feet
ASLPumpkin
Book
Color IdentificationWhere is the Squirrel?
(Use Learning Resource Kit)
Hide one squirrel in the different colored acorns.
Have children guess which color acorn the squirrel is hiding.
Book
Weekly RhymeThis is Big, Big, Big
This is big, big, big.
This is small, small, small.
This is short, short, short.
This is tall, tall, tall.
This is fast, fast, fast.
This is slow, slow, slow.
This is yes, yes, yes.
This is no, no, no.
Action RhymePopcorn, Popcorn
Popcorn, popcorn (crouch down and bounce gently)
Sittin’ in the pot
Shake it, shake it (wiggle side to side)
POP! POP! POP! (jump high 3 times)
  Activity My Little Crow
Hand out black bird die-cuts.
My little crow is flying high, (hold crow up high)
Flying, flying through the sky! (fly crow around).
Then flies down to my arm instead! (move crow to arm)
It lands upon my scarecrow knee, (put crow on knee)
Then flies away – “Caw! Caw!” – Away from me!
Source: My own creation
Copy ActivityWhere Did the Crow Land?
Hand out die-cut birds to kids and have them copy me.
“Oh no! My crow landed on my… HEAD!”
Everyone puts the crow on their head.

It landed on my shoulder
It landed on my elbow!
It landed on my tummy!
It landed on my knee!
It landed on my foot!

Oh! It flew away!” (Throw birds up in the air).

Switch-Up:
Have caregivers pretend to be the scarecrow, and the child has the crow.

“Can your crow land on your scarecrow?”
The child flies the crow onto the caregiver’s head, shoulder, feet, etc.

Final switch:
“Now the scarecrow wants to catch the crow!”
The caregiver gently tries to “catch” the flying crow while the child flies it around saying, “Caw! Caw! Caw!”
Source: My creation.
Activity SongPumpkins on a Vine
(Pass the Pumpkin song)

Die-cut pumpkins with a random hole punched in each pumpkin, with a wrapping ribbon

Hand out three pumpkins and one green string to caregiver. As the music plays, caregivers help their child string their pumpkins.
Dance Song
Closing SongsABC’s and Counting to 5
Goodbye songSkidamarink By Old Town School of Folk Music

Craft:

Pumpkins – Toddler

Introduction Hello Everybody, Yes Indeed
Fun Opening Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, turn around (spin around)
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, roll on the ground. (roll hands over each other).
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, dance on your toes (walk on tiptoes)
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, light up your nose. (touch nose)
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, reach up high (reach hands up high)
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, jump to the sky. (jump)
Jack-O’-Lantern, Jack-O’-Lantern, smile with heat. (point to smile).
Source: Artsy Toddler Storytimes: A Year’s Worth of Ready-To-Go Programming by Carol Garnett Hopkins
Book Pumpkin Trouble by Jan Thomas

10411303
Nursery Rhyme Peter, Peter, Pumpkin-eater
Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater;
Had a wife, and couldn’t keep her:
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.
Book You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie by Natalie Marshal

38748008
ASL Pumpkin
Flannel Recognize the Pumpkin Face

IMG_5828[1]

We identified the different feelings of the jack-o-lanterns. Here is the pattern I used. We then sang this song with the different feelings.

Where’s My Pumpkin
Tune: Where is Thumbkin

Where’s my pumpkin? Where’s my pumpkin?
Here it is! Here it is!
(______) jack-o-lantern.
(______) jack-o-lantern.
Looks likes this. Looks like this.
Source: Sing a Song of Season: Over 200 Original Songs, Poems, and Fingerplays by The Mailbox
Action Rhyme Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (make a big circle overhead)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
Source:SurLaLune Storytime
Action Rhyme Pumpkins Over There
Pumpkins small,(put hands low where a small pumpkin might stand).
And pumpkins tall, (raise hands high up in the air
Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere (spin around)
Pumpkins fat, (move hands out far to the sides)
And pumpkins thins, (move hands close together in front of body).
Pumpkins, pumpkins, over there! (point across the room with both hands.
Source: Artsy Toddler Storytimes: A Year’s Worth of Ready-To-Go Programming by Carol Garnett Hopkins
Action Rhyme Pumpkins Are Growing
Pumpkins are growing
On the ground (point downward)
Look at all the pumpkins
Orange and round! (form circle with arms)
Source: Busy Bees Fun for Two’s and Three’s by Elizabeth McKinnon
Dance Song I’m a Little Seed by Carole Stephens
Dance Song Pass the Pumpkin by Carole Stephens
We passed a pumpkin around in a circle. I did modify the instructions.
Cool Down The Alphabet and we counted to 10.
Goodbye Song Say Goodbye

Craft: Super easy craft! The mouth is bat die-cut upside down.
IMG_5829[1]