Colorful Ghosts (Flannel)

Color-changing Ghosts Flannel 

(aka “The Chocolate Chip Ghost”) 

***For SALE!!***

The chocolate chip ghost is a well-known story/book. The premise is that ghosts are white, but when they get curious/adventurous and try other foods they turn different colors. Watch my videos or google to see how others use this flannel.

I play this as an interactive game with my own kids where they touch the pieces and pictures (can be done with small storytime groups as a game as well) and I use it on the flannel board in front of larger groups. 

Video: Game Version

Video: Storytime Version

***I made extra sets to sell.*** The set will come with 9 standard/solid color ghosts and    1 “surprise” ghost. Your Surprise Ghost can be anything you want your white ghost to eat. For example: ice cream cone, cheese, chocolate chip cookies, watermelon, etc. The set will also include laminated pictures to match with the ghosts.

Ghosts are 8inches tall.

Email me at tara@foxandbearelp.com 

for purchase

Thanks for your support!! 👻🍉🍫🍎🍦🍪🧀🍌👻

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All-Ages: Monsters

Not all of our families braved the Arizona rain, but I certainly had fun with those who attended today! (28 kids in the first session, 43 in the second).

Letter of the Day:  Mm for monster

Animal Song with Puppets: "When Ghosts Wake Up in the Evening".  I found this awesome song just yesterday, downloaded it, sought out a ghost and witch,  and we grooved to it this morning. Listen here

Mr. Bear did his usual song and dance routine, but dressed like a pumpkin:

Books:
Monster, Monster by Melanie Walsh.  This is a super fun lift-the-flap book where the kids have to figure out who is in costumes and who is the real monster.

A Ghost in the House by Ammi-Joan Pacquette.  My 2 1/2 year old (now 3) loved and still loves this book. A ghost bumps into a mummy, momster, skeleton, witch, and finally the creepest createure of all - a little boy! 

As the creatures run away one by one, I tossed them over the flannel board for dramatics!  The monster is the tallest at about 14"

Flannel: 

Star Monster

A hunting we will go (pat rhythm on legs)
A hunting we will go
We'll catch a monster
And give her ___ start
And then we'll let her go

Repeat with all colors

 Music: "We Are Monsters" Listen here
We stomped, clapped, shook, sneaked, and roared like monsters while holding these small plush monsters.

 Fingerplays:

"I Saw a Ghost"
I saw a ghost (use this ASL sign for "ghost")
He saw me to (point to self)
I waved hello (wave)
But he said, "Boo!"

Pre-K Halloween

Storytime fell on Oct 31st, so I kept storytime pretty active assuming it would be hard to not wiggle around on such an exciting day.  This group was awesome!!

46 kids
3 siblings
41 adults

Showing off costumes before storytime starts:

 Books:

Spooky Spooky Spooky!  by Cathy MacLennan.  A variety of creepy critters (they're still pretty adorable!) come out on Halloween.  When it gets dark in the book, we turn off the lights and my firefly puppet, Sparky, comes out and lights up his light.

 

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams.  I love this old tale about some boots, pants, a shirt, gloves, hat, and pumpkin head who all follow the little old lady.  The kids get to act out the parts of all these pieces and we finally assemble a scarecrow at the end.

Fingerplays:

Waiving hello to the ghost:

The older-kid version: Throw your arms up at the end and shout, "Trick or treat!"

Music / Movement Activities:

"Dingle Dangle Scarecrow":  After reading The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything, we danced to this song.

When all the cows were sleeping and the sun had gone to bed
Up jumped the scarecrow and this is what he said,
"I'm a dingle dangle scarecrow with a flippy floppy hat
I can shake my hands like this and shake my feet like that!"

"Alphabet":  In this song, we sing the alphabet and incorporate body movements along the way.

Making Witches' Brew:

 
Waiting for freshly popped popcorn:

 
As we snacked on witches' brew and fresh popcorn, we watched this classic Halloween book projected on the wall (Popcorn by Frank Asch). 

Watch it here http://www.frankasch.com/popcorn.swf

Look at this adorable owl family!

Family Storytime Halloween

We did our Halloween theme in the Family Storytime program last week because there will be no evening storytime this Thursday (Halloween evening).

Here are some fun pictures:

Miss Erica with Simone (Lion)

Me with Olive (Fox)

We are all feeling festive!

 

 

Shaking hands during our hello song

 High-fiving during our hello song

 

Roly Poly Beetle shares her favorite rhyme every week:

 

Singing "The Mice Go Marching" after watching the YouTube video of the song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTBX37bg9eY

 

 

Here are the stuffed mice we use.  So much fun when the monster sneezes and they go flying everywhere!

 

Making "Witches' Brew"

 

This picture is extra special because my peeps are in the back row:  Our sweet friend Molly, my very own little guy Grayden, my lovable niece Elliott, and my twin sister.  They were great storytime attendees - let me tell you!

 

 

Checking out the magic afterwards

 

Families stayed to snack on Bat Juice, Witches' Brew ingredients, and popcorn that was popped right in front of our eyes.  We watched the projected version of Frank Asch's book Popcorn.

 

Watch here

 

Pre-K: Penultimate Monster / Halloween Storytime

This whole month has been filled with spiders, owls, pumpkins, and monsters.... next week is the big Halloween storytime ON Halloween.  I made the announcement for any parents that wish not to attend a Halloween-themed program.

39 kids
3 siblings
32 adults

Caregivers, thanks for dealing with the (organized) chaos today!  There were a lot of things to hand out and collect during storytime today and lots of exciting activities.

Kids took a Monsters Love Colors worksheet on the way in.

Books:
Plumply Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo.  Peter finds the perfect pumpkin so he and his dad can make a jack -o-lantern.

 

Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin.  Playful monsters combine their favorite colors - red, yellow, and blue - to make new colors.

 

Before reading the book, I handed out a bag of crayons to each child with the instructions to wait... 

 

As I read the book, the children colored their monsters accordingly:

 

Letter of the Day:  Pp for pumpkin

We then sounded out and spelled the word: Pumpkin

 

Flannel:  Star Monster
The kids all know their colors - this was more of a move-around, pat-your-knees, rhythm activity before setting in for Monsters Love Colors

Meet the Star Monster (not to be confused with The Alphabet Monster from last week)  ;-)

 

Movement Activity:  "The Mice Go Marching"

Oh, I love this song! We always watch the YouTube Video first.  Watch "The Mice Go Marching" here

Then each child gets a mouse (from IKEA) to act out the song while I play it again without the video:

I love when the monster sneezes and the mice go flying!!  I took this picture really fast and apparently missed the 60 mice that were in the air. How often do you get to throw mice around the library?

 

Fingerplay:

 

Watch the ASL sign for ghost here.