Two Halloween Rhymes for Toddlers and Babies

My two-year old went nuts over these rhymes.  Sorry I didn't post them sooner:

Motions:

When you say "ghost", do this fun ASL sign

 

 

 

 

Motions:

Make a big pumpkin with you arms

Tip to the side

Roll hands together

Hug baby

 

OR

 

TODDLER VERSION:  End with "Trick or treat" and throw your arms in the air!

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.

Baby Time: Some Halloween - ish stuff

Here's the plan for Baby Time tomorrow:

Mr. Bear is still wearing his pumpkin costume:

Book: If You're a Monster and You Know It by Ed Emberley: Monsters sing their own version of this popular song that encourages everyone to express their happiness through movement.

 

Animal Puppet Song:  "If I Was a Bird"

From the Wiggleworms Love You album:

 

Fingerplay/Rhymes:

I saw these rhymes on multiple sites - not sure whom credit originally belongs to...

 

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

 

Pumpkin, Pumpkin sitting on a wall (bounce baby on lap)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin tip and fall (tip over)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin rolling down the street (roll hands)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, you're so sweet! (hug!

 

I Saw a Ghost

 

I saw a ghost (ASL ghost)

He saw me too (point to self or baby)

I waved at him (wave)

But he said, "Boo!"

 

See sign for "ghost" here

 

Bouncing Song:  "Five Green Goblins"

From the Fisher Price Halloween album.  (This is the goblin version of "Five Little Monkey Jumping on the Bed") 

 

Prop Rhyme: Star Monster

 

A-hunting we will go

A-hunting we will go

We'll catch a monster

and give her a (color) star

And then we'll let her go!

Wiggle Worms - Some Halloween - ish stuff!

 

Here are some activities we did this week in the Wiggle Worms (toddler) programs:

 

Animal Puppet Song:  "If I Was a Bird"

From the Wiggleworms Love You album

 

 

 Letter of the Day:  Pp (for pumpkin)

 

Mr. Bear:  Appropriately, still dressed as a pumpkin!

 

Book:  Spooky Spooky Spooky! by Cathy MacLennan:  Rhyming text and large, whimsical illustrations point out a variety of spooky (lets face it - cute) critters on Halloween night.

When Miss Allison flipped the lights (it gets dark in the book and fireflies appear), my Folkmanis firefly came out:

 

 

Music/Movement/Manipulatives Activity: 

We stomped, clapped, shook, and crept with the monsters in Mr. Eric's "We Are Monsters"

Plush monsters are from Oriental Trading

 

 

Flannel:  Star Monster

 

A-hunting we will go

A-hunting we will go

We'll catch a monster

and give her a (color) star

And then we'll let her go!

Monsters! Pre-K and Family

Theme:  Monsters

 

Here are some of the activities we did in Pre-K and Family Storytime

 

Books:

 

 

Bedtime for Monsters by Ed Vere:  In this funny bedtime story, a monster is licking his lips.... maybe he's thinking of a bedtime snack?  Is it YOU?  We find out at the end that all he wants is a great big slobbery kiss!

 

Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your Monster:  A funny, brightly-colored guide with large illustrations.  This guide helps you choose and care for your monster.

 

Monster, Be Good!  by Natalie Marshall.  In my version, the reader is invited to help monsters behave.  I add some pleases, thank yous, and gentle instruction.  Great storytime read for toddlers or family program.

 

 Letter of the Day: Mm for monsters (of course)

 

Which words do or do not start with M?

 

Flannel Activity:  The Alphabet Monster

(source) Poem by Robert Heidbreder

 

I am the Alphabet Monster

and nothing tastes better

to the Alphabet Monster

than eating lots of letters!

 

Each child selected a letter on the way in and held onto it.  The letters are laminated with a small piece of Velcro on the back so they will stick to the flannel.

 

Small flannel letters would have been ideal, but I couldn't get my hands on any.  Next year...

  

The children brought the letters up in groups:

 

ABCDEFG

HIJK

LMNOP

QRSTUV

WXYZ

 

This idea was inspired by Dorothy's Polka Dotty Monster

 

Music:  "ABC Medley" by Laurie Berker

This mellow song works great as a settling activity after the excitement of the Alphabet Monster.  I played the first three songs http://www.laurieberkner.com/music/song-lyrics/128-abcd-medley.html

 

Music / Movement Activity / Big Activity:  "We Are Monsters"

You can here a sample here:  "We Are Monsters" by Mr. Eric

 

Lisa at Libraryland played an almost identical song for her kids last year.

 

The morning group voted to parade outside the storytime room around the library and we really roared it up with the plush little monsters from Oriental Trading

 

 

We are monsters stomping around the room

We are monsters stomping around the room

We are monsters stomping around the room

We stomp, we snort, we ROAR

 

...clapping....

...shaking....

...sneaking....

stomping....

Pictures from evening Family Storytime:
Thursdays @ 6.  Geared toward children ages 2 to 7 and their families.
Note: No Family Storytime on Oct. 31st.

 Miss Erica dressed up like a monster

Children feeding the Alphabet Monster letters:

Children choosing their plush monsters for the "We Are Monsters" song:

 Marching around the room:

 

 And then we ROAR