Apples and Pumpkins

In the spirit of autumn, changing leaves, and a quickly approaching Halloween, we did a storytime about apples and pumpkins!

Rhymes/Fingerplays/Songs:

1. Pumpkin, Pumpkin, on the ground:
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: Step by Step Child Care



2. The Apple Tree:
Way up high in the apple tree (hold hands above head)
Two little apples smiled at me (make circles with thumb and forefinger of each hand, smile)
I shook that tree as hard as I could (pretend to shake tree)
Down came the apples (lower hand to the ground and wiggle fingers)
Mmmmmmmm! They were good! (take bite, rub tummy and smile)
Source: Storytime Katie


3. Five Little Pumpkins:
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
First one said "Oh my, it's getting late!"
Second one said "There are witches in the air,"
Third one said "but we don't care!"
Fourth one said "Let's run and run and run."
Fifth one said "I'm ready for some fun!"
Ooo ooo went the wind, and out went the lights,
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.
Source: Raffi

 

Books:

1. "Apples and Pumpkins" by Anne Rockwell

2. "Pumpkin, Pumpkin" by Jeanne Titherington

3. "Five Little Pumpkins" illustrated by Ben Mantle

I actually used this board book in conjunction with the "Five Little Pumpkins" song by Raffi. There are minor variations between the lyrics and the words in the book, so I went with Raffi's version, especially since we were singing the song instead of reading it.