Tag: autumn

book cover gallery of let it grow, pumpkin day, and it's a pumpkin

Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on by msemilylibrary

I’m blogging out of order today. This past week I did a “Things that Go” storytime, but this upcoming week is Pumpkins! I figure that might be more helpful and relevant in case you have a pumpkin theme coming up, too, and need a little inspiration or one more song.

As I’ve said before, to be inclusive I don’t do “holiday” programs. Not everyone celebrates, and I’ve found that I really don’t need to focus on a specific holiday. Instead, I try to find something that is tangential but universal. So, in October, pumpkins are perfect! I’ve also done Cats & Bats, Dress-Up, Monsters, Owls, and the Moon to evoke those Halloween/Spooky/Fall vibes. There are a couple of references to Jack-o-lanterns in my activities below, but that’s as close as we get to Halloween.

See other versions of this storytime from 2020 and 2022.

let it grow book cover, showing a large pumpkin still on the vine, with a bee and white flower.
pumpkin day book cover, showing a Black boy holding a pumpkin and sitting on a pile of them, with a farm scene in the background.
book cover of It's a Pumpkin, with various woodland animals surrounding a large pumpkin

Early Literacy Tip: Narrative skill is one of the six skills identified as being important for early literacy. It has to do with learning how to describe things and being able to tell stories. Little stories, like the one in the Pumpkin on the Ground rhyme, are great for little ones to start learning how stories work. “First the pumpkin is a seed, then it is a plant, then it is a pumpkin!”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet*
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: It’s pumpkin time! Pumpkins are great big gourds that get ripe around this time. They are very tasty and are good for you – AND they can be fun to carve a face into! But how do pumpkins grow? That’s what this song is asking.

The ASL sign for “pumpkin” is like this…
Show the sign – flick your finger onto the back of your opposite hand, as if you were thunking a pumpkin to check for ripeness.
Fingerplay: Pumpkin, Pumpkin on the Ground
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (arms circle in front)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Source: Storytime Katie

pumpkin on the ground thumbnail, with a graphic of a large orange pumpkin. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I found a video of this song by a Montessori school but had some trouble finding the original provenance – the video said the song was by Mary Ann Hall, but I also saw Marcia Louis credited (and I did find a YouTube video of hers, so that’s pretty credible.) In any case, I was able to figure out the chords, changed the key to fit my voice better, and now it’s available as a ukulele songsheet for you! I originally used this prop with the book Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell, (as seen in the photos) but my current library does not own this book. Big kudos to Rebecca from Sturdy for Common Things for her inspiration for this prop, as well as excellent photos of the process of making it.
So how do pumpkins grow, in between being a tiny seed and a big gourd? Can you help me plant a pumpkin seed, let some rain fall down, let the sun shine, and then… we wait! And wait and wait and wait and wait and THEN! a little pumpkin vine appears!
Ukulele Song: Pumpkin Vine
I looked out my window and what did I find?
Green leaves growin’ on my pumpkin vine
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’
Green leaves are growin’ on my pumpkin vine

Additional verses:
…yellow flowers growin’
…honey bees buzzin’
…green pumpkins growin’
…orange pumpkins growin’
Source: Montessori de Terra Linda

Download a ukulele songsheet for Pumpkin Vine!

Thumbnail for Pumpkin Vine ukulele songsheet

photo of mystery vine prop extended - a big plastic pot with brown felt, and a green vine with felt leaves, flowers, pipe cleaner vines, a green pumpkin, and two orange pumpkins made of fabric.
an animated gif of the pumpkin vine prop, showing the progression.

pumpkin vine thumbnail, with a graphic of a pumpkin vine with yellow flowers, a green and orange pumpkin, and bees. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* 

This book also goes through the life cycle of the pumpkin – seed to vine to leaves to flowers to fruit. It’s cleverly written, has a BIPOC character/family and even goes beyond the expected Jack-o-lantern size pumpkin – they let theirs grow to be a GIANT pumpkin, which they take to the fair and then use in the pumpkin regatta!
Read: Let it Grow by Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels

let it grow book cover, showing a large pumpkin still on the vine, with a bee and white flower.

A leveled reader backup (I’m still waiting for Let it Grow to come in on hold!) but this is a solid choice. To shorten just a bit I paperclipped one rhyme set near the beginning of the book, (about the ponies and goats).
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza

pumpkin day book cover, showing a Black boy holding a pumpkin and sitting on a pile of them, with a farm scene in the background.

I do one evening program a month, and I change the age level to 0-5. I have noticed in the last couple months that I’m getting more older kids, so I decided to do a longer book for them.
Read: It’s a Pumpkin! by Wendy McClure & Kate Kronreif

book cover of It's a Pumpkin, with various woodland animals surrounding a large pumpkin

Oh, look! I’ve found some pumpkins! Let’s sit them up on this gate. How many do we have? Do you have five pumpkins on your fingers?
Counting Fingerplay: Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate (hold up 5 fingers)
The 1st one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” (point to wrist)
The 2nd one said, “There are bats in the air” (flap hands)
The 3rd one said, “But we don’t care!” (shake head)
The 4th one said, “Let’s run, run, run!” (jog arms)
The 5th one said, “I’m ready for some fun!” (wiggle)
Then WHOOOOSH went the wind (curve hand in air)
And OUT went the light (clap hands together loudly)
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (roll arms)
Source: Adventures in Storytime

five little pumpkins flannel pieces, with a brown rectangle topped with five pumpkins of varying orange hues. in the upper right is a full yellow moon with a black bat flying across it.

five little pumpkins thumbnail, with lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I saw several versions of this rhyme in various places, including my predecessor’s files, so I decided to combine them!
Maybe YOU can be a pumpkin sitting on a wall.
Rhyme: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sitting on a Wall
Pumpkin, pumpkin, Sitting on a wall (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, Tip and FALL! (lean to side)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, Bouncing down the street (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, TICKLE those feet! (tickle)

Pumpkin, pumpkin, Bumping down the hill (bounce)
Can I catch you? Yes, I WILL! (big hug)
Source: adapted from King County (WA) Library System

Pumpkin, pumpkin thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy pumpkin sitting on a rock wall. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

One of these pumpkins has gotten out of control! Can you roll your arms like a pumpkin rolling down the hill?
I love this one – it always goes over well.
Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Oh, the roly-poly pumpkin (roll arms, gradually speed up)
Went rolling down the hill
Once it started rolling It couldn’t keep still
It rolled and rolled Until it bumped into a rock (clap)
Then the roly-poly pumpkin (roll slowly)
Rolled to a stop (hands up)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

roly poly pumpkin thumbnail, with a graphic of a small pumpkin bouncing down a large brown hill. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I saw that Mel’s Desk created a rhyme/game reminiscent of the Brown Bear, Brown Bear books. She started hers with Brown Bat, but I decided to make mine Orange Pumpkin. Mine is also circular – I start and end with the same flannel piece, which is a plain pumpkin on one side and a jack-o-lantern on the other, so I just flip it over as we say the last line.
Flannel Rhyme: Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See? 
Orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin, what do you see?
I see a red leaf looking at me!

Continue with:
Red leaf > Black cat > Gray owl > Brown bat > Yellow moon > Orange Jack-o-Lantern

Flannel for Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See, with an Orange pumpkin, red leaf, black cat, gray owl, brown bat, and yellow crescent moon. An inset shows the reverse side of the pumpkin, which shows a yellow jack-o-lantern face.

what do you see thumbnail, with a graphic of a smiling orange pumpkin and a red maple leaf looking at the pumpkin. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I didn’t realize this was a traditional rhyme before I had already changed the words and made my own rhyme sheet for it. I wanted to de-gender the pumpkin, use the emotions I had puppets for, and I thought the end felt a little gruesome. Knowing it’s a traditional rhyme – maybe I wouldn’t have changed it, but I didn’t want to take the time to redo what I had already done. I’m including the traditional words as well for your benefit! I first showed my Jack-O-Lantern stick puppets and talked through the emotions. The puppets were originally created by Sunflower Storytime, which is no longer active on the web. You can download my copy of the PDF here! At the end of the rhyme, I plan to show the surprised pumpkin – maybe it will get some laughs?
Look at all these Jack-o-lanterns! Can you tell how they feel by their faces?
Puppet Rhyme: Pumpkin Happy
(make a face to match the emotions)
This is pumpkin happy, This is pumpkin sad
Now you see it silly, Now you see it mad
But roast a pumpkin – My, oh, my
My favorite pumpkin is pumpkin pie! (rub belly)
Source: adapted from the traditional Jack-O-Happy

Traditional Rhyme: Jack-O-Happy
This is Jack-O-Happy,
This is Jack-O-Sad,
Now you see him sleepy,
Now you see him mad!
This is Jack in pieces small,
But in a pie he’s best of all!

five jack o lanterns printed and laminated and mounted on jumbo craft sticks. They show a happy, sad, surprised, angry, and silly face.

pumpkin happy thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy jack o lantern and a slice of pie. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Pumpkin is so tasty, and can be made into so many different things. Let’s do the pumpkin chant!
Action Rhyme: Pumpkin Chant
(For each line, pat lap twice, clap twice, pat twice, then do action)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread! (hands flat in front, one on other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head! (hands on head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie! (hands in a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eye! (hands around eyes)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin cake! (hands flat in front, one about 5 inches above the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake! (shake fists by head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew! (pretend to stir)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO! (do a peek-a-boo)
Source: Jane Willis Johnston, via Jbrary

pumpkin chant thumbnail, with a graphic of a happy jack o lantern. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft:
My library is going through a transition, where our interim programmer who covered my maternity leave is no longer doing the Monday/Tuesday sessions while the new person who will be the permanent full time programmer is getting onboarded. Because we were down two sessions that are often full, I offered to do a second session back-to-back on Wednesdays. So, no crafts in the month of October. Crafts will be back in November!

Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* 

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Runaway Pumpkins – Teresa Bateman & Stephanie Fizer Coleman
How to Help a Pumpkin Grow – Ashley Wolff
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party – Erin Barker
Hello, World! From Seed to Pumpkin – Jill McDonald
Pumpkin Eye – Denise Fleming
The Great Pumpkin Contest – Angie Rozelaar
Stumpkin – Lucy Ruth Cummins
Amara’s Farm – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch – Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
Pumpkin Trouble – Jan Thomas
Penguin and Pumpkin – Salina Yoon
Mystery Vine – Cathryn Falwell

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/22 & 10/23/25.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

book cover gallery showing in the middle of fall, why is it fall, and tap the magic tree

Storytime: Autumn

Posted on by msemilylibrary

This is an updated version of a previous storytime from a couple of years ago. This year, I’m doing apples and pumpkins as separate programs, so I didn’t use activities about them (although they would be perfectly fine to incorporate!) Instead, I focused on scarecrows and blackbirds, changing leaves and weather. My themes don’t always lend themselves well to use the parachute (which is why I use it heavily for my outdoor summer programs), but occasionally it works well for one of these indoor programs. Falling leaves and whooshing wind make autumn a great theme for the parachute.

You can see another version of this theme from 2020 and 2023. Additionally, find themes for Apples and Pumpkins!

in the middle of fall book cover, showing a squirrel on a branch with orange, yellow, and brown leaves.
Why is it fall book cover, showing kids throwing leaves up in the air.
tap the magic tree book cover, showing a tree's branches in various seasons.

Early Literacy Tip: Factual books are a great way to expand children’s knowledge about the world, especially when you can see and experience something in their world, like the changing of the seasons. You can read the whole book or choose certain pages your child might be interested in. In fact, it’s perfectly okay to read only parts of any book, or to just focus on the pictures. You can adapt the experience to your child’s interest and attention span. The important thing is to make reading together a positive experience.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet*
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Oh, the air is turning crisp (kind of), the days are getting shorter, and the leaves are starting to change colors. We’ve just changed to a new season – autumn, or fall! Have you ever wondered why the leaves turn colors? Here’s an explanation I found in an informational book called Why Is it Fall? by Sara L. Latta. I read the two-page spread about why leaves turn colors, then mention our early literacy tip for the day.

book cover for Why Is it Fall?

I wanted one verse to talk about the blackbirds eating corn, so we could transition into the scarecrow song! It’s usually pretty easy to come up with a name rhyme to make this one whatever you’d like it to be. I didn’t update the rhyme sheet to add this verse, I just led it for the group. Easy enough to follow along!
Fall is the time that the fruits and vegetables that have been growing all summer are ready to eat. So who likes to eat them? The animals do!
Fingerplay: Two Little Blackbirds
Two little blackbirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill

Two little blackbirds pecking at the cob
One named Beth and one named Bob…
Source: adapted from the traditional

two little blackbirds thumbnail, with a graphic of two blackbirds facing each other. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Fair warning on this one – when I see the first line, I automatically chant it like “teddy bear, teddy bear.” It took some effort to remember to sing it to Twinkle, twinkle. This is actually just the first verse of the rhyme we found at Adventures in Storytime. But I liked the fact that it ended with a “stomp your feet” so I could encourage them to scare away the blackbirds. The second verse is cute, too, but I went for a shorter version and repeated it. Due credit – my coworker created the rhyme sheet for this one!
Let’s put up a scarecrow to scare those blackbirds!
Action Song: Scarecrow, Scarecrow
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, turn around
Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch the ground
Stand up tall and blink your eyes
Raise your hands up to the sky
Clap your hands, then tap your knees
Turn around and stomp your feet
Source: Adventures in Storytime

scarecrow, scarecrow thumbnail, with a graphic of a scarecrow surrounded by leaves and pumpkins at his feet. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* 

It’s not the “middle of fall” but the beginning of it, so these were the things we had to look forward to! (and oh, how I wish there was a scarecrow in the picture of the brown fields!)
Read: In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek

book cover for In the Middle of Fall

This was my week to do my monthly evening program, which is open to a wider audience (0-5). They were already pretty hyped up, so I went with the more interactive title. I asked them to do the actions on the floor in front of them while I did them in the book itself.
Read: Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

tap the magic tree book cover, showing a tree's branches in various seasons.

I have used this rhyme from Mel’s Desk for many programs, and have even adapted it for a winter theme. It’s very simple but cozy and comforting. My flannel was made using Mel’s photo as a template.
Let’s do a rhyme about the colors of autumn
Flannel Rhyme: Blue is the Sky
Blue is the sky, Yellow is the sun
Silver are the stars, When the day is done
Orange is the leaf, Brown is the tree
Red is the apple, For you and me
Source: Mel’s Desk

flannel showing the parts of the rhyme. A sky-blue blob, a yellow sun, stars covered with aluminum foil to be silver, an orange leaf, a brown tree with bare branches, glued to a light tan piece of felt, and a red apple with a small green leaf at the stem.

blue is the sky thumbnail, with a graphic of a patch of blue sky with a yellow sun and orange leaf. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I think my kiddos like any iteration of Wheels on the Bus, ever. I tweaked the lyrics to this one just a bit, replacing the people raking leaves (which is a difficult motion to do without an implement) to the people walking by go crunch – foot stomping is an easy one!
I love the color and crunch of fall leaves!
Action Song: The Leaves on the Trees
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The leaves on the trees turn orange and red, (flip hands)
Orange and red, orange and red
The leaves on the trees turn orange and red,
All around the trees

The leaves on the trees come twirling down… (twirl fingers downward)
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish… (flick hands back and forth)
The people walking by go crunch, crunch, crunch… (stomp feet)
The kids in the yard go jump, jump, jump… (jump!)
Source: Jbrary

leaves on the trees thumbnail, with a graphic of scattered maple leaves in red, yellow, and orange. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Time to get out the parachute! Let’s do a rhyme about being a tree. Trees start as little seeds. Can you get small?
We did this rhyme twice, getting low and high with the ‘chute, and waving it gently in the breeze. The second time, I dropped a bunch of fabric leaves on the parachute at the last line, and launched into Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down right away.
Parachute Rhyme: Once I Was a Seed
Once I was a seed and I was small, small, small (crouch low)
I grew into a tree and now I’m tall, tall, tall! (stand up and stretch out arms like branches)
My branches sway in the breeze so soft (sway and wave hands/’chute like a leaf)
And when it’s autumn, all my leaves fall off! (lower ‘chute)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

A parachute on a purple rug, with autumn colored fabric leaves scattered on top.

once i was a seed thumbnail, with a graphic of a tree with most of its leaves fallen to the ground. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Parachute Song: Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down
(tune of London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are falling down
Falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are falling down
All around the town

verse 2:
The wind will blow them round and round…
Source: King County (WA) Library System

autumn leaves thumbnail, with a graphic of scattered orange leaves with gray swirls indicating wind. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

I next invited adults to hold the parachute while the kids got underneath.
When the seasons change, the weather changes, too. I think it’s about to rain. Let’s get under the umbrella!
Action/Parachute Song: Come Under My Umbrella
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Come under my umbrella, umbrella, umbrella (move parachute up and down)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain
With thunder and lightning, and lightning and thunder (wiggle ‘chute more strongly)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain
Source: traditional

under my umbrella thumbnail, with a graphic of a raincloud and rain on the right and a multicolored umbrella on the left. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

This is a great way to put the parachute away. I ask for only grownups to hold on, and then let them know they are letting go at the end. Once the parachute was whisked away, I asked the kids to help me pick up all the fabric leaves that were scattered about.
The autumn wind is going to blow away the parachute!
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

parachute fly thumbnail, with an aerial photo of children holding the edges of a multicolored parachute. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Leaf Rubbing
Back to basics! I went on a nature walk and found leaves of different species, with different shapes and even tried varying the colors that they were, including a few green leaves. I hadn’t done this craft since I was a child, so a few tips: make sure you pick leaves that are not completely dried out – they need to still be supple. That might mean plucking them from low branches instead of finding them on the ground. They also dry out really fast! We did great on the first day, but there were some crunchy ones the second day. I unwrapped the labels from leaf-colored crayons: red, orange, yellow, brown, and green, and demonstrated for everyone. Not all the adults knew what to do. The leaf goes UNDER the paper, and you need to use the FLAT side of the crayon. But the rubbings themselves are like magic – you see the delicate veins and outline come through the paper and it’s amazing.

leaf rubbings on a white sheet of paper, showing an orange beech leaf, a brown tulip tree leaf, a red maple leaf, and a green oak leaf.

Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* 

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Humpty’s Great Fall – Amy Moore & Josh Cleland
The Leaf Thief – Alice Hemming
Mouse’s First Fall – Lauren Thompson
Full of Fall – April Pulley Sayre
Fall Mixed Up – Bob Raczka & Chad Cameron
On a Gold-Blooming Day – Buffy Silverman
Leaf Man – Lois Ehlert
Leaves – David Ezra Stein
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn – Kenard Pak
Autumn Babies – Kathryn O. Galbraith & Adela Pons
We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt – Steve Metzger & Miki Sakamoto
The Very Last Leaf – Stef Wade & Jennifer Davison
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves – Julia Rawlinson & Tiphanie Beeke
Wonderfall – Michael Hall

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/24, & 9/25/25.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

apples gallery of book titles: all for pie, pie for all, mine, and tap the magic tree.

Storytime: Apples

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Back to basics for a fall storytime about apples! This is one of those themes that is so common, but it is just such a tried-and-true. It was nice to revisit again, shuffle up the activities and try something new. I had put together a program proposal for a preschool aged group for a job interview with this theme, and for that I used rhythm sticks as the prop, with an anchor in the Pie Song. For my younger group, I kept the Pie Song but used shaker eggs instead.

You can find other versions of this theme from 2020 and 2022.

all for pie, pie for all book cover, with an image of a grandmother cat holding a pie.
Mine! book cover, showing a bear, fox, and rabbit jumping for a falling red apple.
tap the magic tree book cover, showing a tree's branches in various seasons.

Early Development Tip: Grownups, spending time to TALK through different scenarios can help your child learn problem solving skills, and gives them practice in thinking through the outcomes of different decisions. When we play the “what if” game, we’re building thinking skills!

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* †

Hello Friends rhyme sheet. Includes a smiling rainbow and two yellow ducks at the bottom. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet*
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. I rotate between elbows, cheeks, hips, noses, arms, chins, thighs, heads, shoulders, ears, knees, and fingers.

Wake Up Feet thumbnail, with a graphic of three pairs of baby-sized shoes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster*

Toast in the Toaster thumbnail, with a graphic of a toaster with a piece of bread hovering above it. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Intro: Who likes apples?  I do!  Apples are ripe and fresh right now, so let’s celebrate this delicious fruit!  Where do apples come from?  Apples grow from little seeds into tall apple trees!

Action Song: A Little Apple Seed
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Once a little apple seed was planted in the ground (pinch finger together like a small seed)
Down came the rain drops falling all around (fingers wiggle downward)
Out came the big sun bright as bright could be (join hands in circle above head)
And the little apple seed grew up to be an apple tree (start with the pinch, then grow arms out)
Source: Madelyn’s Library Programming

a little apple seed thumbnail, with a graphic of an apple tree full of apples with raindrops on the left and the sun on the right. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story*

I love this story. The repetition, the anticipation of what’s happening next, and the adorable animals all make it a winner for me.
Read: All for Pie, Pie for All by David Martin & Valeri Gorbachev

book cover for all for pie pie for all

My backup titles. I really enjoyed the art of Mine! but I really wanted a book that tied apples to pie.
Backup titles: Mine! by Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann OR Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson.

Mine! book cover, showing a bear, fox, and rabbit jumping for a falling red apple.
tap the magic tree book cover, showing a tree's branches in various seasons.

Let’s go on a ride to the apple orchard.
Bounce: A Smooth Road
[The road starts out paved so it’s… ]
A smooth road! (repeat x4) (slowly, and sway baby gently)
[Oh, the road has turned to gravel! Now it’s… ]
A bumpy road! (x4) (a little faster, bouncing gently up and down)
[Now we’re in between all the trees and it’s… ]
A rough road! (x4) (even faster, bouncing and adding erratic swaying)
Oh, no! A hole! (tip over, lift up, and/or let them fall safely through your knees)
Source: Jbrary

a smooth road thumbnail, with the lyrics only. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Tired of “Way Up High in the Apple Tree?” Here’s another apple tree rhyme to try, courtesy of Storytime in the Stacks. She has a really great “Math Talk” video on her page, talking through how to share four apples fairly. I highly recommend watching. I did a simplified version with my groups, and said our early development tip right after. I also changed “Four Red Apples” to “Four Juicy Apples” since my flannel apples were different colors.
Flannel Rhyme: Four Juicy Apples
Four juicy apples growing in a tree
Two for you and two for me! (hold up two fingers on each hand)
Help me shake the tree just so, (make a shaking motion)
And all the apples will fall below!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Flannel showing a large simple tree with green foliage and four large apples of different colors: dark red, yellow, light green, and light red.

four juicy apples thumbnail, with a graphic of an apple tree with three apples on the tree and one in the middle of falling. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Now all of our apples have fallen, it’s time to eat one!
Rhyme: Eat an Apple
Eat an apple (bring hand to mouth)
Save the core (close hand in fist)
Plant some seeds (bend down to touch hand to ground)
And grow some more! (extend both arms out)
Source: preschooleducation.com

eat an apple thumbnail, with a graphic of an apple core. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Let’s get out our shakers! Can we practice some shaking movements?
Shaker Rhyme: Egg Shakers Up
Egg shakers up, egg shakers down
Egg shakers dancing all around the town
Dance them on your shoulders, Dance them on your head
Dance them on your knees, And tuck them into bed!
Source: Jbrary

egg shakers up thumbnail, with a graphic of four different colored egg shapes. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Okay, it’s time for us to make our own apple pie! Let’s start by slicing up our apples – hold your apple steady (egg) and slice it up with your other hand! Careful, that’s a sharp knife!
I modeled this after a “make a pizza” video but it works well with pie, too!
Shaker Song: The Pie Song
(tune of Skip to My Lou)
Slice, slice, slice the fruit (mime motions)
Slice, slice, slice the fruit
Slice, slice, slice the fruit
Slice the fruit together!

additional verses:
Pour the flour…
Roll the dough… (roll egg between hands)
Sprinkle spices…
Stir the filling…
[Now open the oven door, slide it in. It takes some time to bake, so let’s go for a walk!]
Lou, lou, skip to my lou…
[Oh, look, there’s a bee (pretend shaker is a bee)]
Buzz, buzz, buzz-buzz-buzz…
[I see a grasshopper!]
Hop, hop, hop-hop-hop…
[Let’s head back home – I think our pie is ready! Open the oven… take out your pie… cut a slice… blow on it to cool… now take a bite!]
Source: adapted from Harbor Preschool Music YouTube

pie song thumbnail, with a graphic of an apple pie with two whole apples behind and an apple slice in front. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

There’s one slice of our apple pie left! How about making a milkshake with it?
I think an “apple pie milkshake” sounds amazing.
Shaker Song: The Milkshake Song
You take a little milk – pour some milk!
And you take a little cream – pour some cream!
You stir it all up, You shake it and you’ll sing…

Milkshake, milkshake shake it up, shake it up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it all up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it up, shake it up!
Milkshake, milkshake shake it all up!
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, from the album Songs for Wiggleworms via Jbrary

the milkshake song thumbnail, with a graphic of a tall pink milkshake with a straw, whipped cream, and a cherry. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!*

zoom zoom zoom thumbnail, with a graphic of a rocket ship. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Craft: Apple Pie Painting
This is a fun craft I’ve done before. I love all the ways it engages our senses. I cut up a couple apples (a Cosmic Crisp and a Granny Smith) that could be taste-tested as well. Each table had a brown dot marker, a plate with red paint, and a plate with green paint, blank paper plates, and halved apples to use as stamps. For an additional sensory element, I had a small container of cinnamon to sprinkle on the wet paint. Source: Literary Hoots

Photo of paper plate apple pie craft, with the tray of supplies to the side, including blank paper plates, red and green paint with a halved apple cut side down in the paint, and a brown dot marker.

Play Time
I put out a laundry basket of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older toddlers and siblings, we have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, plastic farm animals, and lacing cards and I rotate among a few of these options each session. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. The clean up bit is good practice for them – I often say “it’s hard to say goodbye to toys, so that’s why we practice every storytime!” I think that helps the grown ups who may be embarrassed that their kid is crying or refusing to put a toy away. So much of what we do in storytime is practicing skills, and I don’t expect the kids to “do it right’ every time, or even most times.

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator*

See you later thumbnail, with a graphic of a green alligator, brown crocodile, ladybug, and jellyfish. click the image to download a non-branded PDF

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Applesauce is Fun to Wear – Nancy Raines Day & Jane Massey
Apple Picking Day – Candice Ransom & Erika Meza
Orange Pear Apple Bear – Emily Gravett
Apples and Pumpkins – Anne Rockwell & Lizzy Rockwell
The Apple Pie Tree – Zoe Hall & Shari Halpern
Apple Farmer Annie – Monica Wellington
Biscuit and the Great Fall Day – Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Apples, Apples, Everywhere – Robin Koontz & Nadine Takvorian
Apples for Little Fox – Ekaterina Trukhan
Ten Apples Up on Top! – Dr Seuss as Theo LeSieg & Roy McKie
Apple and Magnolia – Laura Gehl & Patricia Metola
Apple Seed to Juice – Bryan Langdo
Apple Pie Picnic – Alicia Duran & Brian Fitzgerald
How to Grow an Apple Pie – Beth Charles & Katie Rewse
Apples – Gail Gibbons

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/17/25.

Storytime Handout:

handout with book suggestions, rhyme and song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

† Click the image of rhyme/song sheets to download a non-branded PDF

Storytime: Autumn

Posted on by msemilylibrary

This week we dove into the new fall season with an autumn theme, even if the temperatures were still in the 80s! I highlighted a little nonfiction as well as our picture books, and we had lots of fun with our parachute and some fabric fall leaves. Leaves were a throughline, but we also touched on apples, pumpkins, and rainy autumn weather.

I’m starting to lean toward having the same plan for all three of my age groups, rather than planning several songs and rhymes that are different. I might drop one or more activities for the younger or a more wiggly group or perhaps include one counting song for the older group, but in general I’ve been keeping to the same plan and that’s been working well for now. I can always adjust as needed!

See other versions of this theme from 2020 and 2025.

in the middle of fall book cover, showing a squirrel on a branch with orange, yellow, and brown leaves.
Why is it fall book cover, showing kids throwing leaves up in the air.

Early Literacy Tip: Factual books are a great way to expand children’s knowledge about the world, especially when you can see and experience something in their world, like the changing of the seasons. You can read the whole book or choose certain pages your child might be interested in. In fact, it’s perfectly okay to read only parts of any book, or to just focus on the pictures. You can adapt the experience to your child’s interest and attention span. The important thing is to make reading together a positive experience.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week it was knees & fingers.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (TB) (FT)

Intro: Oh, the air is turning crisp (kind of), the days are getting shorter, and the leaves are starting to change colors. We’ve just changed to a new season – autumn, or fall! Have you ever wondered why the leaves turn colors? Here’s an explanation I found in an informational book called Why Is it Fall? by Sara L. Latta. I read the two-page spread about why leaves turn colors, then mention our early literacy tip for the day.

book cover for Why Is it Fall?

I have used this rhyme from Mel’s Desk for many programs, and have even adapted it for a winter theme. It’s very simple but cozy and comforting. My flannel was made using Mel’s photo as a template.
Flannel Rhyme: Blue is the Sky (TT) (TB) (FT)
Blue is the sky, Yellow is the sun
Silver are the stars, When the day is done
Orange is the leaf, Brown is the tree
Red is the apple, For you and me
Source: Mel’s Desk

flannel showing the parts of the rhyme. A sky-blue blob, a yellow sun, stars covered with aluminum foil to be silver, an orange leaf, a brown tree with bare branches, glued to a light tan piece of felt, and a red apple with a small green leaf at the stem.

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Mouse’s First books seem to to be tailor made for the toddler set.
Read: Mouse’s First Fall by Lauren Thompson & Buket Erdogan (TT)

book cover for Mouse's First Fall

This one touches on several different aspects of fall, and I love that the frisky squirrels were a callback to our theme from two weeks ago. The page where all of a sudden everything is orange and yellow and red has a lot of great dramatic potential!
Read: In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek (TB) (FT)

book cover for In the Middle of Fall

I think my kiddos like any iteration of Wheels on the Bus, ever.
Action Song: The Leaves on the Trees (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Wheels on the Bus)
The leaves on the trees turn orange and red, (flip hands)
Orange and red, orange and red
The leaves on the trees turn orange and red,
All around the trees

The leaves on the trees come twirling down… (twirl fingers downward)
The leaves on the ground go swish, swish, swish… (flick hands back and forth)
People in the yard go rake, rake, rake… (scoop hands inward)
The kids in the yard go jump, jump, jump… (jump!)
Source: Jbrary

This one got cut for time, but I included it on our handout and have had good luck with it for other sessions.
Action Song: Pumpkin, Pumpkin
(tune of Twinkle Twinkle)
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: Storytime Katie

Tired of “Way Up High in the Apple Tree?” Here’s another apple tree rhyme to try, courtesy of Storytime in the Stacks. She has a really great “Math Talk” video on her page, talking through how to share four apples fairly. I highly recommend watching. I did a simplified version with my groups. I also changed “Four Red Apples” to “Four Juicy Apples” since my flannel apples were different colors.
Flannel Rhyme: Four Juicy Apples (TT) (TB) (FT)
Four juicy apples growing in a tree
Two for you and two for me! (hold up two fingers on each hand)
Help me shake the tree just so, (make a shaking motion)
And all the apples will fall below!
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Flannel showing a large simple tree with green foliage and four large apples of different colors: dark red, yellow, light green, and light red.

At this point we got out the parachute! We did this rhyme twice, getting low and high with the ‘chute, and waving it gently in the breeze. The second time, I dropped a bunch of fabric leaves on the parachute at the last line, and launched into Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down right away.
Scarf Rhyme: Once I Was a Seed (TT) (TB) (FT)
Once I was a seed and I was small, small, small (crouch low)
I grew into a tree and now I’m tall, tall, tall! (stand up and stretch out arms like branches)
My branches sway in the breeze so soft (sway and wave hands/’chute like a leaf)
And when it’s autumn, all my leaves fall off! (lower ‘chute)
Source: Storytime in the Stacks

Parachute Song: Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are falling down, falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are falling down
All around the town
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Almost the same title as the previous song, but a different tune and feel. We slowed it down for this one and did “slowly” and “quietly” before doing “loudly” and changing our “shh” to a “whoosh!”
Parachute Song: Leaves are Falling Down (TT) (TB) (FT)
Leaves are falling down – shh! (slowly lower the parachute)
Leaves are falling down – shh!
Slowly, slowly, very slowly
Leaves are falling down
(try other ways of falling – quickly, quietly, loudly!)
Source: Library Village

At this point in the program they were just enjoying waving the parachute up and down with the leaves on top, so I just said this rhyme, not expecting us to change motions or anything during it.
Rhyme: Autumn Winds
Autumn winds begin to blow
Colored leaves fall fast and slow
Whirling, twirling, all around
Until at last they touch the ground
Source: Library Village

A parachute on a purple rug, with autumn colored fabric leaves scattered on top.

I next invited adults to hold the parachute while the kids got underneath. Another thing that can come with autumn is rain and storms. Let’s get under the umbrella!
Action/Parachute Song: Come Under My Umbrella (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Come under my umbrella, umbrella, umbrella (move parachute up and down)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain
With thunder and lightning, and lightning and thunder (wiggle ‘chute more strongly)
Come under my umbrella, it’s starting to rain
Source: traditional

This is a great way to put the parachute away. I ask for only grownups to hold on, and then let them know they are letting go at the end. Once the parachute was whisked away, I asked the kids to help me pick up all the fabric leaves that were scattered about.
Parachute Song: Parachute Fly (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Skip to my Lou)
(kids go under the parachute and adults raise and lower)
Up, up, up it goes,
Down, down, down so low
Raise our parachute to the sky
Count to 3 and watch it fly
Spoken:
Up on one…
Down on two…
Up on three…
and FLY! (adults let go and leader pulls ‘chute in to themselves)
Source: Gymboree

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Leaf Rubbing (TB) (FT)
Back to basics! I went on a nature walk and found leaves of different species, with different shapes and even tried varying the colors that they were, including a few green leaves. I hadn’t done this craft since I was a child, so a few tips: make sure you pick leaves that are not completely dried out – they need to still be supple. That might mean plucking them from low branches instead of finding them on the ground. They also dry out really fast! We did great on the first day, but there were some crunchy ones the second day. I unwrapped the labels from leaf-colored crayons: red, orange, yellow, brown, and green, and demonstrated for everyone. Not all the adults knew what to do. The leaf goes UNDER the paper, and you need to use the FLAT side of the crayon. But the rubbings themselves are like magic – you see the delicate veins and outline come through the paper and it’s amazing.

leaf rubbings on a white sheet of paper, showing an orange beech leaf, a brown tulip tree leaf, a red maple leaf, and a green oak leaf.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
On a Gold-Blooming Day – Buffy Silverman
Leaf Man – Lois Ehlert
Leaves – David Ezra Stein
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn – Kenard Pak
Autumn Babies – Kathryn O. Galbraith & Adela Pons
We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt – Steve Metzger & Miki Sakamoto
The Very Last Leaf – Stef Wade & Jennifer Davison
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves – Julia Rawlinson & Tiphanie Beeke
Wonderfall – Michael Hall

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/25, 9/26, & 9/27/23.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

Storytime: Squirrels

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Squirrels don’t hibernate, so we see them year-round, but they always seem a little autumnal to me thematically. Probably because that’s when the acorns are ripe and they’re collecting and burying them to prepare for winter. I have a Scaredy Squirrel puppet (based on the books by Mélanie Watt) who I use year-round to demonstrate lap bounces and tickles. He was super excited that we’re finally doing a program on squirrels, and helped out even more than usual this week!

See another version of this theme from 2020.

Early Literacy Tip: Stories can be a great springboard to learning. Reading a story like The Busy Little Squirrel and then finding more information about squirrels and trees in nonfiction titles is a great way to support curiosity, learn new vocabulary and general knowledge, and encourage a love of learning.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (TT) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (TT) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week it was thighs and heads.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (TT) (FT)

Rhyme: This is Big, Big, Big* (TB) (FT)

Intro: Today we’re talking about squirrels – Scaredy Squirrel is SO EXCITED that we are finally talking about squirrels! Do you ever see squirrels in your neighborhood? What is their favorite food? They have some special abilities – they climb, have a versatile tail, and know how to hide and find acorns.

Squirrels especially love big oak trees, who produce acorns. Let’s pretend to be a big oak tree.
Fingerplay: Be a Seed (TT) (TB) (FT)
Be a seed, small and round (make a fist -we also crouch low)
Sprout, sprout, sprout up from the ground (open fingers – and stand if crouched)
Shake your leaves for all to see (shake hands and body)
Stretch your arms up, you’re a tree! (raise arms high)
Source: Jbrary

Fingerplay: This Little Squirrel (TT) (FT)
(wiggle each finger in turn)
This little squirrel said, “Let’s run and play!”
This little squirrel said, “I want some acorns today!”
This little squirrel said, “Acorns are good”
This little squirrel said, “Yes, my favorite food”
This little squirrel said, “Come climb this tree” (run fingers up other arm)
And crack these acorns: one, two, three! (clap three times)
Source: Sunflower Storytime (no longer linkable)

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Perfect for little ones, this features some different animals and animal noises, a repeated phrase, and a little twist at the end.
Read: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri (TT) (FT)

book cover for the busy little squirrel.

April Pulley Sayre was the queen of nonfiction that doesn’t seem like nonfiction.
Read: Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep by April Pulley Sayre & Steve Jenkins (TB)

book cover for squirrels leap, squirrels sleep

This was a really great flannel that I borrowed from AnnMarie Kolakowski from the Pasadena Public Library blog. Her picture didn’t show anything for the green leaf, so I made a little inchworm to hide behind mine. I really appreciated that she talked about some of the skills this flannel addresses: identifying color names, rhyming words, and left-to-right prereading focus. I was only going to do it for the younger group but it went over so well I ended up using it in all three sessions. Of course, the “little squirrel” in question was our Scaredy Squirrel puppet, not pictured.
Flannel: Little Squirrel (TT) (TB) (FT)
Little squirrel, little squirrel time to eat!
Which leaf is hiding your favorite treat?
Source: Pasadena Public Library blog

flannel showing four leaves with color coordinated items that were hidden behind them: a green leaf and green inchworm, a red leaf and ladybug, a yellow leaf and a yellow/white/black striped monarch caterpillar, and a brown leaf with an acorn

After Scaredy Squirrel devoured the little acorn from the previous flannel, I asked if he was still hungry. After a big nod yes, I asked the group to see if they can find more acorns in our room. I had brought in and hidden real acorns from my yard for them to bring to Scaredy. He ate some, and he saved the rest in his log (made from an old oatmeal canister.) This was a great activity to get everyone up and moving around. Even the shyer kids came up to give Scaredy the acorns they had found!
Activity: Acorn Gathering (TT) (TB) (FT)

"log" made of a cardboard oatmeal container, with woodgrain drawn on, sitting next to two real acorns

We handed out scarves and did several songs with them, starting with this warm-up.
Scarf Song: We Wave Our Scarves Together (TT) (TB) (FT)
(tune of For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow)
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
We wave our scarves together
Because it’s fun to do!

We wave them up high
We wave them down low
We wave them in the middle
Because it’s fun to do!
Source: Jbrary

Scarf Song: Great Big Oak Tree (TT) (FT)
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Great big oak tree, Great big oak tree (hold arms out)
Home to squirrels, Home to squirrels
Moving your branches, When the wind blows (sway arms)
Acorns fall! Acorns fall! (drop scarf)
Source: adapted from Pasadena (CA) Public Library blog (original was apples)

I showed the group photos of the squirrel species that might live in our area, and we shook their bushy tails!
Action Rhyme: Gray Squirrel, Gray Squirrel (TT) (TB) (FT)
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail
Wrinkle up your funny nose…
Hold a nut between your toes…
Gray squirrel, gray squirrel, shake your bushy tail
(repeat for other squirrels: fox, red, flying, or other colors!)
Source: Jbrary

gray squirrel
red squirrel
fox squirrel
flying squirrel on a tree trunk
flying squirrel in the air

We ended up running out of time for this one, so didn’t get to it for any of the sessions.
Scarf Song: Frisky Squirrel
(tune of the Grand Old Duke of York)
Oh, the frisky little squirrel
She gathers nuts and seeds
She hides them for the winter months
So she’ll have all she needs

Oh, up-up-up she goes
And down-down-down she comes
She runs around,
goes up and down
Her work is never done
Source: Storytime Secrets

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Fork Painted Squirrel (TB) (FT)
This one was kind of a mix of two inspirations – Glued to My Crafts did a squirrel but only fork painted the tail. I wasn’t crazy about the squirrel template there, either. I also saw a cuter squirrel base that Crafting Cherubs Blog did with tissue paper, so combined the two ideas. I printed the squirrel template from Crafting Cherubs (originally from Twisty Noodle) on light gray construction paper and provided brown paint, plastic forks, and a googly eye. It was fun and as simple as the kids wanted to make it.

coloring page of a squirrel with brown fur painted on with a fork.

Play Time
The toddlers have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (TT) (TB) (FT)

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
The Leaf Thief – Alice Hemming & Nicola Slater
Girl Versus Squirrel – Hayley Barrett & Renée Andriani
Nuts to You! – Lois Ehlert
Squirrel’s Family Tree – Beth Ferry & A.N. Kang
Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party – Mélanie Watt
Who Stole the Hazelnuts? – Marcus Pfister & David Henry Wilson
This Is a Taco! – Andrew Cangelose & Josh Shipley
Cyril and Pat – Emily Gravett
The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin – Beatrix Potter

This storytime was presented in-person on 9/11, 9/12, & 9/13/23.

Storytime Handout:

handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(TT) Toddler Time, ages 1-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

Storytime: Friendly Monsters

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Holidays are tricky. My first consideration in planning storytime is serving anyone in my community who cares to attend, and to make EVERYONE feel welcome and included. I tend to avoid a specific holiday program, but try to find a way to tap into the feeling of the season while being inclusive. There are tons of great books featuring and about monsters in children’s literature, plus we get to talk a bit about how to gently face fears and empower kids to confront them. All that and a lot of roaring and stomping? Yes, please! I invited everyone to dress up in whatever kind of costume they would like, and I wore my green dragon onesie. (I now don’t recommend fleece onesie costumes for storytime – I was sweating buckets by the end!)

Early Literacy Tip: It’s natural for kids to have fears. One way to help your child conquer a fear is to gently expose them to it. Books can take a common fear like monsters and make them fun and comfortable to talk about. They also model how to be brave and address a fear, which is empowering. Two great books for this purpose are Go Away, Big Green Monster and Tickle Monster.

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (BB) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (BB) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week was knees and arms.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

Intro: Today we’re having some fun with friendly monsters! I love getting to play pretend, especially something that goes roar! Can we pretend to be monsters together?

Action Rhyme: Wild Things
Wild things, wild things, look at you!
Wild things, wild things, what can you do?
We can roar our roars! (roar)
We can gnash our teeth at you! (show teeth and growl)
We can wiggle our eyebrows! (wiggle)
We can show our claws, too! (extend fingers)
Wild things, wild things, look at you!
Wild things, wild things, what can you do? ROAR!
Source: Small Town Story Time Lady

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (BB) (TB) (FT)

I think this book would work really well one-on-one, and I had high hopes for it for my group, but it just didn’t go over great in Book Babies. Maybe it was just the day (it was Halloween and the energy was super wiggly).
Read: Let’s Play Monsters by Lucy Cousins (BB)

Book cover for Let's Play Monsters

My other groups *loved* this book. Total hit.
Read: Monsters Go Night-Night by Aaron Zenz (TB) (FT)

book cover for Monsters go Night Night

These cute monsters came from the Picklebums.com blog, as well as the rhyme. But none of them have a nose! I went into Canva and did a little editing to the red one. I encouraged kids and grownups to play this one like “This Little Piggy” on their fingers.
Fingerplay: Five Little Monsters (BB) (TB) (FT)
This little monster has a big red nose
This little monster has purple toes
This little monster plays all night
This little monster is such a fright
And this little monster goes:
“Tee-hee-hee – I’m not scary, I’m just silly me.”
Source: picklebums.com

five printed and laminated monsters in variegated colors - red, blue, orange, dark green, and light green.

Puppet/Retelling: Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley (TB) (FT)
We had this puppet in our library inventory, so we retold the book. I admittedly felt a little awkward with this one – the pieces were kind of behind me and I kept stumbling over the words. I need more practice!

Action Song: Monsters Stomp (TB)
(tune of The Ants Go Marching)
The monsters stomp around the house hurrah, hurrah!
The monsters stomp around the house hurrah, hurrah!
The monsters stomp around the house
Their brothers and sisters send them out
So they stomp some more outside, Oh yeah,
Around the house, Boom, boom, boom!

The monsters roar around the house, rahrrr, rahrrr…
Source: Jbrary

It felt like I didn’t have much for the babies in this session, so I added a couple of bounces and tickles for them. I adapted this traditional one to have a couple of monster/Halloween references.
Bounce Rhyme: Jelly on a Plate (BB)
Jelly on the plate, Jelly on the plate
Wibble wobble, wibble wobble (wobble & bounce baby)
Jelly on the plate!

Additional verses:
Sausage in the pan… turn them over… (lift and turn baby)
Biscuits in the tin… shake them up… (gently wiggle and lift)
Sweeties in my sack… pick them out… (gently pinch tummy)
Monster in the house… turn him out… (supported fall back or side)
Candles on the sill… blow them out… whoosh! (blow on neck)
Source: adapted from Jbrary

This was on my plan, but I didn’t actually end up using it at any of the sessions.
Tickle Rhyme: Do I Hear a Monster?
If you think you hear a monster (cup hand to ear)
Growling somewhere outside (point outward)
It’s probably just your belly (rub tummy)
Needing some food inside! Nom, nom! (nibble or tickle tummy)
Source: Small Town Story Time Lady

Another one that’s only tangentially related to monsters, but was still fun.
Tickle: Treasure Hunt (BB)
Going on a treasure hunt, X marks the spot (draw an X on back)
Big circle (draw), Little circle (draw) Dot, dot, dot (poke 3x)
Spiders crawling up your back (walk fingers up back)
Bite, bite, bite! (gently pinch shoulders)
Snakes slither up your back (drag fingers up back)
Bite, bite, bite!
Tight squeeze (hug) Cool breeze (blow on neck)
Now you’ve got the… shivers! (tickle)
Source: Jbrary

Time for shaker eggs!
It is time to do the Monster Boogie! Do you know what a boogie is? It’s a dance! So think about what your monster dance is going to look like, but we’re going to start by stomping like a monster!
Recorded Shaker Egg Song: The Monster Boogie (BB) (TB) (FT)
Source: The Laurie Berkner Band, album: Buzz, Buzz

Oh, all that dancing has me worn out. I think I need a snack. Let’s make some popcorn!
Shaker Egg Rhyme: Pop, Pop, Pop (BB) (TB) (FT)
Pop, pop, pop, put the corn in the pot
Pop, pop, pop, shake it ’til it’s hot
Pop, pop, pop, lift the lid and what have you got? Popcorn!
Source: Jbrary

And now all that salty popcorn has made me thirsty! Let’s make ourselves a milkshake!
Recorded Shaker Egg Song: The Milkshake Song (BB) (TB) (FT)
Source: Old Town School of Folk Music, album: Wiggleworms

Action Song: Horns, Fangs, Knees, and Claws (BB) (FT)
(tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes)
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Eyes, ears, tail, and paws
Horns, fangs, knees, and claws, knees and claws
Source: Madelyn’s Library Programming

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Monster Mask
So I originally did a monster program in 2019, and reused the craft for this year. Then, I saw the craft first on Storytime Katie, who got it from Awesome Storytime. I had a PDF template saved in my files, but neither one of those sites has it – I’m not sure if they took it down or another library blog made the template – there’s no marking indicating. Since I couldn’t find the origin, I’ll upload my copy here, but if anyone knows the original source, let me know and I’ll defer to them!
In any case, this is a super cute craft that’s pretty easy. I used four colors of neon cardstock and asked volunteers to cut out the eyes and face and mouth. I mixed up the eyes with a different color monster, and used different sized hole punchers on all the scrap to provide polka dots for decorating. All the kids really enjoyed this, and were eager to show me their masks when they were done. One last tip – the part of the face between the edges of the mouth and the sides of the face are pretty skinny, making it flip-floppy (technical term). I provided mini craft sticks to reinforce that area, as shown in the picture.

Download a template for the monster mask here!

split picture of the front and back of the monster mask, showing multi colored polka dots, orange eyes, and a green face on the front, and the placement of two mini craft sticks and one large craft stick on the back.

Play Time
The babies have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Monster Boogie – Laurie Berkner & Ben Clanton
Eat Pete! – Michael Rex
Can You Make a Scary Face? – Jan Thomas
Tickle Monster – Édouard Manceau
Leonardo the Terrible Monster – Mo Willems
There’s a Monster in Your Book – Tom Fletcher & Greg Abbott
Monster Trucks – Anika Denise & Nate Wragg
The Monster at the End of this Book – Jon Stone & Michael Smollin
If You’re a Monster & You Know It – Rebecca Emberley & Ed Emberley

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/31, 11/1, & 11/2/22.

Storytime Handout:

program handout with suggested books, rhyme and song lyrics

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(BB) Book Babies, ages 0-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on by msemilylibrary

After moving to a new library, I’ve been using a lot of the themes that I developed while in a virtual-only setting at a different organization. It’s been really fun to see the in-person impact of some of the extension activities that seemed like, well, *maybe* real life kids would enjoy. (Virtual programs always felt like a shot in the dark since I wasn’t getting any immediate feedback.) I’m also working with a different book collection and a slightly younger audience, so books and some activities are adjusted. For example, the pumpkin vine prop I created back in 2020 was made with the book Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell in mind specifically. The new library doesn’t have this one (and it’s out of print so I can’t make the purchase), so I found a song that will work with the prop. I love that it’s like a puzzle, fitting pieces together to make a storytime that works for me now in this particular situation.

See other versions of this storytime from 2020 and 2025.

pumpkin day book cover, showing a Black boy holding a pumpkin and sitting on a pile of them, with a farm scene in the background.

Early Literacy Tip: Narrative skills have to do with learning how to describe things and being able to tell stories. Little stories, like the one in “Pumpkin, Pumpkin on the Ground,” are great for children to start learning how stories work. “First the pumpkin is a seed, then it is a plant, then it is a pumpkin!”

Welcome Song: Hello, Friends* (BB) (TB) (FT)**

Warm Up Song: Wake Up, Feet* (BB) (TB) (FT)
This is a repeated song that everyone seems to enjoy. I always begin and end with feet and tummies, but find two other body parts to wiggle in the middle. This week was knees and cheeks.

Lifting Rhyme: Toast in the Toaster* (BB)

Intro: It’s pumpkin time! Pumpkins are great big gourds that get ripe around this time. They are very tasty and are good for you – AND they can be fun to carve a face into! But how do pumpkins grow? That’s what this song is asking.

Fingerplay: Pumpkin, Pumpkin, On the Ground (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
(ASL for pumpkin: gently flick middle finger on back of other hand)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (arms circle in front)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Source: Jbrary

So how do they grow, in between being a tiny seed and a big pumpkin?
I found a video of this song but had some trouble finding the original provenance – the video said the song was by Mary Ann Hall, but I also saw Marcia Louis credited (and I did find a YouTube video of hers, so that’s pretty credible.) In any case, I was able to figure out the chords, changed the key to fit my voice better, and now it’s available as a ukulele songsheet for you!
This song is also a perfect replacement for the Mystery Vine book I didn’t have at this library. I could pull out a little of the vine after each verse and I got the extremely satisfying gasps of surprise when the green and orange pumpkins appeared! So fun. I set up the song by asking everyone to help me plant a pumpkin seed, let some rain fall down, let the sun shine, and then… a little pumpkin vine appeared!
Ukulele Song: Pumpkin Vine (BB) (TB) (FT)
I looked out my window and what did I find?
Green leaves growin’ on my pumpkin vine
Green leaves, Green leaves are growin’ (x3)
Green leaves are growin’ on my pumpkin vine

Additional verses:
…yellow flowers growin’
…honey bees buzzin’
…green pumpkins growin’
…orange pumpkins growin’
Source: Montessori de Terra Linda

Download a ukulele songsheet for Pumpkin Vine!

Thumbnail for Pumpkin Vine ukulele songsheet

Pumpkin vine prop, showing large plastic pot covered with two overlapping pieces of brown felt (so there's an opening in the middle). The vine is shown with leaves, small curlicue vines made with pipe cleaners, yellow flowers, a green pumpkin, and two orange pumpkins.
Gif of pumpkin vine prop, showing it coming out of the plant pot little by little.

Transition: If You’re Ready for a Story* (BB) (TB) (FT)

To shorten this a bit I paperclipped one rhyme set near the beginning of the book, and it worked well for my younger kids.
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza (BB) (FT)

Book cover for Pumpkin Day.

To simplify and shorten, I ended the book when they were making pies and didn’t read the very last couple of pages. That also eliminates the reference to Halloween, in case that’s a concern in your community. I did it just to shorten the book, though.
Read: How to Help a Pumpkin Grow by Ashley Wolff (TB)

Book cover for how to help a pumpkin grow.

Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin (BB) (TB) (FT)
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Oh, the roly-poly pumpkin (roll arms, gradually speed up)
Went rolling down the hill
Once it started rolling
It couldn’t keep still
It rolled and rolled
Until it bumped into a rock (clap)
Then the roly-poly pumpkin (roll slowly)
Rolled to a stop (stop suddenly)
Source: King County Library System

Just adding a bounce for the littles
Bounce: Bounce, Tickle, Hug (BB) (FT)
I bounce you here, I bounce you there
I bounce you, bounce you everywhere
I tickle you here, I tickle you there
I tickle you, tickle you everywhere
I hug you here, I hug you there
I hug you, hug you everywhere
Source: Mansfield/Richland County (OH) Public Library

I saw that Mel’s Desk created a rhyme/game reminiscent of the Brown Bear, Brown Bear books. She started hers with Brown Bat, but I decided to make mine Orange Pumpkin. Mine is also circular – I start and end with the same flannel piece, which is a plain pumpkin on one side and a jack-o-lantern on the other, so I just flip it over as we say the last line.
Flannel Rhyme: Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See? (BB) (TB) (FT)
Orange pumpkin, orange pumpkin, what do you see?
I see a red leaf looking at me!

Continue with:
Red leaf > Black cat > Gray owl > Brown bat > Yellow moon > Orange Jack-o-Lantern

Flannel for Orange Pumpkin, Orange Pumpkin, What Do You See, with an Orange pumpkin, red leaf, black cat, gray owl, brown bat, and yellow crescent moon. An inset shows the reverse side of the pumpkin, which shows a yellow jack-o-lantern face.

Look at that pumpkin – it has a face! It looks happy, doesn’t it? Just like this one (show happy face pumpkin on a stick.) What about this one, how do you think it’s feeling?

I used the printable pumpkins from Sunflower Storytime to briefly discuss feelings, then we sang a verse for each one.
Song: If You’re Happy & You Know It
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
If you’re happy and you know it,
and you really want to show it
If you’re happy and you know it, shout hooray (hooray!)
…angry…stomp your feet…
…surprised…say “oh, my!”…
…sad…have a cry (boo hoo)…
…silly…do a dance…
Source: traditional

Jack-o-lantern puppets - five pumpkins with faces showing emotions of happy, sad, angry, surprised, and silly, printed and laminated and mounted to large craft sticks.

This is a fun rhyme, and I love how KCLS has options for babies, hand motions, and full body motions!
Bounce Rhyme: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Sitting on a Wall (BB)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Sitting on a wall (bounce)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Tip and fall (tip to side)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Rolling down the street (roll arms or legs)
Pumpkin, pumpkin Trick or treat! (lift)
Source: King County (WA) Library System

Action Rhyme: Pumpkin Chant (TB) (FT)
(For each line, pat lap twice on 1st pumpkin, clap twice on 2nd, pat twice on 3rd, then do action for last word)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread!
(Hold hands flat in front, one on top of the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head!
(Put hands on head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie!
(Hold hands in a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eye!
(Curve hands around eyes)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin cake!
(Hold hands flat, one about 5 inches above the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake!
(shake fists by head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew!
(Pretend to stir stew)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO!
(do a peek-a-boo)
Source: Jane Willis Johnston, via Jbrary

Action Song: Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Craft: Pumpkin Patch
We did a take on a previous craft I did that also incorporated the green leaves and yellow flowers we sang about in our “Pumpkin Vine” song. I offered two methods for the yarn vines: grownups could draw swirling vine shapes on the page with glue, then older kids could follow the glue with the yarn. That would take a little more coordination, but is less messy. Alternatively, I had some liquid glue in a shallow bowl, and kids could dunk the yarn in to saturate it, then add the vines whichever way they wished. Messier, but easier. Both methods work on fine motor skills! Unfortunately, I saw a lot of grownups drawing the glue swirls and then sticking the yarn on themselves, just letting kids add the pumpkins, leaves, and flowers. 😦

Download a template for the pumpkin leaves and flowers here! (Pumpkins were die cut)

Craft showing paper orange pumpkins, yellow flowers, green leaves and green yarn representing a pumpkin vine, pasted to a brown sheet of construction paper.

Play Time
The babies have two laundry baskets of baby toys – rattles and cars, sorters and stackers, toy phones and spinners. For the older kids, I have foam blocks, soft food toys, puzzles, and a few other items that are a little more sophisticated than the baby toys. For Family Time, I gauge the overall age of the group and put out what seems right for them. We play for 5-10 minutes at the most, then I ring the bell and ask the kids to help me clean up. I think the clean up bit is good practice for them!

Goodbye Song: See You Later Alligator* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Goodbye Rhyme: Tickle the Stars* (BB) (TB) (FT)

Other books I had available for families to browse (and may work for you on this theme)
Let it Grow – Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels
Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party – Erin Barker
Pumpkin Eye – Denise Fleming
The Great Pumpkin Contest – Angie Rozelaar
Stumpkin – Lucy Ruth Cummins
Amara’s Farm – JaNay Brown-Wood & Samara Hardy
Pumpkin Countdown – Joan Holub & Jan Smith
Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch – Mary Peterson & Jennifer Rofé
Pumpkin Trouble – Jan Thomas
Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch – Alyssa Satin Capucilli & Pat Schories

One of these I’d like to especially highlight is Let it Grow by Mary Ann Fraser & Riley Samuels. It didn’t come in on hold for me in time to use it in the program, but it’s such an excellent book I would have substituted it for How to Help a Pumpkin Grow. It also goes through the life cycle of the pumpkin – seed to vine to leaves to flowers to fruit. But it’s cleverly written, has a BIPOC character/family and even goes beyond the expected Jack-o-lantern size pumpkin – they let theirs grow to be a GIANT pumpkin, which they take to the fair and then use in the pumpkin regatta! The back matter talks about the real life regatta and has some great photographs that I’m sure would elicit lots of oohs and aahs. I’ll definitely be using this one next time!

Book cover of Let it Grow

This storytime was presented in-person on 10/24, 10/25, & 10/26/22.

Storytime Handout:

Handout including book suggestions and rhyme/song lyrics.

*Lyrics to these songs can be found on the Repeated Songs & Rhymes page.

**These symbols indicate the program sessions I used the activities for:
(BB) Book Babies, ages 0-2
(TB) Teddy Bears, ages 2-3.5
(FT) Family Time, ages 0-3.5

Preschool Storytime: Pumpkins

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Another typical fall theme! I like the idea of a pumpkin storytime much more than a “Halloween” one since not everyone celebrates. Book choices are more limited when all reference to Halloween is excluded. I tried to focus more on the gourd for at least two books, though I couldn’t resist including Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party. Even though there’s a host of “monstrous” guests included in this beautiful, simple counting book, it doesn’t specifically reference Halloween. I began this storytime by calling the theme a mystery, then read Cathryn Falwell’s Mystery Vine with the help of a prop I had a lot of fun making (I even hand-dyed the cord green since I couldn’t find any that wasn’t plain white.) I can’t wait to use it in an in-person storytime in the future for more of an impact!

See other versions of this storytime from 2022 and 2025.

You can see the virtual program that does not include the full books read aloud here.

pumpkin day book cover, showing a Black boy holding a pumpkin and sitting on a pile of them, with a farm scene in the background.

Early Literacy Tip: Narrative skills have to do with learning how to describe things and being able to tell stories. Little stories, like the one in “Pumpkin, Pumpkin,” are great for children to start learning how stories work. “First the pumpkin is a seed, then it is a plant, then it is a pumpkin!”

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Read with prop: Mystery Vine by Cathryn Falwell
As I read, I pulled out a little more vine to reveal leaves, smaller vines, flowers, a green pumpkin, and finally some orange pumpkins. Big kudos to Rebecca from Sturdy for Common Things for her inspiration for this prop, as well as excellent photos of the process of making it.

A Mysterious Vine appears!

Fingerplay: Pumpkin, Pumpkin
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground
(ASL for pumpkin: gently flick middle finger on back of other hand)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Once you were a seed so small (pinch fingers together)
Now you are a great big ball (arms circle in front)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (ASL pumpkin sign)
How’d you get so big and round? (arms circle over head)
Credit: Jbrary

Action Song: Roly Poly Pumpkin
(tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider)
Oh, the roly-poly pumpkin (roll arms, gradually speed up)
Went rolling down the hill
Once it started rolling
It couldn’t keep still
It rolled and rolled
Until it bumped into a rock (act surprised)
Then the roly-poly pumpkin (roll slowly)
Rolled to a stop (clap)
Credit: King County Library System

Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch? Here’s a story about what it’s like.
Read: Pumpkin Day! by Candice Ransom & Erika Meza

I borrowed this idea from Adventures in Storytime, and used the printable pumpkins from Sunflower Storytime. We sang the song first, then we talked about feelings, then sang it again substituting “Happy ones and sad ones and silly ones and mad ones” (randomized with a shuffle) when those pumpkins were shown.
Song: Did You Ever See a Pumpkin?
(tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie?)
Did you ever see a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin?
Did you ever see a pumpkin that grows on a vine?
Short ones and tall ones and big ones and small ones
Did you ever see a pumpkin that grows on a vine?
Credit: Adventures in Storytime

Laminated pumpkins mounted on craft sticks with faces depicting 5 feelings: happy, sad, mad, scared, and silly.

Another borrow from Adventures in Storytime – I loved her idea of doing the fingerplay on the opposite hand the second time through to strengthen the non-dominant side a little!
Fingerplay: Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins, sitting on a gate. (hold up 5 fingers)
The 1st one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late!” (1 finger, point to wrist)
The 2nd one said, “There are bats in the air.” (2 fingers, flap hands)
The 3rd one said, “But we don’t care!” (3 fingers, shake head)
The 4th one said, “Let’s run and run and run!” (4 fingers, jog arms)
The 5th one said, “I’m ready to have some fun!” (5 fingers, wiggle)
Then WHOOOOSH went the wind, (curve hand in air)
And OUT went the light. (clap hands together loudly)
And five little pumpkins rolled out of sight! (5 fingers, roll arms)
Credit: Adventures in Storytime

Read: Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party by Erin Barker

Action Rhyme: Pumpkin Chant
(For each line, pat lap twice on 1st pumpkin, clap twice on 2nd, pat twice on 3rd, then do action for last word)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bread!
(Hold hands flat in front, one on top of the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head!
(Put hands on head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie!
(Hold hands in a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin eye!
(Curve hands around eyes)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin cake!
(Hold hands flat, one about 5 inches above the other)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin shake!
(shake fists by head)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin stew!
(Pretend to stir stew)
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin BOO!
(do a peek-a-boo)
Credit: Jane Willis Johnston, via Jbrary

Craft: Pumpkin Patch
I was rummaging around and found some cute foam stickers that included pumpkins, leaves, and mice on corn (also a fox wearing a headdress that I threw away – why can’t designers understand that is cultural appropriation!?) That sparked an idea to make a pumpkin patch using green yarn to make vines. I suggested two different methods. Grownups could draw swirling vine shapes on the page with glue, then older kids could follow the glue with the yarn. That would take a little more coordination. Alternatively, grownups could put some liquid glue into a shallow bowl, dunk the yarn in to saturate it, then the kids could add the vines whichever way they wished. Messier, but easier. Both methods work on fine motor skills!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer & James Graham Hale
The Great Pumpkin Contest by Angie Rozelaar
Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree & Anne-Sophie Lanquetin

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 10/27/20.

Storytime Handout:

Preschool Storytime: Autumn

Posted on by msemilylibrary

Storytime fell on the official first day of autumn, so it seemed natural to make that our theme today. This is a very basic theme, but I actually struggled planning it because it seemed like so many of the songs and rhymes were so alike. I planned to do individual sessions on apples and pumpkins, so I saved those, and everything else seemed to be variations on the falling leaf motif! I tried to mix it up a little bit, even though three activities were about leaves. Making two of them scarf songs kept it more interesting in my view. I borrowed heavily from Sunflower Storytime’s plan – even though I had pulled from many sources in my planning stage, hers just worked well for me and the flow of the stories! In my mind, our arc went from nonfiction, to a fictional title about nature, to a fictional title about human traditions.

You can see the virtual program that does not include the full books read aloud here.

See other versions of this theme from 2023 and 2025.

Early Literacy Tip: Factual books are a great way to expand children’s knowledge about the world. You can read the whole book or choose certain pages your child might be interested in. In fact, it’s perfectly okay to read only parts of a book, or to just focus on the pictures. You can adapt the experience to your child’s interest and attention span.

Welcome Song: We Clap and Sing Hello

Read: selections from Awesome Autumn by Bruce Goldstone
I paper-clipped some pages together, and read just the larger font sentences after talking about the early literacy tip. We did include the information about birds migrating, which helped transition to our first rhyme.

Each bird is one who migrates for the winter.
Fingerplay: Two Little Bluebirds
Two little bluebirds sitting on a hill
One named Jack and one named Jill
Fly away Jack, fly away Jill
Come back Jack, come back Jill

Two little blackbirds in the corn crop
One named Bottom and the other named Top
Fly away Bottom, fly away Top
Come back Bottom, come back Top

Two little geese sitting on a stick
One named slow and one named quick
Fly away slow, fly away quick
Come back slow, come back quick
Credit: traditional, adapted

Fingerplay: Autumn Leaves
Leaves are falling from the trees (Flutter fingers down)
Yellow, brown and red.
Falling, falling from above.
One landed on my head! (Hands on head)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

What happens in nature during fall?
Read: In the Middle of Fall by Kevin Henkes & Laura Dronzek

Scarf Song: Autumn Leaves are Falling Down
(tune of London Bridge)
Autumn leaves are falling down (flutter scarf down)
Falling down, falling down
Autumn leaves are falling down
All around the town

Additional verses:
The wind will blow them round and round… (twirl in a circle)
Take a rake and rake them up… (use scarf as a scoop)
Now let’s jump into the pile… (jump and throw scarf)
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

Scarf Song: Leaves Are Twirling
(tune of Frère Jacques)
Leaves are twirling, leaves are twirling
All around, all around
They are falling softly, very, very softly
To the ground, to the ground
Credit: Sunflower Storytime

The next book talks more about the traditions that one family has during autumn – look to see which ones you recognize and which are new to you. Perhaps you’ll want to start some new traditions inspired by this book!
Read: I Know it’s Autumn by Eileen Spinelli & Nancy Hayashi

Action Song: Scarecrow, Scarecrow
(tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)
Scarecrow, scarecrow, turn around
Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch the ground
Stand up tall and blink your eyes
Raise your hands up to the sky
Clap your hands, then tap your knees
Turn around and stomp your feet

Scarecrow, scarecrow, touch your toes
Scarecrow, scarecrow, tap your nose
Swing your arms so very slow
Now really fast to scare the crows!
Touch your head, jump up and down
Now sit down without a sound
Credit: Adventures in Storytime

Flannel Rhyme: Blue is the Sky
Blue is the sky, Yellow is the sun
Silver are the stars, When the day is done
Orange is the leaf, Brown is the tree
Red is the apple, For you and me
Credit: Mel’s Desk

flannel of Blue is the Sky: a light blue blob, yellow sun, two silver stars, an orange leaf, a brown tree with no leaves (mounted on a tan blob), and a red apple.

Craft: Tissue Paper Autumn Tree
A simple but pretty craft that allows kids to work their grip muscles by crunching up pieces of tissue paper. Liquid glue seems to work best for this. I printed a bare tree on blue construction paper. If you aren’t sure how to print on construction paper, I highly recommend learning! Makes a lot of crafts much easier!

I also booktalked these alternative titles during the permanent YouTube video.
Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall & Shari Halpern
When Autumn Falls by Kelli Nidey & Susan Swan
Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka & Chad Cameron

Closing Rhyme: Tickle the Stars

This storytime was presented virtually on 9/22/20.

Storytime Handout: