Tag: pumpkins

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

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: 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: