Fun with pumpkins

This week at line time we are singing a few new songs.  As usual, I have pulled together some props to go with them.  The first song/fingerplay is probably familiar to most.  It is "Five Little Pumpkins".  In case you are not familiar, here are the words we use:

"Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.

The first one said, "Oh my!  It's getting late!"

The second one said, "There are bats in the air!"

The third one said, "But we don't care!"

The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run!"

The fifth one said, "We're ready for some fun!"

WHOOOOSSSSHHH went the wind and OUT went the light

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight."

I am having the snack helper turn the lights out at the appropriate time.  This is a fun "extra" job for them to do.

This is the manipulative I came up with for the rhyme.  I am using a cookie sheet for the background.  I have two wooden fences that I purchased at Hobby Lobby.  I hot glued magnets to the back of them.  I also used 5 of the felt pumpkins I had bought at Hobby Lobby.  They have magnets on the back as well.  These materials are on the shelf next to our calendar area and the children have permission to get a rug and act out the fingerplay using the materials during our work time.

OK..........seeing this photo is making me think I cut this guy's mouth a little deformed.  Oh well, the children are enjoying him.  This is a flannelboard jack-o-lantern that I am using with the following song:

Oh, Once I Had a Pumpkin  (TUNE: Did you ever see a Lassie?)

"Oh, once I had a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Oh, once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.

With no eyes and no ears and no mouth and no teeth,

Oh, once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.

So I made a jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern,

So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big, funny face.

With big eyes and a big nose, and a big mouth and big teeth,

So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big, funny face."

As we sing the first verse, we point to our own eyes, nose, mouth and teeth.  During the second verse I put the yellow pieces on the pumpkin to show the face. 

The pieces for the jack-o-lantern are stored in this bag that I found when thrifting.  It is also on the shelf by the calendar and the children can take it out and use it during work time.  During our group time when I initially introduced this song, the children and I compared the face on the bag and the face of our flannelboard pumpkin.  I pointed out to them that I had made my jack-o-lantern face with yellow because the yellow light in the pumpkin reminds me of our love lights.   

Comments

[Pecos Blue]

Cute ideas and nice site.

[A]

Laura,

I love the manipulative you use with your songs! I just started doing the "pumpkins on the gate" fingerplay with the children this week, and I think I might make my a magnetic felt background to go with it this weekend. I've never done the second song, but I can't wait to try it next week with a felt jack-o-lantern. Also, I wanted to tell you that we've been singing your "did you ever see a tree?" song at circle time. The children love it - they learned the words almost immediately!:) Instead of felt leaves, we've been dancing with red, orange, yellow, and brown scarves.

Anne

[Lindart]

I do both these songs as well! But I didn't have a tune for the 2nd one so I made one up. Great manipulatives! We are having Thanksgiving this weekend, kind of breaks October in half, so we don't start Halloween until after Thanksgiving, but then in November we have no special days, except Rememberance Day, so we tend to focus on fall. Kind of turned around from what you do! I look forward to your Thanksgiving activities!