Toddler Storytime: Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween!  Carving pumpkins, dressing up, trick-or-treating, apple cider, creepy snacks...it's all good stuff.  Get in the spirit by sharing some fun books with your children this year.  Here is what I did at this week's storytime:

BOOK:  Brooms Are For Flying! by Michael Rex
I read this every year because it's an awesome book for toddlers.  Short text and they get to act out the motions - that's my kind of read-aloud for this age group.  In this book, a young girl dressed as a witch goes out trick-or-treating with some other characters.


FLANNEL RHYME:  Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on the gate,
The first one says, "Oh my, it's getting late."
The second one says, "There's a chill in the air."
The third one says, "But we don't care!"
The fourth one says, "I'm ready for some fun."
The fifth one says, "Let's run, run, run."
Oooooh, went the wind, and out went the light.
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

SONG:  "If You're a Ghost and You Know It"
(tune: If You're Happy and You Know It)
If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!
If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!
If you're a ghost and you know it and you really want to show it,
If you're a ghost and you know it, just say BOO!

If you're a black cat and you know it, say MEOW...
If you're a skeleton and you know it, shake your bones...
If you love Halloween and you know it, clap your hands...
(Source:  Sunflower Storytime)

BOOK:  Click, Clack, Boo by Doreen Cronin
Farmer Brown does not like Halloween, but the animals on his farm hold a party in the barn on Halloween night.  If you are a fan of the Click, Clack, Moo books, you must check this book out.  It's a fun book for toddlers.



PUPPET STORY:  Go Away, Big Green Monster
I purchased this puppet kit from Lakeshore Learning and it's great to use at storytime.  The velcro pieces make it easy to add parts to the puppet and take them away as the story progresses.  If you had older kids, you could pass out the pieces and have them come up and add them to the monster as you read the story.

FINGERPLAY:  Two Little Bats
Two little bats hanging in a cave,
One named Dawn and one named Dave.
Fly away Dawn.  Fly away Dave.
Come back Dawn.  Come back Dave.
(Source:  Sunflower Storytime)

BOOK:  It's Halloween Night! by Jennifer O'Connell
Everyone is getting ready to go trick-or-treating - what are they dressed up as?  This is a fun guessing book, because the pictures and words provide clues and the kids can shout out the answer.



CRAFT:  Paper Plate Pumpkins
I'm on a roll with painting crafts and Pinterest!  For this week, the kids painted a paper plate orange and added jack-o-lantern face cut-outs to their painting to create their own pumpkin.  This is very easy to do with toddlers; make sure you have washable paint and lots of baby wipes.

OTHER BOOKS TO SHARE:
Skeleton for Dinner by Margery Cuyler
Over in the Hollow by Rebecca Dickinson
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming
Just Say Boo! by Susan Hood
Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane
The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis
A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee