Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkin Treats - Place flat bottom ice cream cones in muffin pans. Fill half way (not too much or it will overflow!) with cake batter. Bake according to directions on the box. Let children frost with orange icing and decorate with chocolate chips for eyes, a candy corn for a nose, and a strip of red licorice for a mouth.

Once I Had a Pumpkin - ("Lassie and Laddie")

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 nose 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 big mouth and big teeth.
So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big, funny face.

(Draw a pumpkin on the board and add the features as you sing the song. Explain that a pumpkin only becomes a jack-o-lantern after you carve a face on it.)

Halloween Is Coming! - (Tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")

Halloween is coming when we'll be
Dressed in funny clothes and then we'll see
Pumpkins in the window shining bright.
Oh, we'll have a good time on Halloween night!

The Goblin in the Dark - (Tune: "Farmer in the Dell")
(Play this game just like "The Farmer in the Dell". Start with the goblin and let the children march around in a circle as different children are chosen.)

The goblin in the dark, the goblin in the dark.
Hi ho it's Halloween. The goblin in the dark.
The goblin takes a ghost. . .
The ghost takes a witch. . .
The witch takes a cat. . .
The cat takes a bat. . .
They all scream and screech. . .    (Make howling noises.)

The Twelve Days of Halloween - ("The Twelve Days of Christmas")

On the first day of Halloween my monster gave to me
A bat in an old dead tree.
On the second day of Halloween my monster gave to me
Two smiling pumpkins and a bat in an old dead tree.
Third day - 3 giggling ghosts
Fourth day - 4 clanking skeletons
Fifth day - 5 hairy spiders

Let children make up their own verses for days 6-12.
You might also want them to illustrate the verses in this song and make it into a big book.

The Witch's Itch - (Chant and clap.)

The witch, the witch, the witch has an itch.
Where, oh, where does the witch have an itch?
On her teeny, tiny nose (or other body part). (Point to your nose.)
On her teeny, tiny nose? (Point to child's nose.)
The witch has an itch on her teeny, tiny nose.

Continue the chant inserting other body parts.

Where Is the Jack-o-Lantern? - (Tune: "Where Is Thumbkin?")

Where is the jack-o-lantern?
Where is the jack-o-lantern?
Here I am. Here I am.    (Make circle over head with arms.)
Halloween is coming.
Halloween is coming.
Oh, what fun!    (Clap hands.)
Oh, what fun!
Where is the witch. . .ick, ick, ick!    (Wrinkle nose and wiggle fingers.)
Where is the black cat. . .meow, meow, meow!    (Pretend to scratch claws in the air.)
Where is the skeleton. . .clink, clank, clunk.    (Shrug shoulders up and down.)
Where is the ghost. . .whooo, whooo, whooo!    (Wave arms in the air.)

Pumpkin Glyph - Each child will need an orange sheet of paper cut in a pumpkin shape. Have them decorate their pumpkins according to these directions:

Hang the pumpkins in the hall with the code. Who can solve the pumpkin puzzler?

Jack O. Happy - This is one of my favorite finger plays. I start by having the children make a circle around their heads. I make exaggerated facial expressions for the different emotions in the poem, and the children mimic me. This is also fun to illustrate, use in the pocket chart, or make individual books for children to take home.

This is Jack O. Happy.    (Smile) This is Jack O. Sad.    (Frown) This is Jack O. Spooky.    (Open mouth and look frightened.) This is Jack O. Mad    (Make angry face.) This is Jack in pieces small.    (Open up hands.) But in a pie he's best of all!    (Pat tummy.)

Brainstorm - Brainstorm what you can do with a pumpkin. Write down children's responses on a language experience chart. Encourage creativity! Anything goes!

Print some October pages - You can have a scarecrow or two different October headings, (Choose October Portrait or October Landscape ) for your bulletin boards. (See Preview) These are pdf files and will print with Adobe Acrobat Reader, on Windows or Mac.