Apples and Pumpkins Story Time – Toddler

Opening Song

Book: Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Flannel with Puppets: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Song: “Tap Your Toe and Follow Me” – Susan Salidor: Come and Make a Circle

Book: Seed, Sprout, Grow! by Ruth A. Musgrave

Song: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin” (Tune: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”)
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, (hold hands together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
(Credit: Step by Step Childcare)

Song: “Fall Freeze Dance” – The Kiboomers

Book: Pepo and Lolo and the Red Apple by Ana Martín Larrañaga

Rhyme: “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”
Way up high in the apple tree, (stretch arms in the air)
Two little apples smiled at me. (make two fists)
I shook that tree as hard as I could, (shake arms in the air)
And down came the apples, (drop fists to floor)
Mmm, were they good! (rub tummy)
(Credit: King County Library System)

Song: “Reach for the Ceiling” – Carol Totsky Hammett, Elaine Bueffel, Dennis Buck, and Lynn Roberts: Toddlers on Parade

Song: “Icky Sticky Bubble Gum” – David Landau: Kids and Kitties

Closing Rhyme

Apples and Pumpkins Story Time – Baby

Opening Song

Song: “When Ducks Go on an Adventure”
When ducks go on an adventure, they always say good day.
When ducks go on an adventure, they always say good day.
Quack, quack, quack, quack, this is what they say.
Quack, quack, quack, quack, this is what they say.

Repeat with other animals/sounds
(Credit: King County Library System)

Sign Language: Apple, pumpkin

Puppet Story: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Rhyme: “Criss Cross Applesauce”
Criss, cross, applesauce (draw X on back)
Spiders crawling up your back (crawl fingers up)
Cool breeze, tight squeeze, (blow air, squeeze)
Now you’ve got the shivers! (tickle)

Song: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

Book: Duck & Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills or I’m a Little Pumpkin by Hannah Eliot, illustrated by Anna Daviscourt
Duck and goose find a pumpkin

Lap Rhyme: “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”
Way up high in the apple tree, (lift baby)
I saw a little baby smiling at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could. (wobble gently)
Down came the baby. (bring down)
Mmm, was she good! (Kiss)
(Credit: King County Library System)

Lap Rhyme: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin”
Pumpkin, pumpkin, sitting on a wall,
Pumpkin, pumpkin, tip and fall.
Pumpkin, pumpkin, rolling down the street,
Pumpkin, pumpkin, tickle those feet!

Lap Song: “Bumpity Bumpity Goes the Dump Truck”
Bumpity bumpity goes the dump truck.
Bumpity bumpity goes the dump truck.
Bumpity bumpity goes the dump truck.
Dump out the load. (tip baby to the side)
(Credit: Jbrary)

Shaker Eggs: “Apple Pickin’ Time” – Tom Pease: I’m Gonna Reach!

Closing Rhyme

Apple Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book: What’s an Apple? by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
What's an Apple? book cover

Song: “Autumn Leaves Are Falling Down” – Junior Jukebox: Four Seasons

Rhyme: “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”
Way up high in the apple tree, (stretch arms in air)
Two little apples smiled at me. (make two fists)
I shook that tree as hard as I could, (shake arms in air)
And down came the apples. (drop fists to floor)
Mmmmm, they were good! (rub tummy)

Book/Flannel: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Rhyme: “Wiggle Worms”
Here are some worms who are, oh, so sad.
They’ve lost all the wiggles that they once had.
They wonder if you, just for today,
Would lend them your wiggles so they can play.

Wiggle them up and wiggle them down,
Wiggle the worms around and around.
Wiggle them high and wiggle them low,
Wiggle them fast and wiggle them slow.
Wiggle them over your shoes and your socks,
Then wiggle them back into their box.

Fingerplay: “Five Little Apples”

Song: “Put Your Finger in the Air” – Bob McGrath: Sing Along with Bob #2

Flannel/Puppet Story: Little Mouse’s Big Secret by Éric Battut

Song: “A Little Apple Seed” (Tune: “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”)
Once a little apple seed
Was planted in the ground.
Down came the raindrops falling all around.
Out came the big sun,
Bright as bright could be,
And that little apple seed grew up
To be an apple tree.

Closing Rhyme

Apples Story Time – Baby

Opening Song

Sign Language: Apple, juice, eat, drink, thirsty, red, green, tree, leaf, moon

Book: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

Song: “Bouncing, Bouncing, Baby on My Knee”
Bouncing, bouncing, baby on my knee.
Bouncing, bouncing, 1 – 2 – 3!
Clapping, clapping, baby on my knee.
Clapping, clapping, 1 – 2 – 3!
Rocking, rocking, baby on my knee.
Rocking, rocking, 1 – 2 – 3!
(Credit: Jbrary)

Flannel: “Five Little Apples”
5 little apples sitting in a tree,
Teasing Mr. Slinky Worm,
“You can’t eat me!”
Along comes Mr. Slinky Worm as quiet as can be,
And CRUNCHES that apple right out of the tree!

Repeat, counting down until there are no apples left.
(Credit: One Little Librarian)

Book: Tree by Britta Teckentrup

Rhyme: “Hurry, Scurry Little Mouse”
Hurry, scurry little mouse,
Starts down at your toes.
Hurry, scurry little mouse,
Past your knees he goes.
Hurry, scurry little mouse,
Past where your tummy is.
Hurry, scurry little mouse,
Gives you a mousy kiss.

Flannel Song: “The Apple Seed” (Tune: “I’m A Little Teapot”)
A little tiny apple seed was planted in the ground
Out came the rain, falling all around.
Out came the sun, as bright as bright can be
And the tiny apple seed became an apple tree!
(Credit: One Little Librarian)

Rhyme: “Away Up High”
Away up high in the apple tree (lift baby)
I saw a little baby smiling at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could. (shake gently)
Down came the baby, (bring down)
Mmm, was she good! (kiss)

Book: Pick a Circle, Gather Squares by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky, illustrated by Susan Swan

Shaker Eggs: “Skinnamarink” – Sharon, Lois, and Bram: Great Big Hits

Closing Rhyme

Harvest Story Time – Preschool

Opening Song

Book:
Harvest in Fall by Mari Schuh

Song: “Pumkpin, Pumpkin” (Tune: “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)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)
(Source: Step by Step Childcare)

Book:
Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash by Sarah Weeks, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

Song: “Autumn Leaves” (Tune: “London Bridge”)
Autumn leaves are in the trees . . . All over town.
Autumn leaves are falling down . . . All over town.
Autumn leaves are whirling round . . .
Everybody rake them up . . .
Jump into the piles we made . . .

Flannel/Book:
Pick a Circle, Gather Squares: A Fall Harvest of Shapes by Felicia Sanzari Chernesky, illustrated by Susan Swan


Song: “The Dance Along Gong Song” – Jim Gill: The Irrational Anthem

Puppets/Book: Tops and Bottoms adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens


Closing Rhyme

Activity: Garden growing and harvesting, imaginary play

Earth Story Time – Everybody

Opening Song

Book: The World is Waiting for You by Barbara Kerley

Song:  “Tree Song” (Tune: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”)
Leaves, branches, trunk and roots (and roots)
Leaves, branches, trunk and roots (and roots)
Trees are important to you and to me
Leaves, branches, trunk and roots (and roots)

Movements:
Hands and fingers are the leaves – wiggle high in the air
Move arms straight out for the branches
Touch upper body with hands when saying “trunk”
Touch legs when saying “roots”

Book: Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

Flannel: Five Red Apples
Five red apples, hanging on a tree
The juiciest apples you ever did see
The wind came past and gave an angry frown
And one little apple came tumbling down
(Repeat for 4,3,2,1)

Flannel: The Apple Tree
Away up high in an apple tree, (Children point high up at imaginary tree)
Two red apples smiled at me. (Place two apples on board)
I shook that tree as hard as I could; (Children pretend to shake the apple tree)
Down came those apples,
And mmmm, they were good! (Pretend to eat apples)

Book: Ten Things I Can Do to Help My World by Melanie Walsh

Closing rhyme

Craft: Summer Scenery (I emphasized I used recycled materials from previous story times to help our earth)

Pumpkins and Apples Story Time – Baby

Opening Song

Sign language: Apple , Pumpkin

Book: Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell

Song: “Pumpkin, Pumpkin” (Tune: “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, (hold baby’s hands together)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, (touch the ground)
How’d you get so big and round? (make a big circle)

Rhyme: Shoe the old horse (tap one foot)
Shoe the old mare (tap other foot)
But let the little pony
Run bare, bare, bare (tap feet together)

Song: Counting sheep (Tune: “This Old Man”)
Counting sheep, counting sheep
Helps my _________ go to sleep

One sheep, two sheep
Three sheep, four —
Soon my _________
Starts to snore
(Credit: Sing a Song of Storytime)

Puppets/Book: The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
The Busy Little Squirrel book cover

Rhyme: This little pig

Fingerplay: Five Little Apples

Rhyme: Away up high in the apple tree (lift baby)
I saw a little baby smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shake gently)
Down came the baby (bring down)
Mmm, was she good! (Kiss)

Book (Choral): Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills
Duck and goose find a pumpkin

Song (shaky eggs): “Apple Pickin’ Time” – Tom Pease: I’m Gonna Reach!

Closing rhyme

Apple Story Time – Baby

Opening song

Sign language: Apple

Book: Apple by Nikki McClure

apple

Rhyme: Away up high in the apple tree (lift baby)
I saw a little baby smiling at me
I shook that tree as hard as I could (shake gently)
Down came the baby (bring down)
Mmm, was she good! (Kiss)

Rhyme: X marks the spot

Book: Orange Pear Apple Bear by Emily Gravett

orange pear apple bear

Song: Did you ever see a baby, a baby, a baby? (an apple)
Did you ever see a baby go this way and that? (lean side to side)
Go this way and that way and this way and that way (lean front to back, side to side)
Did you ever see a baby go this way and that? (lean front to back)

Fingerplay: Five little apples

Rhyme: Icky bicky soda cracker

Book/Puppets: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins

ten red apples

Song (shaky eggs): “Apple Pickin’ Time” – Tom Pease: I’m Gonna Reach!

Closing rhyme

Apple Story Time- Everybody

Opening Song

Sign Language: Apple

Book: Ducking For Apples by Lynne Berry, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

Ducking for Apples Cover Image

Rhyme: The Apple Tree
(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Way up high in the apple tree (Stretch arms high)
Two big apples looked down at me (Circle eyes with fingers)
I shook that tree just as hard as I could (shaking movement)
Down came the apples (Hands float downward)
Mm-mm-mm! They were good! (Rub tummy)

Book: Little Apple Goat by Caroline Jayne Church

little apple goat

Flannel/Rhyme: 5 Little Apples

Song: “Won’t You Plan Your Seeds With Care”- Kathy Reid-Naiman: Say Hello to the Morning

Book: Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray

apple pie abc

Rhyme: Eat An Apple
Eat an apple (bring right hand to mouth)
Save the core (close right hand in fist)
Plant the seeds (touch the ground)
And grow some more (extend arms up)

Flannel: Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear by Emily Gravett

Song: “All I Wanna Do is Dance” – Kira Wiley: Kings and Queens of the Forest

Closing Song

Craft: Apple with hole for finger/worm

apple