Rainbow Connection: Pumpkin Patch

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Pumpkin Patch

Pumpkins were everywhere!

We played with big pumpkins and little pumpkins, real pumpkins and pretend ones. We used tongs to transfer them from bucket to bowl. We weighed them and measured them. We used the words big and little and heavy and light to compare sizes. We mixed them up to make pumpkin stew and other Halloween concoctions. We had pumpkin seeds to scoop and pour. We also had some fun manipulatives like Halloween erasers, spiders, stretchy skeletons and glow in the dark bats that we used for lots of pretend play. We were limited only by our imaginations!

We loved acting out the parts in The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything. We are all quite the dramatic group! Props added to the fun...

"Two shoes go clomp. clomp."

"One pair of pants go wiggle, wiggle."

"One shirt go shake, shake."

"One pair of gloves go clap, clap."

"One tall hat go nod, nod."

"One very scary pumpkin head go BOO! BOO!."

Pumpkin Faces

had us talking about jack o' lanterns and the different faces we could put on ours.

"Emoti-Pumpkins" were hanging on the door. Each had a face which showed a particular emotion- angry, sad, happy, surprised, scared, etc. We threw a jack o'lantern bean bag at them and acted out the emotion portrayed by the face.

Inside a House that is Haunted

introduced us to some of our favorite Halloween characters. We read it so many times, we have it memorized...

We played "Hocus Pocus" using a magic wand as we turned the others into some of these Halloween creatures. We chanted:
"Hocus Pocus Alakazam, turn into a _____________ if you can! POOF!"
We had to dramatize that creature and then when we were done, we chanted: "Hocus Pocus Alakazoo, now turn back into you! POOF!"
We were cats, pumpkins, bats, vampires, spiders, monsters, mummies, witches, owls and more!

Fine motor skills were put into practice as we accepted an "invitation to play". We used straws and beads to make some Halloween necklaces.

We created our own "Mr. Pumpkin Head" puppets.

After reading Pete the Cat's rendition of "Five Little Pumpkins",

Image result for pete the cat five little pumpkins

we put on a puppet show, each of us having a part.

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate...

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

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

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

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

The fifth one said, "I'm ready for some fun!"

"Oooooo went the wind. Out went the lights!

Five little pumpkins, rolled out of sight!

After reading Room on the Broom,
Image result for room on the broom

we concocted a special "witch's brew" just like the witch in our book, adding all kinds of yummy things... We counted out the things we wanted in our brew and stirred it up with our magic wand. We danced around the cauldron singing,
"Ring around the witch's brew,
A cauldron full of pumpkin stew.
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall down!"