Pumpkins

Books:
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Pumpkin circle : the story of a garden story by George Levenson; photographs by Shmuel Thaler. 
Berkeley, Calif.: Tricycle Press, c1999. 
Rhyming text and photographs follow a pumpkin patch as it grows and changes, from seeds to plants to pumpkins ready to harvest, to jack-o-lanterns and then to seeds again.

The pumpkin patch story and photographs by Elizabeth King. 
New York : Dutton Children's Books, c1990. 
Text and photographs describe the activities in a pumpkin patch, as pink-colored seeds become fat pumpkins, ready to be carved into jack-o'-lanterns. 

Too many pumpkins by Linda White; illustrated by Megan Lloyd. 
New York : Holiday House, c1996. 
Rebecca Estelle, an old woman who has hated pumpkins ever since she was a girl and her family had nothing else to eat, finds herself with a full crop of them. 

It's pumpkin time! by Zoe Hall; illustrated by Shari Halpern. 
A sister and brother plant and tend their own pumpkin patch so they will have jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. 

Pumpkin, pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington. 
New York : Greenwillow Books, c1986. 
Jamie plants a pumpkin seed and, after watching it grow, carves it, and saves some seeds to plant in the spring. 

Pumpkin day, pumpkin night by Anne Rockwell; pictures by Megan Halsey. 
New York : Walker and Co., c1999. 
Relates a boy's excitement in buying the perfect pumpkin and then making the perfect jack-o-lantern. 

The pumpkin fair by Eve Bunting; illustrated by Eileen Christelow. 
New York : Clarion Books, c1997. 
A rather ordinary pumpkin wins a prize for "the best-loved pumpkin at the fair, the best-loved pumpkin anywhere."

Flannelboard: 
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Five Orange Pumpkins
By Jean Stangle (from FlannelGraphs: flannel board fun for little ones, preschool to grade 3)

Poetry:
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Peter, Peter, pumpkin-eater;
Had a wife, and couldn't keep her;
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater;
Had another and didn't love her;
Peter learned to read and spell,
And then he loved her very well.
Traditional Mother Goose Rhyme

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Bright

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bright,
When the goblins ride tonight,
Guide me with your kindly light,
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bright.

Pumpkin. pumpkin, pumpkin grin,
Cheshire cat and tiger kin,
Night without and light within,
Dancing, dancing, pumpkin grin.

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin head,
When my "Tricks or Treats" are said,
Will you light me to my bed,
Kind old father pumpkin head?

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin pie,
I'm so sad that I could cry;
Why dear papa lantern, why
Must you end as pumpkin pie?

Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bright,
Autumn lantern in the night;
You'll be back next year all right?
Pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin bright
~N. M. Bodecker~ 

Pumpkin poem

One day I found two pumpkin seeds.
I planted one and pulled the weeds.
It sprouted roots and a big, long vine.
A pumpkin grew; I called it mine.
The pumpkin was quite round and fat.
(I really am quite proud of that.)
But there is something I'll admit
That has me worried just a bit.
I ate the other seed, you see.
Now will it grow inside of me?

(I'm so relieved since I have found
That pumpkins only grow in the ground!)

Pumpkins

When you see me in the fields,
My orange glowing in the sun,
It's time to say goodbye to summer
and hello to autumn fun!!

Puppet:  Make pumpkin fingerpuppet(s) from orange pom poms
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Fingerplays:
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Pumpkin song
(tune: I'm a little teapot)

I'm a little pumpkin
Orange and round.
Here is my stem,
There is the ground.
When I get all cut up,
Don't you shout!
Just open me up
And scoop me out!

Jack o Lantern 
Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little Jack o lantern
Fat and Fine
They picked me off a pumpkin vine
Halloween is coming don't you know
just light my candle and watch me glow 

We are Pumpkins Big and Round 
Sung to: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

We are pumpkins big and round, big and round, big and round;
We are pumpkins big and round, sitting on the ground.
See our great big shiny eyes, shiny eyes, shiny eyes;
See our great big shiny eyes, looking right at you.
See our great big laughing mouth, laughing mouth, laughing mouth,
See our great big laughing mouth, smiling right at you. 

Once I had a pumpkin 
Sung to: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?"

Once I had a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,
Once I had a pumpkin, with no face at all.
With no eyes and no nose, and no mouth and no teeth.
Once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.
So I made a jack-o-lantern, a jack-o-lantern, a 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 with big teeth.
So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big funny face. 

Mr. Pumpkin 
(tune: Where is thumbkin) 

Mr. Pumpkin,
Mr. Pumpkin,
Round and fat.
Round and fat.
Harvesttime is coming.
Harvesttime is coming.
Yum, yum, yum.
That is that!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin 

Pumpkin, Pumpkin sitting on a wall,
Pumpkin, Pumpkin tip and fall,
Pumpkin, Pumpkin Rolling down the street
Pumpkin, Pumpkin Trick or treat 


Five Little Pumpkins

This Little Pumpkin

Cut Into A Pumpkin 

I'm a Little Pumpkin 
Sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"

I'm a little pumpkin
Round and stout
Packed full of seeds that you can scoop out
When I get all carved up
Then I'll be
The cutest Jack-o-Lantern you ever did see. 

Three Little Pumpkins 
Sung to: "Ten Little Indians"

One little, 2 little, 3 little pumpkins
Rolled down the lane like funny bumpkins
Had their faces carved & thought they were something's
Funny Halloween jack-o-lanterns! 


Craft: 
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Have children color a paper plate orange. Give them pre-cut jack-o-lantern shapes to glue onto the paper plates, and a green stem to put on the top.

An easy coloring and pasting craft can be found at Making Friends

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