Spider’s Halloween Fun
Storytime Kit
Southwest Iowa Library Service Area
427 E. Kanesville Blvd., Suite 404
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
Note: May contain some small pieces – not intended for small children to handle.
Cover Sheet – For the Presenter
The following storyhour program is designed for toddlers and preschoolers (primarily 2-4-year olds).
You don’t have to read the leader’s comments word-for-word, but try to include the information in your own words especially the asides to the parents.The information that is just for you is in italics – so don’t read that text.
The general outline of our storytime is:
- Opening Song (Good Morning to You)
- Welcome and Introduce Literacy skill
- Rhyme with flannelboard (Spider’s Halloween Fun)
- Song (Spider Crawl)
- Quieting rhyme
- Book (Spider on the Floor)
- Activity
- Book (any Halloween book or browse the list of suggested titles)
- Rhyme with flannelboard pieces (Little Miss Muffet)
- Extra Rhyme fingerplay (Itsy Bitsy Spider)
- Book(any Halloween story)
- Closing Song
Feel free to substitute your own opening and closing rhymes as well as any rhymes with a spider theme that the children have heard before. Repetition of songs and action rhymes from previous storytimes is better than introducing all new ones.
We have provided several props that we think will be helpful.
*Flannel board cut-outs.
* Some of the rhymes in large print to help the adults join in.
*One of the books that you will need.
* Craft ideas to offer after your storytime has officially ended.
*Take home materials.
Introduction
(Let’s begin with a song to welcome everyone)
Opening Song(to the tune of “Happy Birthday”)
Good morning to you
Good morning to you
Good morning, dear Tommy,
Good morning, to you.
(Repeat with all of the children’s names if possible – if your group is too large, just substitute “children” and sing 3 or 4 times.)
To the caregivers:
Welcome to storytime. I am glad you could be here today. Today we are going to practice “Letter Knowledge”. At home or at Daycare you will want your child to learn that each letter has a name, a sound, and sometimes looks different. We’ll be practicing the letter S with the help of some spiders.
Ss
(Place the large and small letters “S” on the flannel board. Tell the children: This is the letter S (trace it with your finger), It makes the same sound as a snake ssssssssss. Listen for that sound during our program today.)
Rhyme - Now it’s time for a counting rhyme. [Use the flannelboard pieces provided with this rhyme.]. Put the large print rhyme on the flannel board for parents.
Spider’s Halloween Fun
5 springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on a pumpkin sliding up and down.
4 springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on the fence post, now he’s upside down.
3 springy spiders hanging all around.
1 ate the candy now he’s big and round.
2 springy spiders hanging all around.
1 in the closet, what is that strange sound?
1 springy spider hanging all around.
Crawls up my pants leg, WATCH ME RUN AROUND!
Finish by counting all of the spiders. Repeat as often as there is interest.
Song and Fingerplay - Now let’s all sing a song together.Put the large print rhyme on the flannel board for parents.
Spider Crawl
To the tune of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”
The spider crawled over my pumpkin
Make one hand into a fist to be the pumpkin. Walk fingers of the other hand over fist.
The spider crawled over my candy
Cup hand like holding candy pieces. Walk fingers of the other hand over cupped hand.
The spider crawled over my pumpkin
Make one hand into a fist to be the pumpkin. Walk fingers of the other hand over fist
Oh! Don’t let it crawl over me!
Both hands in front of you like pushing away.
Oh no! Oh no! Don’t let it crawl over me me me.
Hands on cheeks while rocking head side to side.
Oh no! Oh no! don’t let it crawl over me.
Hands on cheeks while rocking head side to side.
[Repeat several time]
Quieting Rhyme - Now it’s time to settle down for a story. Let’s get all of our wiggles out now:
I wiggle my fingers,
I wiggle my toes.
I wiggle my arms,
I wiggle my nose.
I think that the wiggles
Are all out of me
Now I can sit down
And hear a story.
Book
Raffi Songs to Read: Spider on the Floor
Words and music by Bill Russell. Illustrated by True Kelley.
Or you may read any of your favorite Halloween or creepy crawly stories.
Other suggestions:
Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle, Aaaarrgghh Spider by Lydia Monks, Happy Halloween Little Critter by Mercer Mayer, Shake dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa, 5 Little Pumpkins by Yaccarino, Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman, 16 Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree.
Activity
To the caregivers:
Spider starts with the S sound sssssssss. Let’ all say it together. Ssssspider. Parents, emphasize the sound of a letter as you point to it so children begin to understand that the letter has a sound.
“S” words
Hold up each of the flannelboard pictures that begin with the S sound. Have the children repeat the word. Let the children find the words that do not begin with the S sound. If you have a small enough group let each child put a picture on the flannelboard.
Book
Select a Halloween book of your choice to read.
Rhyme Put the large print rhyme on the flannel board for parents.
Little Miss Muffet
Use flannel board pieces: girl, footstool, bowl with spoon, spider with web.
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider
And sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Repeat several times.
Extra Rhyme Put the large print rhyme on the flannel board for parents.
Itsy Bitsy SpiderFingerplay
Demonstrate the actions for the children. Repeat the song 3 or 4 times
The itsy bitsy spider went up the waterspout.
Fingers climb up arm.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
While wiggling fingers lower arms from above head. Swish hands apart.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain.
Raise arms up high and touch fingers to make a circle of sun. While wiggling fingers raise arms above head.
Then the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.
Fingers climb up arm.
To the caregivers:
Parents, as you read books at home show your child a letter, trace it with your finger, say its name, say its sound, and let your child find the letter on the page. These activities will help your child become aware that letters create words.
Book - select another Halloween book if time allows.
Closing Rhyme
(Put up the flannelboard clock as a sign that storytime is over.)
Good-bye now, good-bye.
The clock tells us we're done.
I'll see you next storytime,
Good-bye now everyone.
To the caregivers:
Feel free to stay a while and do a craft or check out some books to take home. (Point out any brochures or tip sheets that you have on display for parents, etc.)
Crafts:
Acoloring page is included in the kit. Make copies as needed.
We like the idea of providing a craft at the end of storyhour. Something simple is fine. This gives parents a chance to visit and it re-inforces what the children learned. This also provides an opportunity for parents to browse your collection of brochures and so on. If you have older siblings who regularly “tag along,” be sure to provide something for them as well.
You can create simple coloring sheets with standard clip art on your word processing program. Simply enlarge the artwork to fill the page and then change its properties to “black & white.” This doesn’t work for every picture, but it will if the artwork has good solid black lines.
Book suggestions:
Raffi Songs to Read: Spider on the Floor by Bill Russell
Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle
Aaaarrgghh Spider by Lydia Monks
Happy Halloween Little Critter by Mercer Mayer
Shake dem Halloween Bones by W. Nikola-Lisa
5 Little Pumpkins by Yaccarino
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
16 Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree.
Take-Home Sheet
Practice “Letter Knowledge” at home. Your child will learn that each letter has a name a sound and sometimes looks different. Show your child a letter, trace it with your finger, say its name, say its sound, and let your child find it on the page.
Here is one of the rhymes we used today.
Spider’s Halloween Fun
5 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on a pumpkin sliding up and down.
4 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on the fence post, now he’s upside down.
3 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 ate the candy now he’s big and round.
2 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 in the closet, what is that strange sound?
1 Springy spider hanging all around.
Crawls up my pants leg, watch me run around.
An original verse by:
Marcia Steffensen and Susan Gruber
11/19/07
Take-Home Activity Sheet
Say the S sound ssss. Find the pictures that have the S sound.
Point to an S where ever it’s found.
snake spider spooky scarecrow
school seeds bat scoop
sailboat surfboard stop sign candy
singing pumpkin sandwich
Spider’s Halloween Fun
5 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on a pumpkin sliding up and down.
4 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 on the fence post, now he’s upside down.
3 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 ate the candy now he’s big and round.
2 Springy spiders hanging all around.
1 in the closet, what is that strange sound.
1 Springy spider hanging all around.
Crawls up my pants leg, watch me run around.
Marcia Steffensen and Susan Gruber
1 2 3 4 5
Spider crawl
To the tune of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”
The Spider crawled over my pumpkin.
The Spider crawled over my candy.
The Spider crawled over my pumpkin.
Oh! Don’t let it crawl over me!
Oh no! Oh no! Don’t let it crawl over me, me, me.
Oh no! Oh no! Don’t let it crawl over me.
Little Miss Muffet
Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey.
Along came a spider
And sat down beside her
And frightened Miss Muffet away.
Itsy Bitsy Spider
The Itsy Bitsy spider went up the waterspout
Fingers climb up arm.
Down came the rain and washed the spider out
While wiggling fingers lower arms from above head. Swish hands apart.
Out came the sun and dried up all the rain
Raise arms up high and touch fingers to make a circle of sun. While wiggling fingers raise arms above head.
Then, the Itsy Bitsy spider went up the spout again
Fingers climb up arm.