Thank you to Ahllam and Anna for inviting me to share story hour at the Hill AFB Library with Zach, Zoe, Ruby, Silas and all the other beautiful littles yesterday!
We made puppets and recited
5 Little Pumpkins
5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The 1st one said, “Oh my its getting late!”
The 2nd one said, “There witches in the air!”
The 3rd one said, “We don’t care!”
The 4th one said “Lets run and run and run!”
The 5th one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”
OOooooo went the wind and out went the lights
5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight!
We heard an excerpt from the the story of Shell and Pearl and learned how Brine got a new green ball (pumpkin) sending Pearl and Shell’s family back to the pumpkin patch.
A PUMPKIN MYSTERY
Shell and Pearl swished the dirt from their hands. They had just finished pushing pumpkin seeds into the soil they had packed in the drink cartons their first grade class recycled at the school cafeteria. Growing pumpkins was a new experience for many of the children. They were learning about nature and plants. Their kindly old teacher Mrs. Angelfish explained that pumpkins take a long time to grow and that it was fun to care for the seeds and little plants. It was close to Mother’s Day and school would soon be dismissed for the summer. The children would watch the little seeds sprout in the drink cartons in a warm spot in the classroom window, and then, when school was over, they would take them home and plant them in their gardens.
“I’ve never grown a pumpkin before,” admitted Shell.
“My mom grows pumpkins every year, I love Halloween,” sighed Pearl with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Shell said, “I love, love, love Halloween too, but we get our pumpkin from a pumpkin patch.” Shell’s family visited a country pumpkin patch every fall and picked the biggest, roundest pumpkin they could find. They took it home and just before Halloween, Dad scooped out the slimy middle and they carved a funny smiling face into the orange globe. Then Mom picked out the seeds, soaked them in salt and before long the family enjoyed a yummy treat.
You may not have known that mermades celebrate Halloween, but they do. And they love it, just like human children. They think about their costumes all year long, and which sand castles they will visit when they go trick-or-treating. They think about decorating with funny octopuses and black catfish. Mermades don’t think about spiders, because they have never seen one. But they know about crawly ghost crabs and gliding bat rays. They tell scary stories about strange lights around sunken pirate ships. And the way the wind blows over the waves in the autumn as the days grow short and the nights get darker. And mermades love to swim to the surface to see the golden harvest moon.
Shell showed her mom and dad the little pumpkin plant in the carton. “It looks like it needs more room to grow,” said Dad. He was a principal of another school of fish and he held summer classes for tiny mermades to help them get ready for school the next year, but he would have some time off during the summer too.
Every so often, Shell would go to the garden to visit her little pumpkin. She showed Sandy and Brine the tiny little green ball that was beginning to grow on the vine. Brine liked visiting the garden; he was just beginning to swim. Did you know that merbabies have to learn to swim like human babies learn to walk? He would get his little tail going then plop, he’d slide on the floor. Shell and Sandy thought he was so funny! Brine loved the little ball in the garden, he was just learning to talk and could say “ball.”
Shell and her dad continued to work in the garden, keeping out the pesky seaweeds and sea snails. Shell’s little pumpkin was now the size of a bouncy ball. Dad brought home a clear sundial to decorate their garden and placed it in the center with some beautiful shells the family had collected once when their grandparents had visited.
Shell was busy learning new facts and reading harder books. Pearl was in her class again, so that made school extra fun. One day Shell came home from school and looked for her mom. She found their black catfish, Don Quixote and patted his head. Mom was folding clothes, but that was not all Shell found. There, next to the laundry, was a green ball. But it wasn’t just any green ball, it was her pumpkin! “Mom!” Shell exclaimed. “Oh dear,” said Mom.
Just then, Brine swam into the room. He went straight for the pumpkin and said “ball!” Then he rolled it with his tail. “What happened to my pumpkin?” wailed Shell. “I think I know,” Mom replied. “Brine, where did you get the ball?” He pointed to the garden. “Brine thinks your pumpkin is a ball and I believe he picked it so he could play with it.” Shell looked at her little brother rolling the pumpkin across the floor. He looked so happy. He was too cute to stay mad at for long and Shell loved him so much. She patted his head, “Brine do you want to play ball?” she asked. “ball,” said Brine. The next day Dad took the family to the country pumpkin patch…
We fished for nursery rhymes and recited
Eensy Weensy Spider
ABC Tumbledown D
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
and
Little Miss Muffet
Eensy Weensy Spider
ABC Tumbledown D
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
and
Little Miss Muffet
We learned how Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, Roo and Piglet helped Sammy the Owl decide what to be for Halloween.
We put on costumes and sang
What Will You Be?
What will you be? What will you be?
What will you be for Halloween?
I’ll be a ________, I’ll be a ________,
I’ll be a ________ for Halloween!
Then we colored pictures and moms and littles picked some Halloween books and we said goodbye until next time!
At the next Halloween story hour I think I’ll bring some games like toss the marshmallow in the pumpkin, buggy croquet and maybe a Snider ring toss.
Happy Halloween!
I’m not quire finished with candy yet, I’m heading back to the garage to continue working on the Macy’s candy ornament for Christmas.
