I wouldn’t normally have done this theme so early in the season but they send me an activities calendar every month and they’re discussing both apples and fall the last two weeks of the month so I went for it.
Welcome Song: Clap and Sing Hello (to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell)
We clap and sing hello,
We clap and sing hello,
With our friends at story time,
We clap and sing hello!
We wave and sing hello // We stomp and sing hello
Source: Storytime Katie
Song: The Wheels on the Bus
The wheels on the bus go round and round
Round and round, round and round
The wheels on the bus round and round
All through the town
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish //
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep //
The doors on the bus go open and shut //
The driver on the bus goes move it on back //
The people on the bus go up and down //
The babies on the bus go wah, wah, wah //
The people on the bus go shh, shh, shh
Book: Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson; illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke
A charming story about a little fox who’s concerned when his favorite tree starts shedding its leaves.
Song: Row Row Row Your Boat
I do three verses of this classic:
Row row row your boat (the traditional way) //
Rock rock rock your boat, sway from side to side
Merrily merrily merrily merrily what a bumpy ride (bump hands on lap) //
Row row row your boat, gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile (crocodile snap with arms)
Don’t forget to scream (*AH*)
Song: Itsy Bitsy Spider
Itsy Bitsy Spider (sung normally)
Teeny Weeny Spider (sung in falsetto)
Great Big Hairy Spider (sung deeply)
Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Sung three times, getting faster each time.
Wiggle Rhyme: Watch Out for the Bugs (to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Clap your hands, stomp your feet
Wiggle all around
Throw your hands up in the air and now let’s touch the ground
Touch your head, touch your hips, give yourself a hug
Now sit down upon the floor
But watch out for the bugs!! (stamp out the bugs)
Book: Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
Annie runs an orchard and sells her wares at a farmer’s market in the city.
Book: Leaves by David Ezra Stein
A baby bear is concerned about the falling leaves but then he goes to sleep for a long time and wakes up to fresh buds and new leaves.
Flannel: Five Little Leaves
Five little leaves on the tree next door,
One fell off and then there were four.
Four little leaves all over the tree,
One fell off and then there were three.
Three little leaves where the wind blew,
One fell off and then there were two.
Two little leaves sitting in the sun,
One fell off and then there was one.
One little leaf in the tree all alone,
The wind blew and blew and now there are none!
Source: Storytime Katie
Song: Falling Leaves (to the tune of The Wheels on the Bus)
The leaves on the trees go swish, swish, swish, (wave hands back and forth)
Swish, swish, swish,
Swish, swish, swish,
The leaves on the trees go swish, swish, swish,
All through the fall.
The leaves on the tree come tumbling down, (flutter hands down)
Tumbling down,
Tumbling down,
The leaves on the tree come tumbling down,
All through the fall.
The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch, (tap knees)
Crunch, crunch, crunch,
Crunch, crunch, crunch,
The leaves on the ground go crunch, crunch, crunch,
All through the fall.
Source: Librarian Lisa
Rhyme/Flannel: Apple Roll
Five little apples in the bowl, (count on fingers)
One fell out and started to roll. (roll hand over hand)
It bumped the table (tap knees) and hit my feet, (stomp feet)
How many apples left to eat?
(count down)
Source: Storytime Katie
Egg Shakers: Shake It by Sally’s Music Circle
Book: Little Apple Goat by Caroline Jayne Church
A little goat prefers apples, pears, and cherries to tin cans. She likes to spit the seeds over a little wall and she accidentally plants an orchard to the delight of everyone on the farm after the original orchard is destroyed in a storm. The ending usually requires a little extra thinking from the kids about where the new orchard came from but once we go back to the page where little goat is spitting the seeds over the wall, it sinks in!
Song: Baby Shark
Baby shark do do do do do do (shark mouth with two fingers)
Baby shark do do do do do do
Baby shark do do do do do do
Baby shark
Other verses:
Mama Shark (shark mouth with hands connected at the wrists)
Daddy Shark (shark mouth with whole arms)
Grandma Shark (shark mouth like mama shark but with fists)
Shark attack (snap arms overhead)
Swim away (swimming motion with arms)
Safe at last (jazz hands)
Source: Adapted from Kindergarten Nation
Closing Song: It’s Time to Say Goodbye to All Our Friends (to the tune of She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain When She Comes)
It’s time to say goodbye to all our friends, “Goodbye!” (tap knees)
It’s time to say goodbye to all our friends, “Goodbye!”
It’s time to say goodbye,
Wave your hands and wink your eye, (wave, wink)
Now it’s time to say goodbye to all our friends, “Goodbye!”
Source: Sunflower Storytime
The Short Stack Librarian 