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Halloween and storytime: truly, the greatest team-up since some comic book thing I can't remember right now. Halloween is the greatest, particularly if you are in preschool. Sadly I am not, but doing Head Start storytimes is a pretty decent consolation prize. Here's this week's Class 1 and 2 storytime plan; I plan on updating in a day or with the (oh-so-slightly) tweaked version I will use with Class 3 and 4. 

1.  Opening:  Hello Song [with Gareth]
2.  Song/Activity:  Open Them, Shut Them
3.  STORY: Ghosts in the House! / Kazuno Kohara

I am so excited to read this book in storytime; it is one of my all-time favorites, especially at this time of year! I think it is amazing on a couple of levels, and like to use it year-round. Phooey on me for waiting until Halloween to read it with this group! But bully for us that we're going to read it on Thursday, and I think it will be a great way to kick off Halloween storytime, plus a nice transition into...

4. Song: The Ghosts Go Gliding [tune: When Johnny Comes Marching Home]

The ghosts go gliding by, one by one, woooo oooooohhh/The ghosts go gliding by, one by one, woooo oooooohhh/The ghosts go gliding by, one by one/The first one tripped on a skeleton/And they all went gliding down the street to trick or treat 

The ghosts go gliding by, two by two/The little one stopped when he heard a boo!
The ghosts go gliding by, three by three/The little one stopped when she saw me!
The ghosts go gliding by, four by four/The little one stopped to knock on a door.
The ghosts go gliding by, five by five/The little one stopped when the owl arrived.

So I've been practicing this one extra-slow and spooooo-ooo-oooooky. I think it will be fun. Source note: I took this (with one tweak) from Jane Cobb's I'm a Little Teapot. So there. 

5.  Stretch: Hickory Dickory Dock
6.  FP: Hot Chocolate/Chocolate 7.  STORY: There Was an Old Monster / Rebecca, Adrian & Ed Emberley
8.  Song/Activity: I’m a Little Pumpkin [tune: I’m a Little Teapot]

        I’m a little pumpkin, short and stout.
        Packed full of seeds that you can scrape out.
        When you’re all finished, then you’ll see,
        The cutest little jack o’lantern you ever did see.

        Also from Jane Cobb's I'm a Little Teapot.

9.  Stretch: This is My Right Hand
10.  Song/Flannel Board: BINGO

11.  STORY: Pumpkin Trouble / Jan Thomas
12.  Closing:  The More We Get Together [with Gareth]

I am actually cutting a verse from my closing-to-date; we used to sing separate verses for "get," "read," and "sing" together, but frankly I think the whole thing runs a little long.

Or we could just skip storytime and watch Halloween III: Season of the Witch instead*. Here's a spooky** clip to get you in the spirit:

*We will almost certainly not do this. Repeat, we will almost certainly not do this.
**Sort of?