Making Halloween a little bit musical

It's that time of year...Halloween! And here in this photo, is my daughter, Hannah, from a few years ago.

Please feel free to come to class this week in costume - it's sooooo fun for your child to be totally into their character!

I have to share one of the most endearing stories I've ever heard in my ten years of teaching Kindermusik. Several years ago, about a week before Halloween, Cassandra and her son, Solomon, about three years old, were discussing Halloween costumes as they were arriving for KM class. She came inside the class and whispered in my ear the conversation she'd had with him. "Mommy, I know what I want to be for Halloween. I want to be Miss Beth." Thump-thump-thump went my heart. I was speechless, and his Mom and I did our best to stifle our laughter in front of Solomon... No doubt about it - the best compliment I could ever get from a child. :)

So regarding this time of year, musically speaking...... while there's a lot of Halloween-type songs and chants out there, I find many of them a bit scary for our littlest ones. Here are three little songs/chants you can have fun with!

Pumpkins on the Ground (To the Tune of: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star)

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (crouch down)

How'd you get so big and round? (stretch arms out wide to sides and then make a circle)

Once you were a seed so small, (pretend to hold a seed)

Now you are a great big ball! (make huge circle with hands)

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (crouch down)

How'd you get so big and round? (stretch arms out wide to sides and then make a circle)

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate (hold up five fingers and point to each in turn…)

The first one said, Oh My it's getting late

The second one said, “There’s witches in the air”

The third one said, “But we don’t care” (hand gesture)

The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run” (make running sounds with hands on floor)

The fifth one said, “I’m ready for some fun!”

When whishhhhhhhhhh went the wind (gesture with arms the wind wishing)

and OUT went the light (clap hands together)

and the 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight (roll hands & then run fingers behind back)

Did You Ever See a Pumpkin? (To the Tune of: Did You Ever See a Lassie)

Did You ever see a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Did you ever see a pumpkin with no face at all?

With no eyes and no nose and no mouth and no teeth,

Did you ever see 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 and big teeth,

So I made a Jack-O-Lantern with a big funny face!