Spook-E-Do
Tell the children that each one of them will have a chance to show the others in the group a trick. Call on a child and lead the group to chant:
Hello, (name), Spook-E-Do What is the trick you are going to do Will you hop, or bend, or spin around Stretch, or wiggle, or touch the ground
Continue until all the children have had a chance to show their trick.
Bat, Bat, Come Under My Hat
Bat, bat, come under my hat
For here’s a slice of bacon
When I bake, I’ll give you a cake
If I am not mistaken
I Said My Pajamas
I said my pajamas
I slipped on my prayers
I went up my slippers
I took off my stairs
I turned off the bed
I jumped in the light
The reason for this is
You gave me a fright!
Hay Ho Halloween’s here. (sung to “The Farmer In The Dell”)
Oh, Halloween is here,
Oh, Halloween is here,
With costumes on we’ll walk around,
We’ll knock on doors all over town,
When Halloween is here.
The Twelve Days Of Halloween (sung to “The Twelve Days of Christmas”)
At the first house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the second house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the third house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… three pralines, two lollipops, and large piece of chocolate taffy
At the fourth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and large piece of chocolate taffy
At the fifth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the sixth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the seventh house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the eighth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the ninth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the tenth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the eleventh house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me…eleven creamy nougats, ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy
At the twelfth house on Halloween my neighbor gave to me… twelve cherry bonbons, eleven creamy nougats, ten shiny pennies, nine orange gumdrops, eight chewy caramels, seven candied apples, six peanut clusters, FIVE POPCORN BALLS!!! Four peppermints, three pralines, two lollipops and a large piece of chocolate taffy!
Sing A Song Of Halloween (sung to: “Sing A Song Of Sixpence”)
Sing a song of Halloween,
What a scary night,
Ghosts and bats and big black cats,
Give us all a fright.
Shining jolly Jack-O-Lanterns
Fill our hearts with fun,
But if the black witch comes along,
We’ll all run!
Halloween Night (sung to “Frere Jacques”)
Jack-o-lanterns, jack-o-lanterns,
Hall-o-ween, Hall-o-ween!
See the owls gliding,
Coal black cats are hiding,
Ghosts go “Boo,” ghosts go “Boo!”
Haunted House (sung to “Pop Goes The Weasel”)
All around the haunted house,
The bat chased the goblin.
The ghost floated overhead.
Scat! went the black cat.
Halloween Visitors (sung to “Row Your Boat”)
Dancers, pirates, queens, and clowns
Are knocking at the door.
It’s only trick-or-treaters who
Want candy from the store.
The Floppy Scarecrow…
The Floppy, floppy scarecrow
Guards his fields all day.
He waves his floppy, floppy hands
To scare the crows away! Repeat poem, replace bold type with arms, toes, head, legs, etc.
Cat Of Many Colors
Once there was a cat all white who wished that he were black as night.
He was thirsty as could be, and in the cupboard, what did he see?
Grape juice right before his eyes! He drank it. Then to his surprise,
he turned from white to something new. Deep dark purple was his hue.
He peered into his little cup, saw tomato juice, and lapped it up.
He soon became the brightest red. He thought, “maybe I should go to bed.”
But he wasn’t tired, and so he looked for somewhere else to go.
He spied an orange on the floor, and pounced on it, and played some more.
As he played this little game, orange was what he became.
He played with some blueberries, too. So suddenly the cat turned blue.
A sour lime sat on the ground. The kitty licked it and he found
that he felt strange and not so keen, for he had turned the color green.
Now he was a sad little fellow. So he ate a banana and turned the color yellow.
Just then he saw a tasty treat, another food he had to eat.
A long black piece of licorice gave the little cat his wish.
He ate it all, and soon he was black from his head to his paws!
Why did this happen? You guessed it right if you blamed it on Halloween night.
Dress Up
A pretty princess wears a crown (form circle above head)
Bunny’s ears flop up and down (place hands above head and move up & down)
A beautiful ballerina dances to and fro(dance)
A funny clown laughs “Ho, ho, ho”
2 green eyes shine from a cat(circle eyes)
A scary witch wears a pointy hat (form point with arms above head)
Jack-O-Lanterns shine so bright (form circle with arms)
Happy children on Halloween night!
Black Cat Drama
Materials:
*pictures of black cats
Procedure: Children pretend they are black cats: -creeping, sneaking along -walking on a fence -playing with a ball of wool, etc.
Five Little Pumpkins
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate (hold up fingers for pumpkins)
The first once said “Oh my! It’s getting late”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air”
The third one said “But we don’t care”
The fourth one said “Let’s run and run and run”
The fifth one said “It’s Halloween fun”
Ooooooh went the wind
And out when the lights (clap hands to the word “out”)
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight (roll arms)
Jack-O-Lantern
I am a pumpkin, big and round (use arms to show size of pumpkin)
Once upon the time I grew on the ground (point to the ground)
Now I have a mouth, two eyes, a nose (point to features on your face)
What are they there for, do you suppose? (Right forefinger to forehead, thinking gesture)
When I have a candle inside (hold up right forefinger)
Shining bright I’ll be a Jack-O-Lantern on Halloween night! (Thumbs in armpits-bragging gesture)
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Pumpkin, pumpkin
Sitting on a wall (have children sit down)
Pumpkin, pumpkin
Tip and fall (have children tip over)
Pumpkin, pumpkin
Rolling down the street (child rolls on floor)
Pumpkin, pumpkin
Trick or treat!!!!
Mr. Pumpkin (sung to “Are You Sleeping”)
Mr. Pumpkin, Mr. Pumpkin,
Eyes so round, eyes so round.
Halloween is coming, Halloween is coming,
To my town, to my town.
Pumpkin, Pumpkin
Procedure: Place paper pumpkins, all different colors, and without stems, on floor. Give each child a stem that matches one of the pumpkins. Then form a circle, and walk around the pumpkins as you chant: Pumpkin, pumpkin without a stem, laying in the pumpkin patch. Here comes (name a child) with a stem of (child names color) to match. (Child then matches stem to correct pumpkin. Continue.)
The Very Hungry Pumpkin
Procedure: Put paper pumpkins of different colors in the middle of the circle.Begin a story by telling the children that an orange pumpkin (hold up orange one) was very hungry, and so he ate a banana and turned——. Children say “yellow” and one picks up the yellow pumpkin and hands it to the teacher. Teacher holds it and continues with other food items such as an apple, lime, chocolate ice cream, the sky, peas, etc. etc. Continue the same way. At the end, ask children to think of a food the pumpkin could eat, so he could turn orange again.
Ten Little Pumpkins
Cut 10 pumpkin shapes out of orange felt and place on flannel board. Remove the shapes one at a time as you recite the poem.
Ten little pumpkins all in a line
One became a jack-o-lantern, then there were 9
9 little pumpkins peeking through the gate
An farmer cam and took one, then there were 8
8 little pumpkins (there never were 11)
A green goblin took one, then there were 7
7 little pumpkins full of jolly tricks,
A white ghost took one, now there are 6
6 little pumpkins glad to be alive,
A black cat took one and then there were 5
5 little pumpkins by the barn door
A hoot owl took one, then there were 4
4 little pumpkins (as you can plainly see)
One became a pumpkin pie then there were 3.
3 little pumpkins feeling very blue,
One rolled far away, then there were 2.
2 little pumpkins alone in the sun,
One said “S long”, and then there was 1
1 little pumpkin left all alone
A little boy chose him, then there were none.
10 little pumpkins in a patch so green made everyone happy on Halloween.
Jack-O-Lantern
Jack-o-lantern, jack-o-lantern, you are such a funny sight (form circle with fingers)
As you sit there by the window, looking out at the night (make square with fingers and point to eyes)
You were once a sturdy pumpkin growing on a vine (move finger like following vine)
Now you are a jack-o-lantern, see the light shine (form circle with fingers of one hand, place finger of other hand in center of circle)
I Made A Jack-O-Lantern
I made a jack-o-lantern for Halloween night (form circle)
He has 3 crooked teeth but he wont bite (point to teeth and shake head)
He has 2 round eyes but cannot see (circle eyes)
He’s a jolly jack-o-lantern as happy as can be
Deck the Patch
Deck the patch with orange and black
Fa La La La La La La La La
Take along your goody sack
Fa La La La La La La La La
Don we now our gay appareal
Fa La La La La La La La La
Toll the Ancient Pumpkin Carol
Fa La La La La La La La La
O Pumpkin Cards
O Pumpkin cards! O Pumpkin cards! carry greetings to my friends.
Let them know the day is here When Great Pumpkin will appear.
O Pumpkin cards! O Pumpkin cards! Carry greetings to my friends.
Great Pumpkin is Coming to Town
You better not shriek, You better not groan,
You better not howl, You better not moan,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
He’s going to find out From folks that he meets
Who deserves tricks And who deserves treats,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
He’ll search in every pumpkin patch, Haunted houses far and near,
To see if you’ve been spreading gloom Or bringing lot’s of cheer.
So you better not shriek, You better not groan,
You better not howl, You better not moan,
Great Pumpkin is comin’ to town!
Hinx, Minx, The Old Witch Winks
Hinx, minx, the old witch winks
The fat begins to fry
Nobody’s home but Jumping Joan
Father, mother, and I
Stick, stock, stone dead
Blind men can’t see
Every knave will have a slave
You and I must be he
Late On A Dark And Stormy Night
Late on a dark and stormy night
Three witches stirred with all their might
Two little ghosts said, “How do you do?”
The Wizard went tiptoe, tiptoe Booooo!
Old Roger Is Dead
Old Roger is dead and he lies in his grave
Lies in his grave, lies in his grave
Old Roger is dead and he lies in his grave
Heigh ho, lies in his grave
They planted an Apple tree over his hand
The apples grew ripe and they all tumbled down
There came and old woman a-picking them up
Old Roger got up and he gave her a knock
This made the old woman go hippity-hop
Poor Willy The Witch
Poor Willy The Witch
Not too rich
Had a big itch
Fell in a ditch
Poor Willy The Witch
Witches In The Dark (sung to “Farmer In The Dell”) Have the children form a circle with one child in the middle. Instead of using ‘farmer’, ‘wife’, ‘nurse’, and the other names in the traditional song, pick names that have Halloween meanings. The children are called one by one into the center as the rest of the circle walks around them.
Witches in the dark, witches in the dark,
Hi ho for Halloween, witches in the dark.
The witch takes a bat, the witch takes a bat,
Hi ho for Halloween, the witch takes a bat.
The bat takes a black cat, the bat takes a black cat,
Hi ho for Halloween, the bat takes a black cat.
Continue until there is only one child left (witch, bat, black cat, goblin, pumpkin, skeleton). Call this child the ghost.
The ghost says “BOO!” the ghost says “BOO!” Hi ho for Halloween, the ghost says “BOO!”
Variation: Use the children’s costumes at a Halloween Party–for example: “The Pumpkin takes Winnie-the Pooh”, or “The clown takes the butterfly” etc.
Halloween Hop
Procedure: Teacher is the Silly Witch with the broom. “It is Halloween Night and it is very dark outside. I am a very silly witch and I am going to cast a very silly spell on you. I am going to wave my broom and turn all of you into frogs. Now, how do frogs move around? They Jump. Everytime I wave my broom, you will all jump around. When I put my broom down, you will all stop. “Great opportunity for teacher to display her acting talents.
Three Little Witches… (Use fingers for numbers)
One little, Two little, Three little witches,
Fly over haystacks, fly over ditches,
Sliding down moonbeams without any hitches,
Five Little Goblins On A Halloween Night
Five little goblins on a Halloween night
Made a very, very spooky site
The first one danced on his tippy-tip-toes
The next one tumbled and bumped his nose
The next one jumped high up in the air
The next one sang a Halloween song
Five goblins played the whole night long
Hooky Spooky
(sung to “Hokey Pokey”)
Put your right arm in, put your right arm out,
Put your right arm in and shake it all about
Do the Hooky Spooky and everybody shout
“That’s what it’s all about! BOO!”
Friendly Ghost (Sung to “Are You Sleeping”)
I’m a friendly ghost; I’m a friendly ghost
Watch me fly; watch me fly
I can fly right through the air
See how all the people stare
Way up high in the sky
On A Dark, Dark Night
On a dark, dark, night
In a dark, dark wood
In a dark, dark house
In a dark, dark room
In a dark, dark cupboard
On a dark, dark shelf
In a dark, dark box
There was a GHOST!
The Haunted House (sung to “Wheels on the Bus”)
The ghost in the house goes “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
“Boo! Boo! Boo!, Boo! Boo! Boo!”
The ghost in the house goes “Boo! Boo! Boo!”
On Halloween.
The steps in the house goes “Creek, creek, creek…”
The cats in the house go “Meow, meow, meow…”
The mice in the house go “Squeak, squeak, squeak..”
The people in the house go “Eek, eek, eek…”.
Finger puppet ghosts
Procedure: Put white adhesive tape on each child’s index finger(over top) and add eyes with black permanent marker. Have children recite and act out with ghost fingers. Little ghost(2), flying through the air. Little ghost(2)tickling my hair. Little ghost (2) flying way down low. Little ghost (2) tickling my toe. Little ghost (2) circling all around. Little ghost (2) please sit down. And–The ghosts fly in. The ghosts fly out. The ghosts are certainly all about.The ghosts fly high and then dive low. They’re always spooky wherever they go.
One comment:
The song “Jack-o-lantern” I remember singing when I was in kindergarten at Paddison elementary school in Norwalk, Ca. in 1970.