The Youth Services team at Flathead County Library plans and implements early literacy programs for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in Kalispell, Bigfork, and Columbia Falls. Our goal in every Storytime is to connect with young children and their caregivers through books, songs, and interactive activities that foster early literacy and social emotional skills.

Explore the Storytime Schedule

Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground, how’d you get so big and round? This month’s storytime post celebrates all things pumpkin! Join us as we dive into some of our favorite books, songs, and activities all about fall’s favorite fruit!

Books Read:

Amara’s Farm

by JaNay Brown-Wood
ISBN: 9781682631652

How to Help a Pumpkin Grow

by Ashley Wolff
ISBN: 9781481419345

Pumpkin Soup

by Helen Cooper
ISBN: 9781439563977

Songs & Interactives:

Put your Pumpkin in the Air (Credit to Pete Seeger and his song Put your Finger in the Air)

Make a fist with one hand and pretend it is a pumpkin! Then follow along to the song for a few good laughs! (You could use any object depending on the season or your needs. Ex: apple or snowball) 

Put your pumpkin in the air, in the air
Put your pumpkin in the air, in the air
Put your pumpkin in the air…
Now, put it on your hair
Put your pumpkin in the air, in the air

Put your pumpkin on your nose, on your nose
Put your pumpkin on your nose, on your nose
Put your pumpkin on your nose…
Now put it on your toes
Put your pumpkin on your nose, on your nose

Put your pumpkin on your belly, on your belly
Put your pumpkin on your belly, on your belly
Put your pumpkin on your belly…
Now wiggle it like jelly
Put your pumpkin on your belly, on your belly

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 and make a circle)
Once you were a seed so small (pretend to hold a seed)
Now you are a great big ball! (make a big circle with hands)
Pumpkin, pumpkin on the ground (crouch down)
How’d you get so big and round? (stretch arms and make a great big circle)

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Activities:

Pumpkin Sorting

Pumpkins come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, which gives us the perfect chance to practice our sorting skills! In this storytime, we asked kids to sort by size and organize pumpkins into two groups: little or big.

Pumpkin Patch Market Stall

Our market stall transformed into a pumpkin patch this fall, encouraging kids to pretend play as they bought, sold, and organized pumpkins!

Pumpkin Soup

This week we read the book Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper, and it only made sense that we try to make our own pumpkin soup just like Cat, Squirrel, and Duck in the story. With a couple of pumpkins, water, and tools to scoop and pour, our sensory tub this week served up the perfect bowl of fun! 

Pumpkin Yarn Painting

This simple process art activity provides plenty of opportunities to practice fine motor skills! First, kids used jumbo paintbrushes to spread glue over a pumpkin picture. Then they used their fingers or a pair of tongs to place strips of yarn over the glue in order to fill in their pumpkin.