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Volume 1 Issue 2
September 30, 2003
Pumpkins -- The Fruit of the Month!
WELCOME! to Education World's Early Childhood Newsletter.
Each month, I'll share some ideas on a familiar teaching
theme. Hopefully you will find a new activity idea or
two -- or a new twist on one of your old favorites!
Since I know you are very busy, I'll be short and sweet
-- like most of activities I suggest.
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Pumpkins are everywhere this month -- on farm stands,
in grocery stores, at flea markets, and on front porches.
In classrooms too! And while we all know about visits
to pumpkin farms, guest pumpkin carvers, and the mess
rotting jack-o-lanterns can make, we often forget that
this orange October icon can provide more than a month's
worth of activities. We can weigh, measure, paint, trace,
count, describe, feel, cut, cook, and carve pumpkins
-- and that's just the beginning!
Background for Teachers
Did you know that...?
* Pumpkins are fruits (the edible reproductive body
of a seed plant; the ripened ovary of a seed plant and
its contents).
* Pumpkins are indigenous (originating in and occurring
naturally in a particular region or environment) to
the Americas.
Build vocabulary
Collect pumpkins all month long.
* Create a pumpkin display where children can easily
observe and touch them.
* Display pumpkins in a variety of sizes, shapes, weights,
and a range of colors.
* Involve parents by having each child contribute a
pumpkin to the display. Ask parents to talk with their
children about the pumpkins, listing words that describe
their pumpkins. Children can share their word lists
with the class.
* Combine word lists into a master list on chart paper.
Add to the list as the month proceeds and refer to it
whenever "pumpkin talk" occurs.
Wax Poetic
Write "pumpkin" vertically on chart paper.
Ask children for two or three words describing pumpkins
that begin with each letter of the word p-u-m-p-k-i-n.
You have a poem!
Sort and classify
When you have a good collection of pumpkins, children
can sort them into two groups by similarities and see
if classmates can figure out the sorting scheme. (Are
they sorted by big and small? Stems and no stems? Smooth
surface and bumpy surfaces? Flat spots and no flat spots?
The sorting opportunities are endless!)
Order by Size
Using 5 or 10 pumpkins, children can set a timer to
see how fast they can arrange the pumpkins in order
from largest to smallest. Record the times and create
a graph from the results. (You can make this easy or
difficult by your selection of pumpkins.)
Measurement
Organize a collection of pumpkins of different sizes.
Then...
* Working in teams, children can wrap string around
the widest part of each pumpkin and cut it to the length
of the pumpkin's circumference.
* Set children on a classroom quest to find one object
shorter than their string, and one object longer than
their string.
* Arrange the strings in order of length.
* Measure the strings with a ruler, yardstick, or measuring
tape.
Count Seeds
Cut open one pumpkin each week and count the number
of seeds. You might photograph each pumpkin (with an
item beside it to show the size) for a scrapbook. Record
the number of seeds found in each pumpkin.
Get Creative
Invite students to "Just Imagine." How would
they make...
a pumpkin chair?
a pumpkin bed?
a pumpkin house?
a pumpkin desk?
a pumpkin car or SUV?
a pumpkin _____?
Pumpkin Life Cycle
Learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin by reading aloud
Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington.
Read a Classic
Mousekin's Golden House by Edna Miller, difficult to
find, is a heart-warming story about a mouse taking
shelter in a discarded and decomposing jack-o-lantern
as winter approaches. (If you have this book, don't
lose it. It is a classic and has become quite valuable!)
Looking for some great online resources for
pumpkin fun?
101
Things to Do With a Pumpkin
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays/p101d.htm
Recipes, carving ideas, facts, pumpkin boats, decorating
tips, clip art, centerpieces, pumpkin history, pumpkin
costumes, and even more!
Pumpkin
Nook
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/
See a photo of a 1458-pound pumpkin! Find tips for growing
giant pumpkins
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