Next week our pumpkin study continues and we have another pumpkin patch field trip to take before Wednesday.
These ideas were compiled by a homeschooling friend of mine several years ago when we were doing a Pre-School co-op together. She compiled the ideas and I had to carry them out while at a pumpkin patch with 40 little pre-schoolers. Whew! Talk about a Pumpkin Fest that was!
I also had my horticulturalist brother-in-law come out to talk to the children and give a presentation on seeds and pumpkins. So, if you can, taking a field trip to a nursery and getting the owner or a worker to speak to your children is another excellent idea.
In the meantime, enjoy the plans you can use this week. We will be doing some of them this week on into November. They carry easily into November since it is still harvest time.
PUMPKIN FUN! Compiled by Katherine Martin
ADOPT A PUMPKIN STATION: Child will choose a pumpkin and will be issued an adoption certificate. Child will bring his pumpkin to other stations to begin the process of getting to know his pumpkin. (I have a PDF file of this pumpkin adoption certificate. If you would like a copy, please email me and I'll be happy to forward it to you.)
WEIGHT STATION: Child will estimate his pumpkin’s weight, and record it on his adoption certificate. Then weigh it, and record the actual weight on the adoption certificate.
HEIGHT STATION: Child will estimate his pumpkin’s height by telling how tall he thinks his pumpkin is, or by pointing to the measurement on the yardstick. Then child will measure the pumpkin’s height on a yardstick, recording both measurements on his adoption certificate.
CIRCUMFERENCE STATION: Child will estimate the pumpkin’s circumference by marking with red marker a piece of string (not yarn, it stretches), that he thinks will go around his pumpkin, measure the string and record the measurement. Then child will measure the pumpkin with his string and mark it with an orange marker. Child will measure the string and record the actual circumference.
SINK OR FLOAT STATION: Child will predict whether his pumpkin will sink or float. Child will place pumpkin in tub of water to see if his prediction is correct. Record prediction and results on adoption certificate. If the pumpkin floats, do they float with stem up, stem down, or stem sideways? Child can also predict whether other nature items will sink or float: pine cone, pecan, feather, leaf, rock, walnut, cranberry, apple, etc.
JACK-O-LANTERN STATION: Child can decorate pumpkin with Washable Crayola Markers. The markers will wipe off with a damp sponge and he can make a different face if he wishes. He can also dress-up his pumpkin with different hats, scarves, glasses, sunglasses, wigs, etc.
RIDGE STATION: Child will estimate the number of ridges on his pumpkin. Child will count the number of ridges on his pumpkin. Record the estimation and the actual number of ridges on the adoption certificate.
SEED STATION 1: Child will predict the number of seeds in his pumpkin, and record it on his adoption certificate. He can count the actual number at home when he is finished with his pumpkin. Child will estimate the number of pumpkin seeds in a jar. Do you think all pumpkins have the same number of seeds? Child will taste roasted pumpkin seeds. Child will look at the inside of a soaked and open pumpkin seed with a magnifying glass.
SEED STATION 2: Child will plant a pumpkin seed in a ziplock bag with a little dirt and water. Zip the bag tight. Send instructions home with child. Hang bag up somewhere and they require no further maintenance. The bag will fog up and clear up, similar to clouds and rain. The ziplock bag is like a world of its own. The other really awesome aspect of the bag is that the child can see the seeds open and the roots grow down and the sprout grow up. Shortly after they sprout the need to be transplanted.
INSIDE A PUMPKIN STATION: On an orange pumpkin shaped piece of construction paper, child will recreate the inside of a pumpkin. Materials needed: two identical orange pumpkin shaped pieces of construction paper (one for cover: with the title printed “Inside a Pumpkin“) yellow yarn, pumpkin seeds, glue, one leaf to attach to stem, and brad to attach the front and back of the pumpkin at the stem. Also need two cut pumpkins (one large and one small) on display for child to examine (see, touch, and smell) beforehand.
Things to discuss:
*Are the seeds scattered randomly within a pumpkin or arranged in some sort of pattern?
*Do big pumpkins have larger seeds than small pumpkins?
*Is there anything in a pumpkin which lines up with the creases on the outside.
*How thick is the skin of a pumpkin? How far in is the meat?
LIFE CYCLE STATION: Child will recreate the life cycle of a pumpkin. Materials needed: 2 cheap paper plates, scissors, green yarn, crayons, glue, life cycle pictures. Child will color, cut out, and attach the life cycle pictures to green yarn. The green yarn is attached to the bottom inside of the paper plate (colored orange), then the plates are stapled together. Add a stem. Stuff the life cycle pieces into the “pumpkin” plate, then as you pull out the pieces, tell the story of the pumpkin’s life cycle.
MOSAIC STATION: Child will use dyed pumpkin seeds to create a mosaic. Materials needed: dyed pumpkin seeds, glue, cardboard, crayons. Mosaics are made of tiny colored pieces of stone, pottery, glass, or other materials, arranged together and set in plaster or cement to make patterns or images. They can be used to decorate a floor, a wall, or in some cases a ceiling. Mosaics have a long history. They were created in Ancient times in Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. When the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum (which buried under lava when Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79) were rediscovered, many wonderful mosaics were found. Imagine making a mosaic using over one million pieces of glass - all hand cut, and placed in wet plaster to create a huge pattern for an entry hall! It is a project that would that months and in some cases even many years to complete. For several centuries, interest in the making of mosaics declined. It wasn’t until the 19th century, when architects started to look at old ideas for new inspiration, that the interest once again returned and mosaics began popping up in public buildings and private homes.
PUMPKIN BOWLING STATION: Set up regular bowling pins. Child will use a small pumpkin for a bowling ball.
PUMPKIN TOSS STATION: Take a few pumpkins, varying in size, and line them up. Give the child some sort of ring that will fit over the pumpkins; such as a hula hoop. If you are using very small pumpkins, you can use an embroidery hoop, or the metal rings you can find in varying sizes at the craft store. Then mark the line where they are to stand, and have the child try to toss the hoop over the pumpkins. It doesn’t matter if they get it or not, you can reward them small prizes or stickers.
PUMPKIN DANCING STATION: Transform the Mexican Hat Dance into a pumpkin dance. Place pumpkin on the ground and have the children form a circle around it. Use the dance steps of the Mexican Hat Dance--right heel, left heel, right heel, clap-clap, (repeat 3 more times), then you join hands and skip around the pumpkin in a circle.
PUMPKIN READING STATION: 
Marsha Diane Arnold. The Pumpkin Runner
Gail Gibbons. The Pumpkin Book
Liz Curtis Higgs. The Pumpkin Patch Parable
Bunting, Eve. The Pumpkin Fair
Mary Lyn Ray. Pumpkins: A Story for a Field
Teri Sloat. Patty's Pumpkin Patch
James Whitcomb Riley. When the Frost is on the Punkin'
Anne Rockwell. Apples and Pumpkins
Megan McDonald. The Great Pumpkin Switch
Erica Silverman. Big Pumpkin
Tasha Tudor. Pumpkin Moonshine
Helen Cooper. Pumpkin Soup
Kroll, Steven. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
Titherington, Jeanne. Pumpkin, Pumpkin
George Levenson. Pumpkin Circle
White, Linda. Too Many Pumpkins
Zagwyn, Deborah Turney. The Pumpkin Blanket
PUZZLE/COLORING FUN STATION: Child will do word puzzles, dot-to-dot, word search, etc.
TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS
4C water 2C fresh pumpkin seeds, rinsed
1 1/2T salt 2T vegetable oil
Combine water, seeds, and salt in a bowl. Cover for at least 8 hours. After seeds have soaked, preheat oven to 350 F. Drain seeds and pat dry with paper towels. Toss with oil and spread on a shallow baking sheet. Toast for 20 minutes. Season by tossing with additional salt or spices.
TO COOK PUMPKIN
Wash pumpkin well and cut in half; scrape out seeds and stringy fibers with a large spoon. Cut into wedges. Do not peel, that will take the color from the pumpkin. Place the pieces shell side up, in baking dish. Bake in preheated 325 F oven for 40 to 60 minutes. Let cool, then peel. Put the pumpkin through a colander. You can use your hand to push the pumpkin through the holes. Freeze pumpkin 2 cups / freezer bag.
DEEP-DISH PUMPKIN PIE
1 3/4C flour 2 C pumpkin
1/3C brown sugar, packed 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3C sugar 2 eggs
1C margarine, cubed, small 1 t. cinnamon
1C nuts, chopped 1/2 t. salt
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, combine flour and sugars; cut in margarine until crumbly. Stir in nuts. Reserving 1 cup crumb mixture, press remainder firmly on bottom and halfway up the sides of the 12x7-inch baking dish. In large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients except remaining crumb mixture; mix well. Pour into prepared dish. Top with remaining crumb mixture. Bake 55 minutes. Cool. Serve with ice cream or coolwhip. Refrigerate leftovers.
Cay,
We have always roasted pumpkin seeds but I have never seen a recipe that said to soak them overnight. Can you tell me what that does for the seeds? How does it make a difference? Thanks!
Posted by: matilda | October 27, 2007 at 08:31 AM