Pumpkin Week!

The pumpkin.  To eat, play, and learn.  Who would have thought?!?!  This week, our learning topic was, in celebration of the season, pumpkins.  There are an infinite number of pumpkin learning activities and fun, but here is what we came up with.  Please, please add to the list! 

Our learning activities were the following:

Measure and compare the pumpkins  - using string, ribbon, anything on hand, we had Haakon measure the circumference, height, and count as many seeds as he could from the pumpkin.  We saved these pumpkins for use in our pumpkin slime activity!

Count the pumpkin seeds –  We practiced counting by using dried pumpkin seeds (from the same two pumpkins used for measuring, slime, etc).

The letter C – We use action letters from http://littleadventurespreschoolblogspot.com. Haakon traces the letter C and learns about words starting with C.  Since “Calabaza” is Spanish for pumpkin. This worked out wonderfully!  Thank heaven for my amazing mother-in-law!

Jack-O-Lantern Shapes – When creating Jack-O-Lantern’s we use shapes to make the faces.

Games and Activities:

Toss the ring around the pumpkin stem – Using the pie pumpkins we have, we used rings (toss-size rings) to toss and try to loop on the stems of the pumpkin.

Toss the ring in the pumpkin mouth – Using an old box, I carved a Jack-O-Lantern face and let the kids paint the box into a pumpkin.  We used the same rings to toss them into the Jack-O-Lantern

Create a Jack-O-Lantern face – Using paper pumpkins, I taped the pumpkin to the window and placed contact paper (sticky side away from the window) over them.  The kids used pre-cut pumpkin faces and stems to stick on the pumpkins.  Haakon was encouraged to discuss the pumpkin’s feelings – happy, sad, mad, excited based on how he put the faces together.

Pumpkin slime sensory activity – So much fun!  We used the pumpkins that we painted, colored, measured and gathered seeds to create pumpkin slime!  To make: I used the “guts” of the pumpkin and blended them with about 1 cup of liquid starch.  I put the mix inside the hollowed pumpkin and added about 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice and enough glue to create slime!  Innes especially loved this one!  A note about storing this slime – do not store in the pumpkin.  If you’ve made slime in this fashion before, it keeps well in ziplock bags, but I think the moisture from the pumpkin turned the slime tacky. 

Create pumpkin seed tambourines -  We colored paper plates and created Jack-O-Lanterns.  Again, using the seeds from the aforementioned pumpkins, added them to the inside of the paper plates and glued them together.  Instant tambourines!

Pumpkin seed sensory bin – Again, we used the seeds from the first two pumpkins and from the pumpkins we used to make pumpkin pie.  Allowed the kids to pour and swish to their hearts content. 

Make homemade pumpkin pie – The name says it all.  Is it wrong that this was perhaps more for me?  DE-LI-CIOUS as Haakon would say!  Let me know if you want the recipe.  It’s no state secret.  We took it off the pie pumpkins we purchased.

Art Projects

Paint our toss the ring in the pumpkin game- As mentioned above, I cut out the Jack-O-Lantern face and the kids painted. 

Pumpkin coloring – I let the kids color on the pumpkins and wiped them clean.  This way we could color numerous times. 

Books:

I love you, Little Pumpkin

Bearenstein Bears and the Giant Pumpkin

Where is Baby’s Pumpkin?

Five Little Pumpkins

Trips:

Our local Corn Maze – for a pumpkin picking hay ride and general fun!  We go as often as humanly possible. 

Boo at the Zoo – Just because it’s awesome and the kids love watching the animals eat pumpkins!

Things we missed:

Shaving cream pumpkin making – color shaving cream orange and let the kids go to town.  Once dry, cut the shape of a pumpkin out and boom! Shaving cream pumpkin.

How the week was structured:

Sometimes it is determined entirely around my work schedule – mostly that is true.  That which 

requires the least amount of labor, happens on the days I work.  But in general, here’s how it works:

Monday – Game Day

Tuesday – Field Trip/Activity

Wednesday - Library Day/Letters

Thursday – Arts and Crafts Day/Activity

Friday – Music/Activity/Letters

Saturday and Sunday – Food Activity/Activity/Field Trip/Gym Class – However it all works out!!!