Materials
large paper
large pumpkin
large knife (adult use)
pumpkin carving kit (available at most grocery stores)
two cookie sheets
salt
cooking oil
Instructions
1. The children will see a lot of pumpkins in the fall. Ask them what they
know about pumpkins. Make a Knowledge Web to record their
responses. Draw a circle in the center of a large sheet of paper. Draw a
pumpkin in the circle and print the word "pumpkin" below it. Record
their responses in smaller circles around the large circle. Draw lines from
their response circles to the center circle to create a "web." Post the web
in a prominent spot in the room.
2. Show the children a large pumpkin. Invite them to feel its surface and
describe how it feels. Write down their responses. Draw a pumpkin in the
middle of a piece of poster board. Print the children's descriptions
around the drawing.
3. Ask them to predict how much the pumpkin weighs. Record their
responses. Weigh the pumpkin and the children. Graph the results on
poster board ("Do You Weigh More Or Less Than a Pumpkin?"). Write the
pumpkin's weight under the label. Make two columns: More and Less. As
you weigh each child, put his weight and name in the appropriate
column. If your pumpkin is large enough, it may weigh more than some
children in the class.
4. Ask the children to predict what is inside the pumpkin. Ask leading
questions: "What do you think the pumpkin looks like inside?" "Will it be
wet or dry?" Record their responses with a mini-recorder.
5. Cut off the top of the pumpkin. Safety Note: This should be done by an
adult. Do not leave the knife where children can reach it.
6. Encourage the children to look at and touch the inside of the pumpkin.
Ask them to describe how it looks, feels, and smells. Record their
responses.
7. Make a graph that shows the difference between what the children
thought would be inside the pumpkin and what they actually observed.
Label the top of a large piece of poster board: "Exploring Pumpkins."
Make three columns and one row for each child. On the top of the first
column, print "This child ..." Label the second column: "thought the
insides of the pumpkin would be ..." Label the third column: "and the
insides were ..."
8. Print the children's names in the first column. Print something the
children said BEFORE seeing the insides of the pumpkin in the second
column and something the children said AFTER seeing the insides of
the pumpkin in the third column.
9. Let the children use a scoop to scoop out the pumpkin's pulp.
10. As some children are scooping, have others sort the seeds from the
stringy pumpkin pulp. Encourage the children to count the seeds as
they sort them. Place the seeds in a bowl of water.
11. Wash the seeds to remove the pulp. In a bowl, toss the seeds with oil
and salt to taste and spread them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake
the seeds at 250 degrees, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until
they are golden and crisp. Let cool and enjoy this seasonal treat.
12. If you wish, use the tools contained in the pumpkin carving kit to carve
a happy pumpkin face.
More to do Snack: Make a pumpkin pie with the children using the following recipe.
Ingredients
Pie crust, bottom only
2 cups pumpkin pulp (mashed with a fork)
3/4 cup apple butter or plum butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs
1 cup half-&-half
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Mix pumpkin, apple or plum butter, and all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix the eggs and half-&-half in another bowl, then add to the first.
Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about an hour.
