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As a home school mom, I am always looking for fun ways to teach my girls. Since it is currently fall, I wanted to find ways to teach about an iconic part of fall: pumpkins. I was able to find some hands-on activities to really engage them in learning.
I have twins that are 8 and a 5 year old. We use a one room school house approach so the 5 year old learns the same thing as the older girls, but she doesn’t go as in-depth. You could easily edit these activities to meet the needs of your children.
You can search for deals on pumpkins here.
Here are some of my favorite pumpkin lessons:
Do Pumpkins Sink or Float?
Materials:
Pumpkins
Water
Large Tub
Fill up a large tub with water. Talk about why thing sink or float, and then have the kids guess what they think the pumpkin will do. You can then let them try it out to see what happens! Extend the lesson by experimenting with different size pumpkins and different amounts of water.
Can You Play Basketball With a Pumpkin?
Materials:
Pumpkins
Newspaper (to contain the mess)
It is round like a ball, but will it bounce? Take the kids outside and let them try it out! Discuss what makes something bounce.
Different Parts Of The Pumpkin
Materials:
Pumpkin (with hole in top)
Plates
Show your children the exterior parts of a pumpkin. Have them feel the outside, knock on it, etc. Take the pumpkin stem off and let them look inside the pumpkin. Give each child a plate of pumpkin guts. Let them pick out the seeds and review the different parts.
Afterward, have them draw a picture and label or explain the different parts.
How Many Seeds Are In A Pumpkins?
Materials:
How Many Seeds In A Pumpkin?
Small Pieces of Paper
Pumpkin Seeds
Construction Paper with 10 circles
Read the story and have your kids follow a similar process. Let them estimate the seeds. Give them each a piece of construction paper with 10 circles. Have your kids put a certain number of seeds in each circle. Will you do smaller amounts for younger kids. Use the circles to count all the seeds and see who’s estimate was the closest.
Books:
Pumpkin Pumpkin
It’s Pumpkin Time
How Many Seeds In A Pumpkin?
From Seeds To Pumpkin
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
Please share your favorite pumpkin home school activities in the comments below!
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