Pumpkins are a popular topic of interest and discussion in the fall. This week, we are featuring two different classrooms that did their own activities and studies about these festive gourds.
Pumpkins in the JK1 Classroom – by Mrs. Dover
In October, the JK1 class spent a week and a half learning about pumpkins. We started our theme week with a measuring activity. The JK’s were asked to estimate the height of a small, medium, and large pumpkin in counting cubes. After estimating the height of each pumpkin, we used the counting cubes to measure the heights of each pumpkin. Some of our estimates were close to the accurate height and some were smaller or larger than the actual number. We recorded our numbered estimate and results. To continue the activity, The JK1’s worked in groups of three to explore with their own pumpkin. They measured and recorded the height of their pumpkin, scooped out the contents, drew pictures of their observations, and attempted to count the seeds. We unfortunately underestimated the amount of seeds that we would find and ran out of time before we could finish scooping out and counting all of the seeds.
We also discussed the parts of and growth cycle of a pumpkin. We dissected a large pumpkin as the JK’s were asked which part of the pumpkin they thought that the part belonged to. We labelled the parts of our pumpkin and placed our dissected pumpkin into the science centre. The seeds that were scooped out of our pumpkins were used for a planting activity.
The JK’s were asked to put growth sequencing cards in the order that they thought was correct. We planted pumpkin seeds in soil and in plastic bags with cotton balls. We did this to discover which environment would help our pumpkin seeds to sprout faster. After a week, and a lot of excited observations, we noticed that the pumpkin seeds in the soil grew a lot faster than the seeds in the plastic bags. The JK’s also completed a pumpkin growth cycle worksheet, a pumpkin craft activity with paper plates, and drew pictures of the present look and hypothesised future look of our sprouts.
Our theme concluded with a lesson on density. We used a small, medium, and large pumpkin for a sink of float activity. We dropped each pumpkin in a tub of water after asking the children to hypothesise whether each pumpkin would sink or float. The JK children were excited to see that each pumpkin did in fact float in the water. They were asked why the pumpkins were floating even though they were very heavy. We discussed how the hollow pumpkin is the reason and that most of the weight is spread out on the pumpkin rather than focussed in the middle. We added rocks to the small pumpkin and tested the weight of the small pumpkin compared to the large one. We agreed that the small pumpkin was much lighter than the large pumpkin but the JK’s were surprised to see the small pumpkin with rocks sank to the bottom of our tub of water.
Our JK1 class had a great time learning about pumpkins and continued learning independently after concluding our themed activities.
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Grade 2B – Happy Pumpkin Day! by Mrs. Yuen
Back in October, the grade 2B class welcomed two special pumpkin friends into their classroom. The children collectively designed their unique faces and voted on their names, resulting in the creation of Pumpkie Pumpkin Pie and Scary Skinny Stick! For a whole month, our pumpkin pals became special members of the class family, watching over the children and enjoying the hustle and bustle of each day!
This past Friday, we celebrated our beloved pumpkin friends with a full ‘Pumpkin Day!’ We kicked off the festivities with a scientific investigation of Pumpkie Pumpkin Pie and Scary Skinny Stick. After learning about the fascinating life cycle of pumpkins, the students put on their investigator hats and made educated guesses about Pumpkie, including its height in snap cube units, its weight, the number of lines (ribs) it had, the number of seeds inside, and whether it would float or sink in water. Excitement filled the room as they eagerly awaited the results of their predictions. The highlight was discovering whether Pumpkie would sink or swim! After a dramatic countdown, Pumpkie was gently lowered into the ‘pool,’ and the class erupted in cheers when they saw that Pumpkie could indeed float despite its heavy weight!
Following a read-aloud of the book, ‘How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?,’ the students excitedly opened up Pumpkie and Scary to count the seeds inside. Using their knowledge of place value and grouping, they counted and grouped the seeds by ones, tens, and hundreds. The class had a blast exploring the cool, slimy texture of the pulp and working together to count the seeds! To their surprise, they discovered that their pumpkin friends had far more seeds than expected! Scary had a total of 232 seeds while Pumpkie boasted a grand total of 552 seeds!
To wrap up the day, the class created their own goofy pumpkin craft. The boys and girls enjoyed seeing each other’s silly pumpkin creations at the end of the project!
Although we were all a little sad to say goodbye to Pumpkie Pumpkin Pie and Scary Skinny Stick, we are so thankful for the ‘wonder-fall’ and memorable time we shared with our special pumpkin friends!