Nothing But Monkey Business: Pumpkins!

Pumpkins are part of the squash family and are really a fruit. They are related to cucumbers! They are an important part of the fall season and are used as a symbol for both Halloween and Thanksgiving. The native Americans used pumpkins for food long before the Pilgrims ever landed here. They are also used as decorations. In this lesson, we are going to be doing everything we can with the fabulous fall fruit called Pumpkin!

CIRCLE TIME

Print the informative booklet and go through it with the class. It is chock full of interesting information about pumpkins!

Pumpkin Booklet

BIBLE

Pumpkin Carving Prayer

I found this in DLTK! This is an awesome way to incorporate our Christian values into Halloween.

http://www.dltk-bible.com/t.asp?b=m&t=http://www.dltk-bible.com/songs/cpumpkincarving.gif

BOOKS

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Pumpkin-Charlie-Brown-Peanuts/dp/0762433027/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1381849273&sr=8-4&keywords=its+the+great+pumpkin+charlie+brown

This is a great book to read, but also a terrific video to watch!

Video: http://www.amazon.com/Pumpkin-Charlie-Remastered-Deluxe-Edition/dp/B0019KAQEU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1381849335&sr=8-2&keywords=its+the+great+pumpkin+charlie+brown

Big Pumpkin

http://www.amazon.com/Big-Pumpkin-Erica-Silverman/dp/0689801297/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1381849375&sr=1-1&keywords=big+pumpkin

The witch has grown the biggest pumpkin ever, and now she wants to make herself a pumpkin pie for Halloween. But the pumpkin is so big she can't get it off the vine.
It's so big the ghost can't move it, either. Neither can the vampire, nor the mummy. It looks as if there'll be no pumpkin pie for Halloween, until along comes the bat with an idea to save the day.
How can the tiny bat succeed where bigger and strong spooky creatures have failed? You'll be surprised!

SCIENCE

Pumpkin Science

Print out the Pumpkin Exploration Sheet! Pumpkin Exploration Sheet

You will need:
A large pumpkin
Above worksheet
Pencil
Measuring tape
Bathroom scale
Tub of water
Knife (be careful not to let the kids get it!)
Spoon for scooping seeds
Plastic bags or table covers
Large baking sheet with sides

The class will need to be sitting in such a way that they can all see you and will also be able to get to the pumpkin for a little hands-on interaction. Place plastic under your pumpkin in order to protect whatever it is sitting on, this is going to be messy!

Work through the Exploration sheet step by step. Have the class help to count the creases. Let them help with the measuring. Weigh your pumpkin. BEFORE you tell them how much it weighs, let them give a guess. Do they think it will float? Try it! Finally, cut into it. Cut a large circle from the top so there is enough room for them to get their hands inside. Let them explore and come up with their own questions and comments!

MATH

Pumpkin Seed Counting

Now that you have some pumpkin seeds, you can use them for this math activity. Or you can just buy a bag!
Print the sheet for each child. They should place the number of seeds on each pumpkin according to the number listed on the pumpkin! The last page is some simple addition which you can try if you wish.

Pumpkin Seed Counting Sheet

Pumpkin Size Ordering

http://seabearskindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/09/ordinal-numbers-in-pumpkin-patch.html

This link will take you to a great site with a fun ordering activity. You will download the sheet and print as many as you need. Cut out the different sized pumpkins at the bottom (or you can let the kids do it for a little extra scissor practice) and then allow the kids to place them in size order.

("Math is full of sequences." Almost everything that a child does in math involves following a sequence. Sequencing ability allows children to put things, do things, or keep things in the right order. For example, to count from one to ten requires presenting the numbers in a definite order. When solving math problems, children usually are expected to do the right steps in a specific order to achieve the correct answer. - from PBS.org)

LETTER / READING

Letter I and Short I Reading

http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/practice-tracing-i-prek/

Print the worksheet from Education.com. This sheet has some writing practice and also a couple of words that begin with I.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f Starfall.com

This week will begin our lessons on short I! Please do the ig and ip lesson.

ALSO - Down the right side are some extra fun activities! Please do the pumpkin activity. They will get to make their own jack-o-lantern on the computer. Super fun!

http://www.readingbear.org/

On readingbear.org work on the short I sound also. Try to do one segment a day to keep them interested!

MOTOR SKILLS

Fine - Picking Up Pumpkin Seeds with Tongs

You will need:
Several small bowls or cups
Pumpkin seeds
Several sets of tongs

Place a bowl of seeds in front of each child. Their goal is to transfer as many seeds as you ask (say 10) from the bowl to the table in front of them using only the tongs. You could provide pumpkin themed paper plates for them to place the seeds onto.
-Great for honing their fine motor skills in their hands and fingers, and can also be great for counting!

Gross - Rolling Pumpkin Races!

This is a good one for outside! If you don't want to buy lots of full grown pumpkins that may be destroyed, you can substitute pie pumpkins since they are usually cheaper and harder to smash.

Make a starting line and a finish line. I think it is best to only have 2 kids racing at a time for this one, otherwise it can get a bit chaotic! Have the kids race down the course while rolling their pumpkins. You can have them use their feet, like in soccer. Or they can crawl. You could even have them use a broom to "sweep" it along. Whatever sounds good to you! Winners could win a pumpkin to take home, or stickers or whatever! A super fun time.

MUSIC

5 Little Pumpkins

A classic!

ART/CRAFT

Art - Painting Pumpkins

Materials Needed:
Pumpkins
Paints (tempura work best)
Paintbrushes, paint sponges, rollers, etc

This is an easy one! Give each child a pumpkin, some paint and brushes and let them go to town!

(You could also let them use stickers, googley eyes, sticks, leaves, or whatever else you wish!)

Craft - Paper Pumpkins

Make a pumpkin template on orange paper, or you could also use orange craft foam! Cut out a few shapes for the eyes, noses, and mouths out of black paper or foam. Give each child a pumpkin template and allow them to choose the shapes they want to add. Give them a glue stick and let them put their Jack-o-lanterns together! These always end up adorable! Also they last forever.

COOKING

Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients:

Raw pumpkin seeds (they need to be well washed and dried if from a pumpkin)

Butter

*Whatever spice you want! I prefer to make cinnamon sugar seeds

Put the seeds in a big bowl. Melt the butter and have a child help pour the butter over the seeds. Have other children help to add each spice to the bowl. The children can then take turns stirring it all up. You want to make sure that all the seeds are well coated. Spread the seeds out onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes (check them often!) at 375º.