Painting Some Pumpkins :)

 

When there’s (finally!) a bite of fall in the air, pumpkins start popping up everywhere!  There are so many cool lessons to enjoy involving pumpkins, such as those linked here: https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2020/10/we-are-scientists-pumpkin-exploration.html and https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-fun.html

For some Art interest, there is nothing like simple process painting for the little ones. Before their hand-eye coordination is fully developed, it’s still fun to work with paints to get that squishy feeling - either with hands, brushes or even sponges or other objects. 

Let them cover a paper with paint however you choose and after the page of orange painting dries, you can use thick cardboard stencils (cereal boxes?) cut in large pumpkin shapes to help them make lines and start to cut out their pumpkins! 

Make sure they’re on board with cutting into their artwork - modeling the process first will help them understand. Decide how to display - hanging by some yarn, taped on the wall or window, stuck on the fridge? 

Of course, kitchen sponges cut in the shape of pumpkins would be fun - your kiddos can print a whole field of pumpkins and fill in with drawn vines and leaves. 

Apples, cut in half, give a nice pumpkin shape, when dipped in paint and printed. Try using apples that are not super edible to avoid food waste.

Not looking to get out the paints - or need a quicker craft? Try large orange ink pads and spongy pumpkins to get a similar effect. 

Sometimes, though, you just want to paint on an actual pumpkin! We got the markers out for this one - fun was had by all! 

Choose your own craft, or do them all! 

Have fun! 

Pumpkin Day Feelings!

There are LOTS of great Halloween and Fall Read-Alouds! I’ve written about a few of them before (see https://makeearlylearningfun.blogspot.com/2013/10/great-halloween-reads.html?m=0 ) and there are so many more, but I wanted to show off a little board book that is a current favorite with the preschoolers over here :) 

IT’S PUMPKIN DAY, MOUSE! by Laura Numeroff is at first glance a cute, simple little book with great illustrations by Felicia Bond. 

But, as you turn the pages, you’ll see so many different emotions being shown through the pumpkins’ carved faces. Ask your kiddos how the pumpkin is feeling as you do a picture walk through this book. Talk about when they’ve ever felt this way. How about if a friend looked sad or mad … what could you do?

Big emotions like mad, sad, scared, surprised are represented here …. Even silly! You can use this book to make your own little flip books with some blank pumpkin shapes and have your littles fill in some emotional faces - simple lines that will help them show feelings, like the emoticons they are so used to seeing everywhere.   

 Use some small mirrors to have them try to see their own faces showing these emotions. The more they become familiar with naming how they are feeling, the more insight you might get during a difficult time when they are having trouble regulating their own emotions. 

Sometimes kiddos who are easily overwhelmed by noises and emotions, find Halloween a little scarier than the rest of us. This may help them sort out their feelings, as well. 

Of course, it’s also just FUN to read this book - it’s a simple and quick read with a cute ending and sometimes we just like to read for pleasure, too :) 

Have fun! 

 

Make Your Own Pumpkin Patch

It’s hard to make a plan these days for traditions like pumpkin picking! Just getting through each day is a lot, but if you’re thinking about it .... Some schools have arranged for farms to come by, some are doing virtual visits, some are coming up with other creative ideas! If your class is hybrid, it’s time-challenging to do anything together, but teachers are making it work, as best as they can :)

Having the whole class contribute to a project is one way to build community amongst the various sections of the class. In the past, when challenged by schedules or transportation/budget issues, we made our own pumpkin patch on the school property. This might work for this crazy year, too! 

Ask families and community members to contribute any item(s) they are able ... hay bales, corn stalks, scarecrow decorations, milk crates, clothing for a scarecrow, etc. They could drop it off in a specified area outdoors, so some may come before school, some after school, and some at drop off or pickup times. Put all the pieces together and let the children come up with a plan - and execute it. Since we had a few classes participating in ours, it was done bit by bit, which would work this year, if cohorts/remote is your model. 

  

Groups could also make a giant leaf pile and use it to stuff a scarecrow’s body, so he could sit-up :) Add a pumpkin or plastic jack-o-lantern for a head and think about a silly hat for your guy! Our kiddos had so much fun doing this, that we dumped him out and started over with the next group :) Why not even make more, if you get more clothes? 

Of course, our scarecrow needed a name, so that became another task ... coming up with and writing down suggestions, and reviewing them all to vote for our favorite! Spelling, writing, charting results ... all kinds of skills there! 

Our pumpkin patch became a place to read stories, observe nature, find natural treasures, and, ultimately, find a small pumpkin on Halloween. One class decided to supply their own, bringing a small pumpkin to share in the patch, while another class chipped in and got minis and painted them up as an activity after “picking” them outdoors. A hybrid class could pick a few with each cohort, and have remote learners stop by after hours for their own, then use markers or paints to decorate them all together, but apart :) 

Tip: Make sure that a volunteer only puts out the pumpkins as needed, so no friendly neighborhood critters grab them for snacks :) 

Have fun! 

We are Scientists: Pumpkin Exploration

There is nothing like hands-on experience for really learning and remembering about a topic. Pumpkins are a great subject for diving into and learning about in a multi-disciplinary way! 

Measuring is a fun way to start out .... try it with non-standard units of measure that you can compare to other objects. You can use something flexible like a rope or length of yarn to see how much it takes to go all the way around the pumpkin. You can also see how tall the pumpkin is this way, or use blocks or connecting cubes to get your answer. Hands on measuring and comparing are great math activities :) 

Talk about how your pumpkin grew and where it came from. Show photos of the stages of growth - from a seed to a sprout and changing colors - there are great non- fiction (and fiction) books that highlight this. You can find videos of pumpkins growing and even virtual pumpkin patch visits! 

Cut into your pumpkin for some slimy, hands-on fun next! I like to make a cut in the top and also cut out a “window” in the side, to make it easier to see in and reach in - the hole on the top offers more light.   

Lots of kiddos love to reach in and pull out all the pulp and seeds. Use as many of your five senses as possible - to see, smell, touch and maybe even taste seeds or pumpkin products. Run a hand around the outside and count up the ribs - or try guessing and counting as a fun predictive activity. For those with sensory differences, try for a little exposure at a time to the pulp in order to get them more comfortable with the squishy feeling. 

In-class learners can go back again and again to see and explore ...  remote learners may benefit from leaving a basket of baggies with pulp and seeds outside for them to pick up after school hours. Planning ahead can have all students on the same page with this activity. (If you’re up for it, watching it rot over a few days is also interesting.) 

Playing with sealed bags of “pumpkin guts” can be a fun counting activity - make sure there is pulp and seeds and have students mush around and count the numbers of seeds inside. 

Using a variety of gourds and small and large pumpkins can also be a fun sink or float activity. Introduce some other classroom items - maybe a pumpkin eraser, or some plastic scoops - and guess whether things will sink or float. Then, take turns testing out your theories. Your little scientists will love it! 

Have fun!