All About Pumpkins

This week our class will be learning about pumpkins to include how big are pumpkins, do pumpkins sink or float, what does the inside of a pumpkin look, feel, and smell like, and what does a pumpkin need to grow. These are all topics our class will be investigating this week. 

Below is a link to our pumpkin theme lesson plans for the week. The lesson plans include the following types of activities: Morning Message with activity, Large Group Literacy, Phonemic Awareness, Small Group, two planned story times, and a closing activity. The standards are based on Bright From the Start GELDS.

DOWNLOAD>> All About  Pumpkins Five Day Lesson Plans

Classroom Activities:

Students will be involved in a variety of activities to promote language and literacy skills, mathematical reasoning, exploration, and fine motor control. Some of our center activities will include the following:

Art - Jack-O-Lantern creations. Students can decorate paper pumpkins and transform them into Jack-O-Lanterns. Students can also experiment with pumpkin pie scented puff paint.

Pumpkin Puffy Paint Recipe

• Shaving cream
• White school glue
• Pumpkin spice
• Orange food coloring

Directions: In a bowl mix together equal parts of shaving cream and white school glue.  Then add pumpkin spice to scent and orange food coloring to color.  Stir all ingredients, adding more scent and color if needed

Sensory Table - Students will explore picked cotton. Students will have to "pick" the letters using tweezers and place them in sorting cups.

Writing Center - Students will practice copying pumpkin vocabulary words and creating their on jack-o-lantern Stories.

Library - Students will read and listen to books about pumpkins. They can also practice their writing skills by using Magna Doodle Boards.

Math - Students will practice counting, sorting, and classifying objects.

Science - Students will explore ornamental pumpkins, pine cones, and squash using magnifying glasses. The students can sort objects based on how they feel: bumpy, smooth, rough, hard, etc.

Dramatic Play - Students will investigate a pretend pumpkin patch. Students will decorate ornamental pumpkins (like Mr. Potato Head).

Above are pictures of our Pumpkin Patch. A). Is a collection of ornamental guards, cotton, and Indian corn. The students can pretend to purchase the items from the market. B). I took an ornamental pumpkin and drilled holes into it. The students then decorate the pumpkin using Mr. Potato head pieces. C). Is a photo of the pumpkin patch as a whole. The students can pretend to be farmers and harvest the pumpkins for the market.

The students will participate in measuring activities. The picture to the left is where the students will determine how many pumpkins tall they are. 

The anchor chart is part of our morning message. The students are beginning to understand some concepts of print. Each morning I omit random letters. I use letter sounds and the students have to tell me the letter name. This week I started talking about upper and lowercase letters and when to use them. The students also had to use picture clues to determine what the question was. Then they wrote their name on die cut pumpkins and placed them under their prediction.

DOWNLOAD>> Pumpkin Measuring Anchor Chart FREEBIE!

DOWNLOAD>> Pumpkin, Pumpkin Poem Anchor Chart

DOWNLOAD>> Pumpkin Song Anchor Chart

YouTube.com Educational Links:

I have put together a collection of songs and read alouds about pumpkins.

CLICK HERE>> Pumpkin Theme Pre-K

Songs and Poems:

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate (hold up fingers for pumpkins)

The first once said "Oh my! It's getting late"

The second one said, "There are witches in the air"

The third one said "But we don't care"

The fourth one said "Let's run and run and run"

The fifth one said "It's Halloween fun"

Ooooooh went the wind

And out when the lights (clap hands to the word "out")

And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight (roll arms)

Pumpkin, Pumpkin

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Sitting on a wall (have children sit down)

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Tip and fall (have children tip over)

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Rolling down the street (child rolls on floor)

Pumpkin, pumpkin

Trick or treat!!!!

We are Pumpkins Big and Round

Sung to: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"

We are pumpkins big and round, big and round, big and round;

We are pumpkins big and round, sitting on the ground.

See our great big shiny eyes, shiny eyes, shiny eyes;

See our great big shiny eyes, looking right at you.

See our great big laughing mouth, laughing mouth, laughing mouth,

See our great big laughing mouth, smiling right at you.

~ Original Author Unknown

Once I Had a Pumpkin

Sung to: "Did You Ever See a Lassie?"

Once I had a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,

Once I had a pumpkin, with no face at all.

With no eyes and no nose, and no mouth and no teeth.

Once I had a pumpkin with no face at all.

So I made a jack-o-lantern, a jack-o-lantern, a jack-o-lantern,

So I made a jack-o-lantern, with a big funny face.

With big eyes and a big nose, and a big mouth with big teeth.

So I made a jack-o-lantern with a big funny face.

~ Original Author Unknown

Credits:

MyCuteGraphics.com