Fall is a wonderful season that lends so many possibilities to incorporate seasonal items into our classrooms. Fall is also pumpkin season and a pumpkin investigation is a great way for students to get hands-on and practicing science and math skills.
I plan a whole "Pumpkin Day" for our investigation but you could also spread it out over several days. Each student is encouraged to bring in their own pumpkin to use. I send a note home to families requesting pumpkins. I also seek out pumpkin donations from local pumpkin vendors.
Math Tasks:
Students estimate and measure the weight and volume of a pumpkin.
Students estimate and measure the height of a pumpkin.
We work together to create a bar graph of where the class pumpkins were purchased.
Students estimate and count the number of seeds in our pumpkins. I teach them how to sort the seeds into groups of ten to count them more easily and accurately.
We work together as a class to create a graph of pumpkin prices.
Science Tasks:
We review the stages of a pumpkin life cycle and students cut and glue the stages of the life cycle in order.
Students observe our class set of pumpkins and classify them and sort them by different properties, such as color, shape, or size.
Students observe and record the properties of the outside of their pumpkin. After the pumpkins are cut open, they observe and record the properties of the inside of their pumpkin.
As a class, we share and compare our classifications and properties of pumpkins.
I love incorporating the holidays and seasons into my lessons and activities in meaningful ways. How do you celebrate the fall season in your classroom?
