Pumpkins

Crafts

• Make jack-o'lanterns - children can cut out face shapes from paper and glue onto a pumpkin shape.
• Pumpkin seed collage - glue pumpkin seeds on paper or a pumpkin shape.
• Orange paper collage - have children cut/rip and paste orange construction paper.
• Pumpkin clickers - glue an orange circle to baby food jar lid. When dry, it will click when pressed in the center.
• Paper bag pumpkins - stuff a paper lunch bag with newspaper. Twist the top for a stem then paint.

Science

• Stages of a pumpkin's growth - create sequence cards for children to put in order.
• Cut open a pumpkin and explore what is inside.
• Plant a pumpkin patch then tend to it and watch it grow through the Spring, Summer, and Fall.

Dramatic Play

• Set up a gardening center.
• Set up a pumpkin patch with plastic pumpkins for children to buy and sell. Add money and a cash register.

Circle Time

• 1 little, 2 little, 3 little pumpkins
• Pumpkin, Pumpkin
• What am I... (pumpkin guessing song)
• I'm a Little Pumpkin
• Once I had a Pumpkin
• Jack O'Lantern
• 5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate

• The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
• Nursery Rhyme - Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater

• Pass the pumpkin: played like hot potato only using a small pumpkin.
• Hot/Cold game: hide a small pumpkin in the room. As the children walk around, call out warmer if they are approaching the pumpkin, 'hot' if they are close to the hidden pumpkin or 'colder' if they are moving away from it.

Field Trips / Special Days

• Visit a pumpkin patch.
• Go for a walk to the store and purchase a pumpkin.

Songs

Jack O'Lantern

(sung to:Frere Jacques)

Jack o'lantern, Jack o'lantern
Shining bright, shining bright
Oh you looks so funny
Sitting in the window
Halloween night, Halloween night!

Five Little Pumpkins

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one 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, "I'm ready for some fun"
OOOOOOOWOOOOOOO went the wind
And out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Printables

Pumpkin Puzzles

Related Sites

• Visit my Pumpkin feltboard page to print off patterns for 5 Little Pumpkins.
• Visit my Halloween page.