Pumpkin Activities and Experiments for Kids
The season is here for sweaters, scarves, jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin pies, and pumpkin spice lattes. Families head to the pumpkin patches in droves and there are orange pumpkin decorations in many stores. So what better time than this to teach about pumpkins? Explore these activities and experiments about pumpkins that are perfect for kids in 2nd and 3rd grades.
pumpkin science - videos
Start your learning on pumpkins with some engaging videos that are perfect for older elementary students. These are some of my favorite pumpkin videos on YouTube
A Pumpkin Grows by Scholastic - Introduces the lifecycle of a pumpkin
Explore the question “Are Pumpkins a Fruit?” with Hey! Guess What.
The EASY Way to teach about pumpkins in 2nd and 3rd grades.
Ready to learn about pumpkins this fall? In just a few clicks you can grab all the science and literacy pieces that you need: nonfiction reading, comprehension, and an engaging STEAM project!
FUN FACTS
It can be fun to sprinkle in fun facts while learning about a topic. Barton Hills Farm has compiled a list of 25 Fun Facts about Pumpkins. They also put together a detailed description of the life cycle of a pumpkin.
pumpkin literacy activities
After doing some initial learning about pumpkins via videos, have students read about the life cycle of a pumpkin with a grade-appropriate reading passage. This nonfiction reading passage explores each stage in the life cycle of a pumpkin using age-appropriate scientific vocabulary.
When you’re done, follow up with a pumpkin life cycle flipbook. This project uses the information from the nonfiction reading passage to create a fun and informative flip book project.
carve a pumpkin
Many students have fond memories of carving pumpkins with their families. It may be difficult to have each child carve a pumpkin in class, but YOU could carve a pumpkin while students act as guides.
Have students draw out potential designs and vote on which design to create on the class pumpkin.
Before carving, read “How to Carve a Pumpkin” with these differentiated reading passages. Complete the comprehension booklet where students sequence the steps of pumpkin carving and get to sketch out a design for a jack-o-lantern.
Want to take it a step further and carve a class set of pumpkins? Try using parent or older-buddy volunteers to help prepare the pumpkins (open the top, remove the seeds) and then carve in small groups! (The other group can work on the nonfiction reading activity above).
I’ve had success asking local grocery stores or farms to donate the pumpkins to our class. Many will do it for free/cheap if you’re willing to wait until the day before/of Halloween.
pumpkin math
The book How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara is an engaging way to open a lesson that integrates math and science.
Before opening the pumpkin, have students estimate how many seeds they think are inside. Record these guesses. After opening the pumpkin, show students the contents and have them reestimate. Some students might be surprised at how many seeds there are in a pumpkin!
Next, have students count the pumpkin seeds. Try grouping the seeds together and skip count the piles by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, etc. Compare the actual seed count to the students’ estimations. Discuss if their estimations were reasonable. Why or why not?
Try drying the seeds overnight. Give students a handful of seeds to color using markers. Let students make patterns with their coloring pumpkin seeds!
Don’t forget to roast some seeds so students can eat some 🙂
art integration - the journey of a pumpkin seed
To get students thinking creatively, have them make a comic that shows a pumpkin seed’s journey as it turns into a ready-to-harvest pumpkin! The template for this is included in this resource about the pumpkin life cycle.
There are plenty of fun and engaging pumpkin activities for second-grade and third-grade students. Enjoy this season! And as the saying goes…“When life gives you pumpkins, make pie.”
