Pumpkin Activities for Early Learners
Pumpkins are everywhere, it must be fall!
Kids all over the world will be constructing pumpkins from paper, doing science activities, painting pumpkins, playing games with pumpkins, carving pumpkins, and more.
I simply love the learning that pumpkins bring into the classroom or homeschool experience. Pumpkins make every aspect of the curriculum more fun!
Pumpkins are so readily available, it is easy to stock up your areas with “real” hands-on materials for your studies. Many farmers or stores will strike a great deal if you let them know you are purchasing pumpkins for your classroom activities.
If you are lucky enough to have a pumpkin patch near your area, pump up the curriculum by planning a field-trip to see the pumpkin growing cycle in action.
The great thing about adding pumpkin learning to your curriculum is that you can keep it fall fun or extend it to Halloween. You can adapt pumpkin learning to your clientele. Gather some pumpkins, prepare your activities, and let the learning begin.
Start with Quality Literature
There are so many great pumpkin books, here are my top six with an affiliate link.
Bring in Some Great Video
There are some great pumpkin videos on youtube. Here are my top 5!
Sing Some Great Songs
As your class enjoys the study of pumpkins enjoy one of my favorite pumpkin songs and this free song poster!
Here is a sample of the song.
Excite the Learners With Quality Curriculum
We have numerous pumpkin activities in our Harvest, Halloween, and supporting products!
One thing that is always fun to do is to do exploding pumpkins!
To do:
Hollow out a small pumpkin and cut out a face.
Place a small paper cup inside (or pour directly into the pumpkin) filled with about a ½ cup of baking soda.
In a small cup, provide vinegar for your eager scientist to pour into the pumpkin. (You can color the vinegar if you like).
Watch the ooze out of the face of the pumpkin!
Tips.
Add dish soap to the vinegar to make the acid base last longer.
Use different size pumpkins and different quantities of baking soda to vary the lava flow!
For added science, have students use the scientific process before and after the “experiment.”
Fill The Day With Exciting Activities based on Best Practices, Research, and Standards!
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
This Harvest unit; pumpkins, potatoes, corn, apples and more is classroom tested. The Harvest Unit is divided into areas of literature, media, music, art, literacy activities, math activities, worksheets, science activities, creative writing, word wall words, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Literacy Activities:
Pumpkin Rhymes: Producing Rhyming Words
Harvesting Spuds: Identifying Uppercase Letters
Harvest ABC Train: Letter Identification
The Country Store: Clapping Syllables
Pumpkin Letters: Writing Alphabet Letters
Math Activities:
Ordering Baskets: Ordering objects from least to greatest.
Harvest Sorting: Sorting potatoes or apples into groups
Harvest Balancing: Experimenting with a balance
Number Bingo: Identifying the numbers 0-12
Patterns Worksheet
Writing Prompts/Word Wall
Label-It: Pumpkin
Pumpkins
Photo Harvest Word Wall Words
Guided Reading Books
The Pumpkin
Science
Pumpkin Report: Recording Observations
Art Projects
Potato People
Potato Truck Portfolio Page
Construct Pumpkin
Pumpkin Puppet
Songs
One Potato
I Like Potatoes
The Pumpkin Patch
Poof
Related Products
Apple and Pumpkin Themed Guided Readers
Apple Experiment Science Guided Reader
Eating Apples Free Beginning Sound Game
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
his NEWLY UPDATED SPOOKY Halloween unit is divided into areas of literature/media, music, art, literacy, math and science activities, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation.
Bring some Spooky Fun into your classroom or home!
Unit Includes the Following:
Literacy Activities:
Pumpkin Smasher: Identifying Initial Sound
Mystery Letter: Identifying letters
Pumpkin Bingo: Identifying Letters
Trick or Treat: Using Onset/rime.
Independent Activities
Ghostwriter: Writing Uppercase Letters
Fall Into the ABC’s: Tracing & Writing Uppercase Letters
Halloween Sounds: Matching Sounds
Math Activities:
Monster Math-Mash : Identifying More or Less
Candy Count: Building Equivalent Sets of Numbers
Missing Pumpkins: Ordering Numbers
Candy Match: Matching Quantity to Number
Independent Activities
Halloween Buddies: Number Recognition
The Great Pumpkin: Matching Numbers & Quantity
Writing Prompts/Word Wall
My Costume
Halloween
Halloween Word Wall Words
Guided Reading Books
Trick or Treat
Class Made Books
Trick or Treat
Science
Witch Stew: Making Conclusions Based on Observations and Experiences
Monster Slime: Following Directions to Complete an Experiment
Art Projects
Pumpkin,Pumpkin Puppet
Construct a Jack
Orange Ghost
Triangle Witch
Pumpkin Lantern
Songs
Pumpkin-Pumpkin
The Orange Ghost
Ten Little Ghosts
The Old Witch
There's No Such Thing as a Witch
Halloween Is All Around
Haunting: A Free Alphabet Game
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Apples and Pumpkin Themed Emergent Books
Thematic emergent reading books make learning to read fun and engaging! Kids LOVE this paper fall themed books!
Offering students a paper book that can be colored and taken home offers students authentic purpose for the guided reading instruction and opportunity to practice techniques at home.
Table of Contents:
1. Apples
2. The Pumpkin Cycle
3. Pumpkin Colors
4. Pumpkin Patch
5. Apple Picking Time
6. The Apple Experiment
Halloween and Fall Songs and Fingerplays for October
October is a great month to celebrate leaves, pumpkins and spooks!
Using songs and fingerplays throughout the school day not only makes for a happier environment, it increases reading and math skills, and has proven effect on classroom management! Litter your classroom with song and fingerplay posters, sing at the carpet, at transition time, as part of the curriculum, and well, anytime you fill like adding some extra happy to your day. Your students will also love singing during reading independent and free-choice times. They are also perfect for poetry studies and binders! * Be sure to find our podcast on iTunes for upcoming episodes using these songs.
Twelve Songs Are Included
Singing Fly Fly Witchy
The Orange Ghost
No Such Thing as a Witch
Ten Little Ghosts
Two Big Crows
The Old Witch
Pumpkin
Leaves Falling Down
The Ghost of John
The Pumpkin Patch
Little Scarecrow
Mr. Jack O Lantern
Boo
Whirley Twirley
Pumpkin
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
All of our thematic units contain songs to bring joy into your classroom. A few units I love to use in October are:
Related Halloween Activities
Follow For Updates and Freebies!
Be alerted as products are updated and/or added to. Get Special Freebies.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
Halloween Reading Books that will bring holiday connections to your reading instruction!
Offering a paper book to emergent readers provides authentic experience at their levels in a "Developmentally Appropriate" way.
Table of Contents:
1. Halloween Night
2. Little Witch
3. The Chocolate Chip Ghost
4. Trick or Treat
5. My Halloween Costume
6. Pat the Bat
© Kathy Crane Kindergarten Kiosk
Follow For Updates and Freebies!
Be alerted as products are updated and/or added to. Get Special Freebies.