The Pumpkin Life Cycle
10/21/2017
Planting our pumpkin seeds. This week we answered the question "How do pumpkins grow?" We read lots of books, played in the dirt, explored pumpkin seeds, and learned about the pumpkin life cycle. On Monday we planted our own pumpkin seeds. Over the next few weeks we will watch the seed change to a sprout and then to a plant. We also put some pumpkin seeds in a wet paper towel so we will be able to observe the rooting process. We talked about what a pumpkin plant needs to grow. Pumpkins are a fun plant life cycle to study because of the many stages, the final product (big pumpkins!), and the visibility of the seeds in the pumpkin that start the cycle all over again. Once we planted our pumpkin seeds we needed signs to label the seeds and give instructions of care. The Explorers were excited to make these signs. I made an example sign based on what the students said the plant needed and then they went and made signs for their own plant. Some students copied the words onto their labels, others drew pictures of pumpkins, sun, and water. Either way it was great reinforcement that words, letters, and symbols have meaning and will lead to an interest in reading. We used more of our measuring skills this week when we made playdough with real pumpkin puree. Our explorers were really into smelling the pumpkin puree and they even wanted to taste it! Once our playdough was made, they used it to make pumpkin faces with the whole spices that go into pumpkin pie. We had star anise, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks. More wonderful things to investigate with smell and to try and describe. On Friday, to get ready for next week, we prepped our pie pumpkin for a pie. The students each got a section of the pie pumpkin to separate out the seeds and scrape the guts off. We then roasted the pumpkin to make our own pumpkin puree. Next week we will take our homemade puree and use it in baking. Pumpkin faces with pumpkin playdough and whole spices
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