Exploring and Sharing our Knowledge of Pumpkins

It is pumpkin season here in Ohio!  Miss Reese and I brought in some pumpkins and set up some areas for the kids to look closer, notice and wonder.

They are really starting to create amazing observational drawings as scientists!

I set up an invitation for them to explore the concepts of heavier, lighter and equal as they measured the weight of pumpkins.

 They had some papers that they used to make their thinking visible and show what they noticed.

As they explored they became more interested and started wondering about pumpkins so we recorded our wonders and started exploring to find out the answers. I notice they are wondering more and more!

I set up experiences for them to use the arts to show what they noticed.  They look in the books and create based on what they read in the pictures and what they know.

This is a pumpkin blossom with a little green pumpkin starting to grow on it! Very observant!

We read books and watched videos to learn as much as we could and then collaborated to make a project that showed the outside and inside parts of the pumpkin.

As they were drying in the hallway, another teacher came in and said she noticed what we have been doing and asked if we would be willing to teach her kids how to document as scientists and teach them  some facts they wondered about pumpkins. I asked the kids if they would be interested and they were very excited about doing this!

They each documented a pumpkin to have an example to show them.  Knowing they were going to share these and use them to teach, they did their absolute best work!

We invited Mrs. Hoppel's class to our room and showed them how to do observational drawings like a scientist.  Taking on the role of teacher was so empowering to these kids! Then they let their new friends document the same pumpkin on their table, guiding and encouraging along the way.

We decided to make them an informational big book to teach them some things we learned about pumpkins. The kids signed up for a page to create and then got to work!

After practicing with our classmates as an audience, we invited Mrs. Hoppel's class to come and listen to our presentation!  The kids did great!  They read their parts and spoke clearly into the microphone!

We gave them the book to keep in their classroom. They were very excited to take it with them and made us all thank you cards!

To finish up, the kids predicted which pumpkin would have the most seeds.  They wrote their name on a post-it and put it next to the pumpkin they felt would have the most.

We cut open the pumpkins and dug in! They separated the seeds from the pulp.

Next, I set out some 100 charts.  They counted the seeds by putting them on the chart, then putting all 100 seeds into a cup labeled 100.  This helped us to figure out how many seeds.

With 718 seeds, the big orange pumpkin had the most!

Here are a few other experiences going on in our room as we studied pumpkins.

Here they are learning the proper way to make letters to encourage good handwriting!

Here they are practicing reading and writing sight words.

Paper has been added to our Library Area encouraging them to write about their favorite parts in the books they are reading there.

Some loose parts were added to the clay and their creative thinking was wonderful!

These witches and monsters definitely made me smile!

Stories are starting to grow around our room in our play.  Here at clay we are starting to ask them, "What story do you see in your sculpture?" It gives them ideas for writing!

An invitation to measure pumpkins by height and circumference.

They use the colored water here to try to create colors that match the leaves. This was challenging but  they did not give up!

We are asking them in all the areas of our room, "What stories do you see here? What story did you play out with your legos/blocks or in home living?  Look at how focused they are as they write about the adventures happening as they played legos.

Leaf rubbings to help them notice details in the leaves structure.

We planted some pumpkins seeds and cut a pumpkin open to observe what happens to it.

To celebrate the end of our pumpkin inquiry, we made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!  Cooking with kindergartners is so messy but so fun! We decided to make enough to give to Mrs. Hoppel's class.

Mrs. Hoppel's class made pumpkin hot chocolate and made enough to share with us too! So we got together, ate and enjoyed the relationships building with these classes!

Miss Reese ended her student teaching with us this past week.  She was wonderful and we will miss her so very much!

The kids have been expressing a very interesting interest for our next inquiry!  This will be a new one for me!  You will have to wait and see what it is!