Life Cycle of a Pumpkin

I love teaching life cycles to preschoolers so they see how everything grows. This life cycle of a pumpkin preschool pack is perfect for fall!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere! It’s that time of year again. Pumpkin season! That means it’s time to start planning your preschool pumpkin theme.

I see pumpkins everywhere I go. There are pumpkin donuts, pumpkin coffees, and pumpkin shakes. There are pumpkins on porches and pumpkins at the entrance of every shopping center we enter.

If you are seeing pumpkins everywhere you go, it makes perfect sense to incorporate pumpkins into your autumn homeschool preschool lessons.

It’s the perfect time of year to learn about the pumpkin life cycle

The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin

Kids love to explore pumpkins. Take your little ones to a pumpkin patch, and let them pick out their own pumpkin to carve or to place on the front porch for decoration. Be sure to pick up an extra one just to explore.

Let them use their five senses to explore the pumpkins:

• What does a pumpkin sound like when you thump it?

• What does the shell feel like? Is it hard or soft? Is it bumpy or smooth?

• What does the inside feel like? Is it slimy?

• What does it smell like? Does it smell the same as a cup of pumpkin pie filling?

• What does it look like? Describe its size and shape. Describe its color.

• What does it taste like? Make some muffins or pancakes. Roast the seeds for a tasty snack.

Once your little one has explored their pumpkins, talk with them about how pumpkins grow. Watch a video like this one:

PRESCHOOL BOOKS ABOUT PUMPKINS

Fill your book basket with a great collection of pumpkin books for kids. Most of these books can be found at your local library or used bookstore.

If you have a hard time finding them, you can order them through my Amazon affiliate links by clicking the images below.

The Roll-Away PumpkinHow Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? (Mr. Tiffin's Classroom Series)The Pumpkin Book

 

The Run-Away Pumpkin – On a windy autumn day, Marla Little comes running down the hill, yelling, “Help! My giant pumpkin is rolling away! Onward it goes, rolling and turning, with no sign of stopping! Diddle-dee-doo! Oh, what shall I do?”

 How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? – Mr. Tiffin and his students explore skip counting and estimation in a fun pumpkin-themed classroom experiment! 

The Pumpkin Book – The book features bold, clearly-labeled illustrations, directions for drying seeds, and even how to carve funny or scary faces into your pumpkin (with an adult’s help), along with a fascinating section on pumpkin facts and lore. Perfect for aspiring farmers and kids who can’t wait for Halloween!

Complete one or more of these fun hands-on pumpkin activities:

• Here’s a smelly science lesson about decomposition with pumpkins.

• We’re going to grow some pumpkins in a pumpkin and plant it in our backyard.

Download the Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Printable.

Now that you’ve done some exploring, how about a fun printable pack! Inside this fun printable pack, you’ll find the following learning activities:

  • Handwriting practice
  • 3-part cards
  • Sequence cards
  • Life cycle chart
  • Label the parts of a pumpkin
  • and more!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

3 Comments