Today the all the children had fun!!!!
The teacher brought in pumpkins today and gave the children carving knives to cut the pumpkin open.
After the teacher cut from the top to the mid-point of the pumpkin she asks, " Who wants a turn." All the children sitting at the table yell, "I do", I want a turn", Me, "Me". The children all got a turn of cutting the pumpkin. When the pumpkin was opened, they all felt the inside and replied the same, "ewwww". She talked to them about the seeds being edible and asked them if they've seen a pumpkin.
I loved how she brought a pumpkin out a month later. Even though some of the children don't celebrate Halloween they still see pumpkins. So it was nice to see that they were all able to experience a pumpkin and not having to only do it in October or do it as a holiday activity. I also enjoyed the questions that the teacher gave in prompting the children to think and draw imagery in their heads. I would add to this experience by either painting the seed, using them for some type of arts and craft or simply baking them and the children eating them.
Hi Terri,
ReplyDeleteI think that it is a great sensory activity. Many students may only have the experience or understanding of a pumpkin through Halloween. It reminds me of a time I did bobbing for apples as an activity with children I observed. They really enjoyed the experience of putting their face in the water and trying to capture the apple with their mouth. Many students did use their hands. I think that using the seeds for cooking would be a great idea or the teacher would have pumpkin bread for a snack idea.
Hi Terri:
ReplyDeleteThe pumpkin cutting was a great idea. It's amazing that the simple act of cutting into a pumpkin can be such an enriching experience chock full of teachable moments (topics?): the usefulness of the seeds, the tactile experience of mushing around inside the pumpkin, not to mention the array of uses for the pumpkin flesh itself. Now the foodie is coming out in me. I like making pumpkin soup, which you could do in a classroom and it would be perfect for this cold weather--give the kids a little cup of it at snack time.
Hi Terri,
ReplyDeleteI think it was a great idea to bring out pumpkins. You know what would have been a great extension? Making pumpkin pie! Working on a recipe with the children will promote number sense amongst other concepts. It is a great idea to bring many concepts into one lesson that is very fun like in this case making pumpkin pie. Another great idea would be to cook the pumpkin with some sugar and have the children eat it and you can have a discussion on how they like it. This activity would promote language development and even social skills.