Fall is in the air, which can mean more indoor time for kids. What a great time for pumpkin activities! We grow pumpkins on our farm and I love fresh pumpkin pies! But, until I started digging online, I had no idea there were so many engaging and fun opportunities using pumpkins to teach STEM virtually anywhere.
My gardening side had me looking at the makeup of the pumpkin first. What makes a pumpkin turn orange? Turns out the same thing that turns leaves colors, carotenoids. Do the outside grooves on a pumpkin indicate anything? It’s said that the more grooves, the more seeds inside. Is there anything different about giant pumpkins? You know, those unbelievably huge pumpkins that weigh hundreds and sometimes even thousands of pounds? They have oversize phloem that moves the plant’s food where it needs to go (“Great Pumpkin Science”). And, there is so much science in growing these mammoths – give“The Great Pumpkin” a read to learn more.
That brings us to cooking or baking. Oh, the possibilities!!! I learned over the last few years that most pumpkins (not counting giants) can be used in recipes, but color and size have a lot to do with taste. We grow pie, or sugar, pumpkins, which are fairly small and a pretty dark orange. They’re very flavorful and have a definite sweetness to them. Carving pumpkins can be blander, so they need more spices and possibly added sugar, but they’re still edible!
But, thankfully, there are also a variety of other recipes to consider if you’d like to tackle fun kitchen activities with your learners. You can try different kinds of pumpkins for soup, stuffed pumpkins, or even dog treats. Your furry family can help taste test the dog treats, which could include making a hypothesis and collecting stats. And don’t forget, replacing canned pumpkin in any recipe is easy!
After making these yummy treats, you can discuss the nutritional value of what you made. Pumpkins are superfoods when it comes to vitamins C and A. What other nutrients do pumpkins contain that your students can research?
Pumpkins aren’t just limited to growing or baking/cooking – there are soooo many imaginative activities out there. Following are a few of my new favorites.
And for those who use Pitsco’s Missions, Expeditions, or STEM PBL Units, have some more inspiration for these titles!
Do you have any tricks or treats you’ve discovered to take any fall pumpkin activity to the next level? Interesting alternative pumpkins? Ways to adapt to new learning environments? Cost-cutting best practices? Sharing ideas is so important, and we’re excited to hear about yours in the comments.
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