I am meeting up with another wonderful blogger this week to bring you all things pumpkins! Carla from Comprehension Connections hosts a weekly linky called Thematic Thursdays.
So, how can we incorporate pumpkins into our classroom? There are so many ideas out there! You can check out the Pinterest board {HERE}.
One of my favorite ways is to use books! I love reading aloud to my classroom and I like to add a good mix of fiction and nonfiction. There are so many great books about pumpkins out there! A new (to me) one that I grabbed at the bookstore this week is "How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow" by Wendell Minor. This story took me back to my own growing up! I grew up in Ohio and my grandparents always took us to the Circleville Pumpkin Show, a yearly fair with ginormous pumpkins, pumpkin food, hayrides, and all kinds of Fall fun! In this book, the author discusses just how big pumpkins can get! I love how he compares it to things like the Grand Canyon, a roller coaster, and even Mount Rushmore! One of the first things I notice was the vocabulary words (jumbo, giant, tons, enormous, immense, colossal). Adjectives are written in LARGE font so they stand out, so you could also use it for an adjective lesson. It also could be a great jumping point for some creative writing. How big could YOUR pumpkin get? You can watch a great read aloud {HERE}. The reader gives some other fun information as well!
Another favorite book is Spookley. He is a different pumpkin because he is square instead of round! This great rhyming book is a wonderful way to discuss shapes as well as how to treat people who are different. You see a great video that a class produced as part of their Language Arts and Music class {HERE}. You can also see just the book read aloud {HERE}.
Want to let your kids carve pumpkins without all the mess? Try ABCya's Virtual pumpkin carving {HERE}. You can have them draw on shapes, they can add "extras" like hair, hats, arms/legs, etc., and they can even light it up!
How about some ways to add pumpkins into your math lessons? Here are a few ways to do it.
Pumpkin Puzzles
So many puzzles! I love puzzles because they are fun and easy to use. This pack includes puzzles for numbers and for shapes and all puzzles include choices for easy differentiation.
In order to make them self-correcting, add stickers or simple shapes or colors on the back of each puzzle piece!
Pumpkin BINGO games
These game boards are SOOOOO versatile! I included game boards for addition and multiplication as well as boards for using 2 dice and using 3 dice for easy differentiation. The rules are easy: roll the dice, add/multiply the numbers, find that number on your board. But, the variations are endless! Some variations we used:
Play with only 1 player (no competition means less stress for my son)
Play with 2 players on the same game board
Play with 2 players, each with their own board
Allow students to write directly on the game board
Use the seed counters provided
Use counters you already have in your classroom
A Fall Lapbook
This product includes activities for math, ELA, and science. Your kids will learn about the pumpkin life cycle, show how apple trees look throughout the year, count acorns, and even make their own fall emergent readers. A list of possible books to read with the lessons are included, but the books aren't necessary in order to complete the activities.
You can snag all of these products from Educents for only $5 this week. That is half off!
What do YOU do to teach pumpkins? I would love to hear!
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