

Patricia Bentham, author, kindergarten-lessons.com HOME SITE MAP THEMES Teaching themes: Use to teach skills Theme ideas Theme tips Apples: Apple science Apple math Apple activities Apples Up On Top Autumn: Pumpkins Worksheets Also see Art Friends: Helping kids Student book 1 Student book 2 More ideas Parent tips Light & Color: Subject ideas Light science Spring: Spring art Science & art Art ideas Spring tulips - art In Bulletin boards Spring flowers Spring counting Winter: Math/science Art/literacy More literacy... OTHER RESOURCES Board games Bulletin boards Free worksheets Gifts for kids Grad ideas Kids' magazines K readiness Picture books Software ..................... About Can't find it? Contact me Create a website Links Store	Kindergarten Lesson Plans Autumn theme - teach math and science using pumpkins... Teach hands on kindergarten lesson plans by using pumpkins. They are tough enough to withstand lots of hands on activities. Purchase a large pumpkin and a few smaller ones in various sizes to provide your students with science and math experiences. Put the pumpkins in the science center for a few days before using them for teaching. At center times let the children take turns holding the pumpkins to compare how heavy they are and to feel the texture of the pumpkin shells. Include pumpkin stories, cooking pumpkin muffins and pumpkin Geometry Jacks in your kindergarten lesson plans to keep your students engaged. Kindergarten lesson plan 1 - Measuring the pumpkin's height... Gather string and unifix blocks. 1. Have the children sit on the carpet and tell them that you are going to measure how tall the large pumpkin is from the floor to the top of the stem by lining up unifix blocks. 2. Count the blocks as a group. 3. Record the answer on a chart like the one below. Kindergarten lesson plan 2 - Measuring the pumpkin's circumference... 1. Ask the students if they can think of a way to measure how many unifix blocks it would take to go around the middle of the pumpkin (show them the middle). Introduce the word, "circumference". 2. After the children have had a chance to talk and think about it, suggest wrapping a string around the pumpkin and then measuring how long the string is with blocks. 3. Have the children count the blocks as a group and then record the answer on the chart. Save the bottom part of the chart to record the number of seeds in the pumpkin. Follow up: Pumpkin width graph Materials: Give each student... one 8 inch orange paper brown rectangles about 1 inch x 2 inches unifix blocks (one inch blocks that hook together) make a graph on a piece of chart paper similar to the one below for students to tape their pumpkins on 1. Students cut out a pumpkin shape any size they want out of their piece of paper then glue on the brown stem. 2. Students lay unifix blocks across their pumpkins and count how many blocks wide their pumpkin is. 3. Students print their number on their pumpkin 4. Students tape them above the correct number of blocks on the graph. 5. As a group count how many students made pumpkin 3 blocks wide, how many made pumpkins 4 blocks wide, etc. Ask- did more children make pumpkins 3 blocks wide or did more children make pumpkins 6 blocks wide. Kindergarten lesson plan 3 - Observe the pumpkin inside and out... 1. Have the children touch, smell, and look at the outside of the pumpkin. 2. Record their words on a chart similar to the one on the left. 3. Tell the students there are seeds in the pumpkin and have them estimate how many seeds are in the pumpkin. 4. Print their guesses on the first chart. 5. Cut the pumpkin in half and repeat the process. 6. Record the children's comments. 7. During center time let the children take turns picking the seeds out of the pumpkin and putting them on cookie sheets to dry. Provide a bowl for the pulp. Some children will not want to do this and others will love it. Kindergarten lesson plan - Count the seeds Materials: Dried pumpkin seeds, small squares of paper. 1. After the seeds have dried for a day or two, pile them on the tables and ask children to count groups of five seeds (or ten if your students are able) and place them on a square of paper. 2. When all the seeds are counted out on squares, as a group count by 5s to 100 and group those seeds. 3. Count another group of 100 etc. until all the seeds are counted. 4. Record the approximate number of seeds on the chart next to the children's estimates. All pumpkin pages: 1. Kindergarten Lesson Plans pumpkin theme - teach science and math with pumpkins! 2. Pumpkin Bulletin Board - See the ART SECTION to learn how to incorporate all your pumpkin theme activities to build a wonderful bulletin board. 3. Halloween pumpkin worksheets - make a pumpkin book to record all pumpkin science and math observations and also a "Parts of a Pumpkin Plant" booklet. Kindergarten-lesson plan bonus - 2 free Halloween worksheets.	Sign up for your copy of Kindergarten-Lessons News ................................. Need a Halloween bulletin board idea? See the ART section above. ................................... There are many great books for 4 - 8 year olds for a pumpkin theme. Use your imagination to make a story comparison chart like the one in the social studies wolf unit. Story categories could be stories about pumpkin growth, stories that are scary, and stories where pumpkins are a problem! ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ “Teaching 101: Classroom Strategies for the Beginning Teacher, contains examples, real-life stories and examples from those in the field. The authors turn theory into practical application.”
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Kindergarten Lesson Plans

Autumn theme - teach math and science using pumpkins...

Teach hands on kindergarten lesson plans by using pumpkins. They are tough enough to withstand lots of hands on activities. Purchase a large pumpkin and a few smaller ones in various sizes to provide your students with science and math experiences.

Put the pumpkins in the science center for a few days before using them for teaching. At center times let the children take turns holding the pumpkins to compare how heavy they are and to feel the texture of the pumpkin shells.

Include pumpkin stories, cooking pumpkin muffins and pumpkin Geometry Jacks in your kindergarten lesson plans to keep your students engaged.

Kindergarten lesson plan 1 - Measuring the pumpkin's height...

Gather string and unifix blocks.

1. Have the children sit on the carpet and tell them that you are going to measure how tall the large pumpkin is from the floor to the top of the stem by lining up unifix blocks.
2. Count the blocks as a group.
3. Record the answer on a chart like the one below.

Kindergarten lesson plan 2 - Measuring the pumpkin's circumference...

sdsd 1. Ask the students if they can think of a way to measure how many unifix blocks it would take to go around the middle of the pumpkin (show them the middle). Introduce the word, "circumference".
2. After the children have had a chance to talk and think about it, suggest wrapping a string around the pumpkin and then measuring how long the string is with blocks.
3. Have the children count the blocks as a group and then record the answer on the chart. Save the bottom part of the chart to record the number of seeds in the pumpkin.

Follow up: Pumpkin width graph

Materials: Give each student...

one 8 inch orange paper
brown rectangles about 1 inch x 2 inches
unifix blocks (one inch blocks that hook together)
make a graph on a piece of chart paper similar to the one below for students to tape their pumpkins on

kindergarten pumpkin graph 1. Students cut out a pumpkin shape any size they want out of their piece of paper then glue on the brown stem.

2. Students lay unifix blocks across their pumpkins and count how many blocks wide their pumpkin is.

3. Students print their number on their pumpkin

4. Students tape them above the correct number of blocks on the graph.

5. As a group count how many students made pumpkin 3 blocks wide, how many made pumpkins 4 blocks wide, etc. Ask- did more children make pumpkins 3 blocks wide or did more children make pumpkins 6 blocks wide.

Kindergarten lesson plan 3 - Observe the pumpkin inside and out...

chart to record pumpkin science 1. Have the children touch, smell, and look at the outside of the pumpkin.
2. Record their words on a chart similar to the one on the left.
3. Tell the students there are seeds in the pumpkin and have them estimate how many seeds are in the pumpkin.
4. Print their guesses on the first chart.
5. Cut the pumpkin in half and repeat the process.
6. Record the children's comments.
7. During center time let the children take turns picking the seeds out of the pumpkin and putting them on cookie sheets to dry. Provide a bowl for the pulp. Some children will not want to do this and others will love it.

Kindergarten lesson plan - Count the seeds

Materials: Dried pumpkin seeds, small squares of paper.

1. After the seeds have dried for a day or two, pile them on the tables and ask children to count groups of five seeds (or ten if your students are able) and place them on a square of paper.
2. When all the seeds are counted out on squares, as a group count by 5s to 100 and group those seeds.
3. Count another group of 100 etc. until all the seeds are counted.
4. Record the approximate number of seeds on the chart next to the children's estimates.

All pumpkin pages:

1. Kindergarten Lesson Plans pumpkin theme - teach science and math with pumpkins!
2. Pumpkin Bulletin Board - See the ART SECTION to learn how to incorporate all your pumpkin theme activities to build a wonderful bulletin board.
3. Halloween pumpkin worksheets - make a pumpkin book to record all pumpkin science and math observations and also a "Parts of a Pumpkin Plant" booklet. Kindergarten-lesson plan bonus - 2 free Halloween worksheets.