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Pick a Pumpkin Activity

Pumpkins are the ultimate October icons -- the fruit of the month, if you will. (Yes! Pumpkins are a fruit.) This month, celebrate pumpkins with these across-the-curriculum activities. Included: Art, science, language, and math activities.

Do you know where pumpkins were first grown? (In North America) What people in colonial times used pumpkins for? (They dried them and used the skins to weave mats.) Which family of growing things pumpkins belong to? (Pumpkins belong to the same family -- the gourd family -- as cucumbers do.)

You might start your students' pumpkin learning by sharing those facts. Then have them take the online quiz at The Pumpkin Farm.

Follow up that lesson in pumpkin trivia by sharing the History of the Pumpkin or some pumpkin riddles.

Now that you've piqued student interest, why not "pick" from our patch of activities below.

Don't miss a special page of additional pumpkin lessons that Education World editors have harvested from the Internet!

This week, Education World provides five lessons about pumpkins. Click each of the five lesson headlines below for a complete teaching resource. (Appropriate grade levels for each lesson appear in parentheses.)

Silly Pumpkins: Just for Fun (or Fund-Raising)
Have fun -- and raise funds -- with pumpkins. Decorating ideas! (Grades K-12)

Predicting Pumpkins
Make and test predictions about pumpkins in this hands-on activity. (Grades K-12)

BIG Pumpkins!
Read a chart and solve word problems about big pumpkins. (Grades 3-8)

Hang a Jack-O'-Lantern Mobile
Follow directions to create pumpkin mobiles. (Grades K-12)

Pumpkin Puzzler
Put math thinking in writing with this pumpkin puzzler. (Grades 3-12)

Halloween Safety

Don't forget to review Halloween safety rules with students. You might even have them create posters to illustrate some of the safety rules found on the following Web sites:

* Halloween Safety Rules
* Halloween Safety Tips for Trick-or-Treaters
* Halloween Safety Tips for Kids

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
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