Calendar Whiplash

Ever get whiplash just from looking at the calendar?  I think that's where I am right now!  Can it really be November?!  Are parent-teacher conferences really happening THIS week?!  Yes and yes!  I guess we've been having so much fun learning and working that I forgot about the date!  And boy, we have been really having some fun!

I don't know if your school is like mine, but due to our schedule, we alternate science and social studies units.  We began the year with a social studies unit on citizenship, and then we moved into some science.  As a way to introduce the kids to the scientific method, we started with a few investigative activities.  Then we brought out the big guns--the pumpkins.  My third grade team and I had discussed the kinds of investigations we would like the students to tackle.  We compiled all kinds of resources for the kids to use as well.  The result?  Unabashed fun by the kids, and some serious learning to boot!

I started by asking parents for donations of pumpkins (Isn't Sign-Up Genius great?!)  I ended getting far more than I asked for, so I was able to split the kids up into much smaller groups than originally planned.

Look at these beauties!

We started our investigation with questions--what do we want to find out?  How many seeds are there?  How many different kinds of pumpkins are there?  Why are there different colors?  Is it a fruit or vegetable?  The list was endless!

Then we discussed properties.  We started with the outside and found all the ways possible to describe the pumpkins.  We read books (so many books!).  A few of my favorites were The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons, Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson, and How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara.  I created an assignment using Epic! so the kids could do some reading independently, and we also watched a few videos.  Next we measured.  Up, down, and all around.

And the finally, we cut into the pumpkins so we could create a diagram, describe the properties of the inside of a pumpkin, and of course, count the seeds!  As we pulled out the insides, we were able to compare the seeds of the different pumpkins.  Check out our findings:

This seed had sprouted roots!

I even started an experiment so we could observe what happened.  I cut the top off a pumpkin, put some dirt in it and watered it.  And then we waited.  It was worth it!

These little sprouts will get transplanted soon and we will keep them growing!

You can also see the drawings of the diagrams and the life cycles done by some of the kids.

I can honestly say this was one of the most engaging activities I have done in quite some time.  The kids were begging for science time every single day.  They couldn't wait to dig in (quite literally) and learn more about their pumpkins.  

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.  But the good news about teaching is that when one great thing ends, there is always something just as exciting right around the corner.  And so, we keep marching on, plowing through the days of the year.  Alas, more calendar whiplash.  But it's all fun and the kids are learning, so I'm just going to hang on and try to enjoy the ride.

If you'd like to get your hands on these pumpkin activities, check them out here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkin-Investigations-3423898

I'd also love to have you follow my blog and my TpT store!