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Every fall, I ask myself what are simple, fun, and educational pumpkin activities to do with my son.  We attend fall festivals in our county and get at least 4 pumpkins annually. This year, I was looking for activities that DID NOT require me to purchase more craft supplies from the store. I wanted to use items that we had on hand.

Below is what we did and had a blast!

Paint The Pumpkin

Materials Needed

• Washable Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Pumpkin
• Newspaper/ Magazine pages or cloth
• 2 Sturdy Paper Plates
• Cup of Water
• Napkins

1. Put Newspapers or cloth on table for easy clean-up
2. Put water in cup to clean paint brushes.
3. Put napkins in paper plate #1 to clean and dry paint brushes.
4. Put small sections of various color paints on paper plate # 2.
5. Place pumpkin on table with newspaper/magazine paper or cloth.
6. Let your child be creative and paint the pumpkin.

Pick, Count, and Cook Pumpkin Seeds

Materials Needed

• Pumpkin cut into 4 equal parts (adults should do this)
• Bowl for seeds
• Spoon to scoop seeds out
• Cutting Board or Pan for Pumpkin

1. Place pumpkin on cutting board or pan in front of child.
2. Give the child a spoon and have them scoop out the seeds.
3. If they are having difficulty using the spoon, have them use their hands.
4. Instruct child to put seeds in bowl.
5. Have the child count the seeds while scooping.
6. Another option is for the child to count the seeds at the end of the activity.
7. Roast the pumpkin seeds for a great snack!

• Try this pumpkin seed recipe

Make Pumpkin Soup with Rice

Materials Needed

• Pumpkin Soup Recipe (vegan alternatives included in recipe)
• Optional – Pumpkin Soup: A Picture Book by Helen Cooper (A Great Book for Kids)

1. Follow our Pumpkin Soup with Rice Recipe.
2. Have fun eating it with your family!

Access Our Pumpkin Soup with Rice Recipe

at the bottom of this post!

Have a Science Lesson and Learn about Decomposition

Materials Needed (please note this activity came from Sid the Science Kid Season 1 Episode 6 called Mushy Banana)

• Pumpkin that you painted in the first activity of this post (must be decayed)
• Large Container or Large Zip lock bag
• Plastic gloves
• Magnifying glass
• Watch Sid the Science Kid Mushy Banana Episode

1. Once the painted pumpkin has started to decay put it in a large plastic bag or container.
2. Let the pumpkin decompose until it changes colors.
3. Put plastic gloves on the child before touching pumpkin.
4. Stay close to the child to ensure they don’t put the pumpkin in their mouth.
5. Have the child feel the pumpkin and compare it to a fresh pumpkin.
6. Have the child take a closer look by using their magnifying glass.
7. Ask the child the following questions…

• How is the pumpkin different from the fresh pumpkin?
• How does it smell?
• What colors do you see?
• How does it feel?

8. Put Pumpkin in the compost when complete.

 

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