Pumpkins Science Unit a Fun Fall Hands-On Science Study

Pumpkins are all around us this time of year.

Whether we are heading off to the pumpkin patch or our students are bringing them into class to decorate, the chatter is all about pumpkins.

Our kids love learning to build their names with our Pumpkin Editable Name Activity. And we bring pumpkins into our math lessons with this Pumpkin Editable Addition and Subtraction game.

Students enjoy sitting around drinking Hot Chocolate as we read through our favorite Pumpkin Books.

We wouldn’t want to leave our classrooms out of the fun, so we decorate our rooms with these Paper Pumpkin Crafts.

As we dig into everything about Pumpkins, this is a great time to work on science. Science is a fantastic way to get kids learning without realizing they are learning.

To bring our fascination with pumpkins and science together, I’ve created this Pumpkins Science Unit. It’s an excellent way for kids to learn life science in a hands-on way.

If you would like to bring the pumpkin theme across your curriculum, be sure to take a look at our Pumpkins Math and Literacy Centers Bundle.

Pumpkins Science Unit

Your class will be engaged as they learn everything they’ve ever wanted to know about pumpkins.

This Pumpkins Science Unit is perfect for science in Preschool, Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade classrooms and is packed full of intriguing science activities.

This activity is great for homeschoolers, kid’s activities, and to add to your unit studies!

Inside You Will Find:

– Science Lesson Plans for the week
– Cover Page and directions – 9 pages
– My Pumpkin Book – 12 pages
– Pumpkin Posters – 4 pages
– Life Cycle of a Pumpkin – 2 pages
– Real Picture Life Cycle Cards – 2 pages
– Parts of a Pumpkin – 4 pages
– 5 senses writing – 1 page
– Counting Seeds – 3 pages
– Taste Test – 9 pages

Materials Needed for Pumpkins Science Unit:

paper or cardstock
laminating pouches
laminator
double-sided tape, adhesive magnetic strips
materials listed inside the product for each of the pumpkins learning activities

Using the Pumpkins Science Unit:

Once you have purchased this activity and downloaded it, I recommend that you print the activities out on cardstock and laminate them so it can be used year after year.

This resource is full of various activities and centers. Therefore, preparation will vary. Below is a brief rundown of each component in the Pumpkins Science Unit.

Science Lesson Plan for the Week

During the week, students will complete different science activities learning all about Pumpkins. I love to find different books that go with our units. For this pumpkins unit, we start off by reading It’s a Fruit. It’s a Vegetable. It’s a Pumpkin by Allan Fowler.

This resource has everything you need to teach your class about Pumpkins with hands-on interactive lessons. All the work has been done for you!

All About My Pumpkin Book

This 12-page interactive book is a great way to connect literacy and science in a fun way. Students enjoy creating their very own books with the lessons mentioned below that will be taught throughout the week.

Reading Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson really gets this pumpkin unit kickstarted.

Pumpkins Posters

These posters are perfect for teaching students different scientific facts about pumpkins. I find it best when I laminate these prior to using for increased durability. You can introduce the information posters and leave them hanging on the wall while you are teaching the unit so that students can refer to the posters whenever they would like.

These scientific pictures cover everything about pumpkins. Prior to teaching this lesson, place double-sided tape or an adhesive magnetic strip on the back of each picture card.

Life Cycle of a Pumpkin

Using real pictures and scientific terminology, students will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin. They will get to show what they know by completing the Life Cycle of a Pumpkin sort worksheets.

As we work through a pumpkin’s life cycle, we make it even more interesting by reading From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer.

Parts of a Pumpkin

I find it best to have students bring in their own pumpkins for this study. If you’re not able to have a pumpkin in the classroom or have students have their own pumpkins, there are real pictures of the inside of a pumpkin for reference.

Students will explore the inside of the pumpkin and label their worksheets to show their knowledge of the different pumpkin parts.

5 Senses Writing

Students will combine their creative writing skills together with what they observe about their pumpkins using their 5 senses.

Counting Seeds

After getting to feel and explore their pumpkins, students will show off their mastery of math as they count and record how many pumpkin seeds their pumpkins have.

We read How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara to go along with our own counting.

Taste Test

Besides getting to touch all the ooey-gooey parts of the pumpkin, the Taste Test Activity is one of their favorites. Mine too … who can resist pumpkin? For this activity, your class will get to taste various foods with pumpkin flavors and record their results.