Thursday, October 27, 2016

Pumpkin Math

Fall in New England = All Things Pumpkin

Pumpkin math lends itself to classroom discussions around the ideas of estimation, grouping, skip-counting, collaboration to name a few!  This is also a great time to do some integration across the curriculum and tie in science and language arts; seeds, plants, life cycle, scientific process, science journals...and the list goes on and on.

I start off by passing the pumpkin around in a circle at the rug. I ask the kids to use their senses when it's their turn to hold the pumpkin.  We talk about what they see, hear, smell, taste (later with the cooked seeds) and touch.  We talk about all things pumpkin really! 

Next, I read aloud the book, How Many Seeds In A Pumpkin. Each student makes an estimation of how many seeds they think will be in the pumpkin on a post-it note.  The students then go back to their table groups and count the seeds in their pumpkin.  I cut the tops of the pumpkins prior to the activity and give each group a large metal spoon to scoop out the pumpkin guts. The groups decide how they would like to group their seeds (1, 2, 5, 10, 20). 

We also watch a short video clip about the life cycle of a pumpkin. The students sketch, label and journal in their science journals about their pumpkin before and after the activity.