Pumpkin Investigation

Wow what great work we have been doing around PUMPKINS.

We started our new unit with a neat new wonder basket.  Our conversations started around what the basket was an apple or a pumpkin.  We have seemed to have settled on an apple.  The basket sits in the middle of the carpet and we make predictions on what might be inside.  We had lots of great guesses from candy to a new toys to a plant. 

Inside we found some fall gourds.  We had lots of conversation around what is a gourd and made observations.  The bumpy ones became the favourite.

After we were done looking at the gourds I brought out a pumpkin with the vine still attached this part was amazing.  Everyone started into a great conversation on what the vine was and why it was attached to the pumpkin.  Everyone was very eager to tell me and the class how a pumpkin grows and what it needs.  The idea around needing good soil, water and light was emphasized by all.  I was amazed how much they knew. 

After careful observations and reading of a few non fiction stories we were able to share our understanding in words and illustrations.  I feel very confident that everyone in the class has a concrete understanding of a pumpkins life cycle.

These pictures demonstrate the concrete understanding the students had from seeing the life cycle develop.  They independently could tell me the seed was planted in the ground and water and sun was needed to make the seed grow into a plant. Then the plant gets bigger and grew into a flower.  After the flower dies a baby pumpkin is there until the pumpkin grows bigger.

Once the concept of growth was understood we knew that we could grow a new pumpkin from the old pumpkin.  We cut the pumpkin open and these were some of the students comments:

 Its like a web inside. -AP

The seeds grew because they were stuck inside. -AK

It is a fruit. -KD

The seeds are stuck in the pumpkin. -DM

Looks like a spider celebration.-AH

Some pumpkins grow on the farm and some animals eat them.-KH

It is gooey.-JB

What is the bottom brown part?-KD

We had a great discussion about this and where the pumpkin grew from the flower,  We tried filling the pumpkin with soil to see if the pumpkin would grow inside.  Unfortunately our pumpkin rotted and we made the decision as a group we should throw it out so no one would get sick.  Overall a great study on pumpkins and we have moved onto our new Inquiry BATS!

Take it Outside!

It was National Take it Outside Day on October 25.  Check out the website for further information on this fun event here.  The idea was to spend 45 minutes outside doing some type of educational activity.   I decided to head to our favourite park and continue the great play we had done a couple weeks ago.  I invited the other Kindergarten class as well as the rest of the school.  We headed out at 10:45 after our regular recess.  The other Kindergarten class and the grade 4/5 class met us outside.  I was amazed how we got right into play.  With so many kids outside it was hard to do detailed observations and documentation.  I did take a few pictures and I am glad that everyone had a lot of fun.  It was nice to see the dynamics of the older students with the younger ones.  

 Look what we found broken on the ground.  We brought a piece in to dry and add to our discovery table.

We found some great places to play.  What great hiding places are in here.

 Lots of fun was had by all!