October 24-30: Pumpkins
"Tonight the great pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world."
Linus, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Book Suggestions:

Where is Baby's Pumpkin? by Karen Katz
Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Hutchings
Apples and Pumpkins by Anne Rockwell
The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
The Pumpkin Patch by Elizabeth King
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steve Kroll
The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis

Activities:

Exploration:
Materials: Pumpkin
Description: Have your toddler look at a pumpkin. Talk about how the pumpkin looks, its color, its shape and size, and how it feels. You could extend this activity by having your toddler taste pumpkin snacks and talk about how they taste.

Skills Targeted: sensory development, language development, explore and observe, develop science skills, understand size, color and shape

Pumpkin Feelings:

Materials: 3 pumpkins or orange and black construction paper

Description: Draw and cut out a pumpkin shape from orange construction paper. Cut out shapes for the pumpkin's eyes and nose. Cut out three different mouths (one sad, one happy, and one angry). Have your toddler glue on the nose and eyes and then change out the mouths. Talk about how the pumpkin feels with each mouth. (you could also carve three different pumpkins
Skills Targeted: understand feelings, shape recognition, color recognition, language development

Pumpkins Float:

Materials: pumpkins, bathtub or large bucket of water

Description: Because pumpkins are heavy, most kids think they will sink. However, they are hollow so they will actually float. Fill a bathtub or large bucket with water. Have your child guess whether the pumpkin will float or not. Place the pumpkin in the water and talk about whether your toddler's guess what right or not. You could extend this activity, by placing other objects in the water and see if they sink or float.

Skills Targeted: understand opposites, develop science skills, make a prediction, explore and observe, language development

Shape Pumpkins:

Materials: orange and black construction paper, scissors, glue

Description: Cut out a large circle or pumpkin shape from orange construction paper. Cut out two small triangles (for eyes), one small square (for a nose), and one circle (for a mouth) from black construction paper. Show alll the shapes to your toddler and see if they can name each one. Help your toddler glue the pieces together to make a jack-o-lantern.

Skills Targeted: shape recognition, motor skill development, language development

Coffee Filter Pumpkins:

Materials: coffee filter, orange crayon, black construction paper, glue, scissors

Description: Prior to doing this activity, cut out shapes from black construction paper for the pumpkins eyes, nose and mouth. Talk to your toddler about the shape and color or pumpkins. Have your toddler color the pumpkin orange (or paint). Show them the different shapes that you cut out and have them name each one. Help your toddler glue the shapes onto the coffee filter to make a jack-o-lantern.

Skills Targeted: Shape recognition, color recogntion, language development, motor skill development

Play-Doh Pumpkins:

Materials: orange playdough

Description: Create pumpkins from play doh. Talk about the shape and color of the pumpkins as you are making them.

Skills Targeted: shape recognition, color recogntion, language development, motor skill development

Counting Pumpkin Seeds:

Materials: pumpkin seeds, paper, marker

Description: Save at least 10 pumpkin seeds from your carved pumpkin. Count the seeds with your toddler. Line the seeds up on a piece of paper and write the numbers under each seed as your count them.

Skills Targeted: counting, number recogntion, motor skill development, one to one correspondence, math skill develoment

Signing Pumpkin:

Description: Sign with me is a great website for learning sign language. Teach your toddler how to sign the word pumpkin and practice it throughout the week.

Skills Targeted: learn sign language , language development, motor skill development, develop communication skills

Hand Print Pumpkins:

Materials: orange brown and green paint, paper

Description: Have your toddler make a fist and paint it orange. Stamp their fist down on a piece of paper to make the pumpkin. Your little one can add a stem and leaf by stamping their thumb into paint and then onto the top of the pumpkin.

Skills Targeted: enhance creativity and imagination, motor skill development, color recognition,

Carving Pumpkins:

Materials: Pumpkins

Description: Adults do all the carving. Let your child observe from a safe distance. First cut off the top of the pumpkin. Have your toddler help you scoop out the seeds and insides of the pumpkin. Talk to your toddler about how the pumpkin feels inside and outside. Have them look and smell the inside of the pumpkin too. Count some of the seeds as you take them out. Talk to your toddler about what kind of face they want their jack-o-lantern to have. Carve the face.

Skills Targeted: sensory development, language development, describe feelings

Measure a Pumpkin:

Materials: pumpkin string ruler

Description: Have your toddler guess how big around your pumpkin is, by cutting a piece of string the length they think will fit around the pumpkin. Wrap the string around the pumpkin. Talk about whether it is too long, too short, or just right. You can extend this activity by cutting a piece of string to fit "just right" around the pumpkin. Measure the length of the string using a ruler to see how long it is.

Skills Targeted: develop an understanding of measurment, make a prediction, compare and contrast, understand opposites short and long, language development

Recipes:

(Let your toddler get involved when you cook. Allow them to stir, measure, and combine ingredients. Do not allow them to use any sharp objects to get close to the hot stove or oven.)

Pumpkin Dip:

This recipe is from http://www.allrecipes.com/

1 8oz package of cream cheese softened

2 cups powered sugar

1 15 oz can solid pack pumpkin

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp frozen orange juice concentrate

In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and powered sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in pumpkin. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined. Chill until served. Great with ginger snaps.

Pumpkin Bread:

(This recipe was submitted to http://www.allrecipes.com/ by Cheryl Riccioli)

3 cups canned pumpkin puree

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

4 cups white sugar

6 eggs

4 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 3 9X5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. In seperate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Stir into pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Sandwiches:

pumpkin ice cream

chocolate chip cookies

Bake chocolate chip cookies according to packaging directions. Place a scoop of ice cream on top of one cookie and layer a second cookie on top.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Yogurt Shake:

This recipe is from http://www.3aday.org/

1 can 14 oz pumpkin chilled

3 oz cream cheese

1 6 oz container vanilla yogurt

2 cups milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

6 tsp. graham cracker crumbs

Place all ingredients into a blender. Blend well. Pour into individual cups. Top with graham cracker crumbs.

Songs and Fingerplays:

Ten Little Pumpkins:

Sung to the tune of 10 Little Indians

1 little 2 little 3 little pumpkins

4 little 5 little 6 little pumpkins

7 little 8 little 9 little pumkins

10 little pumpkins in the patch.

Five Little Pumpkins:

5 Little pumpkins sitting on a gate

The first one says "Oh my its getting late."

The second one says "There are witches in the air."

The third one says "But we don't care."

The fourth one says "Lets run and run and run."

The fifth one says "This is so much fun."

Then, owwww went the wind,

and out went the lights

And 5 little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater:

Peter peter pumpkin eater

Had a wife and couldn't keep her

He put her in a pumpkin shell

and there he kept her very well.

Where is Pumpkin?

Sung to the tune "Where is Thumbkin?"

Where is pumpkin?

Where is pumpkin?

Here I am

Here I am

I have a happy face

I have a happy face

That glows at night.

That glows at night.

Continue singing this song using sad, mad, silly face etc.