Each week in the pre-kindergarten class we have a science lab on Thursdays full of experiments, hypotheses, and adventure! The purpose is to discover God’s world through science. The children love getting involved in the labs each week and discovering some surprising outcomes of our experiments. This week the topic was pumpkins. Our science vocabulary words for this week were maturity and harvest.
Some of the facts we learned and discussed were:
• Scientifically speaking, pumpkins are a fruit (they contain seeds), but they are often referred to as vegetables.
• Pumpkins are usually orange, but can be yellow, white, green or red.
• There are more than 50 different kinds of pumpkins.
• Pumpkins are able to grow on all continents except Antarctica.
• Long ago, colonists made pumpkin pies a bit differently. They cut off the top, removed the seeds, and filled the inside with milk, spices and honey. It was baked in hot ashes.
• Native Americans used pumpkin seeds for food and medicine.
• Pumpkins are made mostly of water. They are a good source of vitamin A and potassium.
• Pumpkins grow on vines, and take about four months to reach maturity, from seed to pumpkin!
Experiments/Projects
• We made a paper pumpkin, and sequenced the growth process of a pumpkin from seed to pie!
• We scooped the seeds and pulp from the inside of a pumpkin. The kids ALL loved doing this ooey gooey project.
• We decorated our own little pumpkin, and compared them to the size of our class pumpkin.
Fun fact: Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites!