Pumpkins

As part of our look at autumn we looked closely at a pumpkin - describing what we could see, wondering why Mrs Gleeson had brought it in and tell each other what we know about pumpkins.  The pumpkin had been sitting on the painting table as an invitation to have a go at painting it.  

There’s a pumpkin – why do think I’ve put the pumpkin out?

JM so we can have a look at it

Jake so we can shoot away

Sophia so we can see how big it is

Ginny – so we can look at it # because it has holes in it

JY pass

Haylin so we can be happy # because it’s orange

Daniella so share with it # we can put our hands up and tell what it looks like

Coben – we can paint it and have a happy face when we paint it

Lucas so we can see the stuff on it # green stuff

Harrison – so we can pass it # because we can share it

Madison – we can put it in the garden

Samantha – so we can look at it and pass it to each other

Charlotte – we could roll it like a game

Bella – we could paint it and put a happy face on it

Emily because we could look and see what it is like on it

Jimmy – there’s a green bit on the top # so we can have a look at it

Adam – I think you put it out so we could have a look at all the beautiful colours on it

Toby – I think you put it out so we can cut it open and have a look at it.

Tell me what you know about pumpkins

Toby they grow under ground

Adam it looks like there is a big seed inside it

Harrison it grows in the garden

JM cut some eyes out and put a mouth and put it on a scarecrow

Jimmy – there’s lots of seeds inside pumpkins

Lucas it’s got lots of orange on it

Bella because it has lots of brown holes # we can eat them

Ginny I know it’s orange

Madison – it’s heavy

Sophia – because that we can cut it and look inside it

Harrison – we dig them up

Jake – because we look at the marks of it

Coben – the green is like beans

Lucas – that’s why it’s got a little bit green on the top # it looks like …

Daniella – it looks like there’s a seed on the top of the green

JY – it’s got holes on it

Charlotte – the whole pumpkin when it’s almost the end of summer # it grows into a normal pumpkin

Samantha – they grow under ground

Emily I know about pumpkins because they have little lines on them

Haylin – it’s got some little holes.

We went outside to see the pumpkins growing in the gardens to clarify the children’s understandings about where pumpkins grow.  Some thought underground.  Unfortunately the pumpkins had all been removed.  Some children said their families were growing pumpkins.  Most of the ‘what I know’ came from their observation of the pumpkin in front of them.  They were not able to bring forward ideas about their experiences with pumpkins other than the one in front of them. 

# Indicates teacher prompt for clarification or more information.

For our display we have put the pumpkins onto the vines - then we noticed "something is missing." We realised we need to add leaves to our plant to help it grow.

The pumpkin patch