‘Pumpkinpalooza’

POUGHKEEPSIE – Jennifer Langdon’s second grade class at Krieger Elementary enjoyed “Pumpkinpalooza” last week, a hands-on, cross-curricular exploration of pumpkins that integrated science, math and language arts.

Using pumpkins, the students worked in small groups to predict if they would sink or float, measure their height and circumference, weigh it and count its ribs, observe and illustrate it, use their five senses to describe it and decorate it as a character from a book of their choosing.

Once the observations were complete, the students made predictions on how many seeds were inside. They then opened their pumpkins and counted the seeds, organizing them into groups of 10 for easier counting.

As a class they then analyzed and discussed the data each group discovered and reflected on predictions.

But, that didn’t end the fun. Langdon took the seeds home and roasted them over the weekend for the class to share as a tasty cap to the lesson on Monday.