Pumpkin Investigation: Measure, Predict, Test

Every fall, a pumpkin is a free science lab. In this pack children look closely at one real pumpkin, estimate and then measure how far it is around its middle with a piece of string, estimate and then find its mass in kilograms, predict whether it will sink or float and test it in a tub of water, and count its seeds by grouping them in tens. A short reading and a cut-and-paste page follow the pumpkin from seed to vine to flower to fruit.

It is a fall harvest investigation, not a holiday pack. Anyone teaching a child can use it in September, October or November, in a classroom, a group or at a kitchen table. No pumpkin? Teacher notes give a plan for any large squash or gourd, and a way to run the whole pack with one pumpkin shared by the class.

Inside: teacher notes, a reading, a close-look page, four investigation pages (around, mass, sink or float, seeds), a cut-and-paste life cycle, a page of measuring and counting problems, exit tickets and an answer key with worked answers. Pages are written for Grades 1 to 3: the same investigation works at every level, and the notes say how to adjust it. Print in black and white on any printer. The free sample is the teacher notes and the reading.