Pumpkin Reading List

Pumpkin season is here! What a wonderful time of the year! There are so many fun things to do during this time of the year. Last year we did a unit on pumpkins, and I thought we would do the same again this year. Below are a few of the books we have used during our pumpkin unit. My own personal belief is that it is always an excellent idea, when possible, to reinforce what we are doing with children's literature.

Oh My, Pumpkin Pie! is a book that would most likely be on the level with 1st grade students. It is a great book to use for science and math activities. Children can compare and contrast, explore a pumpkin patch, do some baking, and make art connections with pumpkin carving while using this early reader. (Note: There are some references to Halloween and a few of the pumpkins have scary faces.)

Seed, Sprout, Pumkin, Pie is a great book for teaching the concept of life cycles. This trade book chronicles a pumpkin's life from a seed to sprout to leaves to flowers to the knobs and then to pumpkins! Children will find out some of the things you can do with your pumpkin once it is fully ripened including baking pumpkin pie, roasting the seeds, and carving jack-o-lanterns. The book also explores how the pumpkin returns to the soil or is used to feed cattle. (Note: There are references to jack-o-lanterns in this book as well as some references to Halloween.)

P is for Pumpkin is an alphabet book that uses all the letters of the alphabet to describe what happens in Autumn, or Fall. The book also shares with children about God and how he "made the Earth-he made everything! He makes all the wonders each season will bring." The illustrations are very warm and it is a great book to reinforce the alphabet, teach children some new vocabulary, and help them make connections to God as our creator. (Note: There is a reference in this book to dressing up.)

The Pumpkin Patch Parable by Liz Curtis Higgs is my favorite of all the picture books during this time of the year. It is also about the life cycle of the pumpkin. But every page contains scripture describing the wonder of God's creation. The story also is a visual demonstration of what happens to us when we become a new creation in Christ. The farmer grows his pumpkin and then selects one to carve. He cleans out all the yucky stuff on the inside and replaces it with a light. Jesus is the light of the world and when we become a new creature through His sacrifice, that light comes to live on the inside of us by His Spirit.

"If anyone belongs to Christ, then he is made new. The old things have gone; everything is made new!"-2 Corinthians 5:17




There are so many fun and exciting things to do to educate children during this time of the year while combining subject areas! There are many ways to incorporate art, science, math, and language arts, while learning about pumpkins! For more ideas on what to do with pumpkins check out the following links!

NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) Blog
http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2009/10/28/pumpkin-science/

http://nstacommunities.org/blog/2008/10/22/sink-float-try-it-with-pumpkins/

National Science Teachers Association Journal Archives:

Science and Children
http://www.nsta.org/publications/search_journals.aspx?keyword=pumpkin&journal=SC

Life Cycle of a Pumpkin
http://printables.atozteacherstuff.com/375/pumpkin-pumpkin-sequencing-activity/

http://themes.atozteacherstuff.com/230/pumpkins-lesson-plans-activities-printables-and-teaching-ideas/

For further exploration of the books I have mentioned, visit either christianbook.com or amazon.com.

Recording God's Creation: The Use of Science Journals

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good."-Genesis 1:31

Since it is the beginning of many homeschoolers school year, I thought I would share something I did with my students when I taught 6th Grade Science. There is so much I could say about using science journals, but I will try to keep it brief. I love Science. It is the study of God’s creation. In using science journals, children get to record their observations of all that God has made.

When I taught 6th Grade Science, my students had a notebook that they brought to class every day. Things they included in it were notes they took, observations they made, vocabulary, drawings, charts, and assignment questions. They were graded on whether or not they had the correct amount of entries for the journal, and I took off points if something was missing. I didn’t grade on the quality of the contents, because it was their journal; it belonged to them, and they could use it for study purposes for testing for which I did take a grade.

Although Leonardo DaVinci is probably most well known for painting the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, he was also a scientist who kept extensive journals. He conceived in his mind things like the tank and flying machines before man ever had the capabilities to produce such things. He also dissected human cadavers and drew the human body. (Gross, I know.) His drawings are incredible, very detailed. He is worthy of further research, but I point him out because of his use of journals.

Using a science journal as part of your homeschool curriculum will accomplish many things. You will give your child a way of expressing himself/herself. Science journals will give them an avenue for authentically expressing the knowledge they acquire aside from simply testing and giving the right answer. If you choose to use a science journal you can cover several different subject areas. Using the science journal, your child will be practicing their writing skills, which is a language arts requirement. If your child chooses to include drawings and science poems in the journal, this would be art and language arts. Drawing graphs would meet a math requirement. There are so many things you can do with this. At the end of the year, you would have a neat little record of what your child learned, and a keepsake for the future.

Creating the journal could be something special you could do with your child. You can get as creative as you want or not. A simple spiral-bound notebook will suffice. Simply put the child’s name on the front and voila! You have a science journal. You can the also modify the use of science journals to fit the assignment requirements of the student from kindergarten up through high school.

So when it is sunny outside, grab that science journal, a pack of colored pencils, and go outside to study that anthill. Challenge your child to put those poetry skills to use or encourage the budding artist to record his/her perspective of the ant hill. Then go inside and research how an ant creates that hill! The science journal is just one more tool for your toolbox in educating your child. Have a great school year! Blessings!

~Beth