It’s PUMPKIN WEEK! I love protecting this week for all kinds of pumpkin explorations. They’ve adapted over the years as my crew has grown but we still have a lot of fun!
Pumpkin lessons don’t need a fancy curriculum or program. A pumpkin (or two), a few kitchen-table tools, and a little curiosity go a long way for preschoolers through upper elementary. You can keep it simple, keep it hands-on, and still cover real science, math, writing, and STEM without leaving home.
We started with an exploration on engineering! I gave my elementary aged crew a box of popsicle sticks, tape and a mission! They were to build a sturdy bridge to hold the weight of the mini pumpkins we have around the house.
Pumpkin STEM: build a bridge
This popsicle-stick bridge challenge was eye opening for my crew. It was quickly apparent that building a bridge is no small task.. The job seemed simple: build a bridge strong enough to hold a pumpkin — tape allowed.
Start with a pile of sticks, a roll of tape, and a mini pumpkin for testing. Kids plan, rebuild, and cheer when the structure finally holds.
Long bridges take more than one set of hands. Watching siblings pass sticks and problem-solve together is half the lesson. We even had a cameo from Joshua- science is always more fun when Daddy gets involved!
Some designs are tidy ladders; some look a little wild. Both count. The real win is persistence and “what if we try it this way?”
Test time: We set the bridge between a chair and a bench, placed the pumpkin in the middle, and held our breath. It held and we celebrated! That’s engineering at the kitchen table.
Pumpkin STEM with a spring!
Our second pumpkin engineering enterprise includes creating a homemade catapult! If you have some popsicle sticks, rubber bands and a spoon, you can make a catapult! We plan to send candy pumpkins flying! Here’s how we did it:
Looking & Labeling
Before you carve anything, invite looking and wondering. How heavy does it feel? What does the outside feel like? What’s different about the stem? Kids love estimating, comparing, and guessing — and that’s real math and science warm-up work.
Pumpkin Themed Story Retelling
A simple story map (characters, setting, beginning, middle, end, problem, solution) turns a pumpkin picture book into writing practice without feeling like a worksheet marathon. Little ones can dictate; older kids can fill in the boxes themselves.
Pumpkin Jack is such a great book to to cross the lines from literacy to science! This story follows the lifecycle of a pumpkin from one year to another!
The retelling page and pumpkin lifecycle spinner are both part of my Hooray for Pumpkin Day resource!
Pumpkin Fun for Little Ones
Then keep hands busy with something calm and colorful — like Pumpkin Dots do-a-dot pages beside a couple of mini pumpkins. It’s fine-motor work that still feels like fall fun.
Grab a pumpkin, gather the kids, and let the questions lead. Sticky seeds, wobbly bridges, big smiles — that’s learning through play!
