All Things Pumpkin - 9 Ideas for Pumpkins in the Classroom

Nothing reminds us of fall like the touch, feel, smell and sight of pumpkins! Pumpkins are a great medium to use for teaching in the fall. Here you will find 9 crafts, videos, resources, and activities to get you started on your pumpkin adventures this fall!  

1. This video is about the life cycle of a pumpkin. It really gets the students thinking about the different stages a pumpkin goes through before it is harvested. 

2. Wow, games using a pumpkin that practice sight words, spelling words, and math problems! They really give the students a chance to touch and feel the pumpkin as they roll it back and forth.

3.  Try this recipe for Pumpkin Pie play dough! Your students will love the Pumpkin smell!

4. A Pumpkin Hand print craft is a perfect way to save some fall memories. 

5. For science and sensory try out this pumpkin slime! Your students will love getting their hands oozing with a real pumpkin.

6. Grow a pumpkin in a pumpkin! What a great way to watch the sprouts grow!

7. Making an anchor chart like this one will help your students as they investigate and describe a pumpkin. For example, they can list how many seeds, how many lines, what's the inside of the pumpkin is like, and what the outside is like. So many questions and things to talk about. 

8. Create some sparkle with this pasta wheel pumpkin craft.

Positional Words Cut and Paste Emergent Reader

9. For more pumpkin themed fun, this cut and paste emergent reader works on positional words. Students love creating their own books as they cut and paste the pictures of a pumpkin!

I hope you learned some new ideas to utilize pumpkins in the classroom this fall. While putting this post together I learned some new tricks with blogging that I hope will help me create a more useful page. Keep on learning!
Let's Learn S'more!

Get to Know the Alphabet - 9 Fun Ways to Teach Letters

Here you will find some new or maybe old ideas for introducing your students to the letters of the alphabet. Use these for letter of the day or week or incorporate them into your theme studies! 

1. Students enjoy letter of the day crafts, they are perfect for letting them visualize what the letter looks like and to start thinking about what words start with that letter.  



2. These simple A to Z Animal Hats are a perfect addition to your letter learning. Just cut them out and add the band. On the black and white ones students can color the animal, trace the letter on the front and the side band, and then trace the name of the animal. You can use these when you are working a certain letter or incorporate them into a animal unit! Just imagine the parade you could have! 



3. Having visuals around the room is important to help students to see the letters and seeing words that start with that letter is a plus. You can get so many different Alphabet posters to go with your class theme or change them up throughout the year. 

These  flip charts are perfect for hands on learning and are a great way for students to see the letter as they practice the alphabet!


4. Touching and feeling is such an important part of learning! Tape the bag shut and then tape it to the table and it will help to keep this activity from getting messy. 



5. Sorting letters is a hands on way for students to  recognize letters as they group them together.

6. Letter spotting in big books with transparent counters is a wonderful activity that students really enjoy!



7. What Starts With A-Z?  These emergent readers practice several skills. Students love the fact that they are creating their very own book and the repetition of the text allows them to soon read on their own. 

Check out What Starts With  A? 

8. Letter matching is a favorite activity and so easy to put together. 

9. I love this snack idea. Just give students a hand full of cereal and let them decorate their snack with the alphabet!
 

I hope you learned some new ideas about teaching the alphabet for the classroom or at home. This week I learned some tips on taking pictures for blogs and social media. Keep on learning! 

Let's Learn S'more!