Woodland School Holds Pumpkin Fest

From Warren Township Schools:

WARREN, NJ - Given the season, it is fitting that first graders at Woodland School recently celebrated Pumpkin Fest, a week-long cross-curricular exploration of…well… pumpkins. From the literary to the scientific, students enjoyed varied activities, all focused on this big, orange member of the squash family.
Library media specialist Kate Zaleski read The Runaway Pumpkin and other pumpkin literature. The children created a sequence book about the life cycle of a pumpkin, while teachers Anita Brower and Dorothy Stolfi created writing prompts for students to detail pumpkin carving directions.

“The classes also participated in several pumpkin investigations,” said Stolfi. “One investigation was to estimate how many seeds would be found in a pumpkin. The children took turns counting the seeds and placing them in bags of 10. They were amazed when they discovered that there were 530 seeds in one pumpkin!”

The first graders planted seeds with plans to chart a pumpkin’s growth. And, after reading an article about pumpkin boats in Scholastic News, the two classes chose three small specimens, made predictions, and set out to see if the pumpkins would float. They did!

“These fun activities allowed the children to enjoy science using one of the best memories they will have of Fall in first grade,” said Brower and Stolfi.

Photos via Warren Township Schools
Photo 1: Woodland School 1st graders (from left) Andrew DeLuca, Mikaela Perez and Timothy Kardos enjoy an array of cross-curricular Pumpkin Fest activities in Anita Brower’s classroom.
Photo 2: ‘Tis the season for pumpkins at Woodland School, as Dorothy Stolfi’s first graders conduct scientific and other fun activities. Library Media Specialist Kate Zaleski (L) was on hand to read The Runaway Pumpkin and other pumpkin literature.