Category Archives: Pumpkins

3 Fun and Simple Fall Games for Preschoolers

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Fall Games for Preschoolers

Thanksgiving is looking a little different for many families this year, mine included. We are not having the traditional big family dinners due to the pandemic. To help entertain my son this holiday, I decided to make a few simple and easy fall games to play as a family.

I have included FREE downloads of the documents that I created. I hope that your family enjoys these games as much as we did. Enjoy!

1. Feed the Turkey

Feed the Turkey Fall Game

SUPPLIES

Plastic Bottle (I used Gatorade bottles)

Construction Paper

Googly Eyes

Pompoms

Dice

Fall Games

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, you will need to create the turkeys. Personally, I used plastic Gatorade bottles. I found that the opening on most water bottles was too small when trying to remove the pompoms. Start with cutting out a beak and feathers out of construction paper.

2. Time to glue. You will need to glue the feathers onto the backside of the bottle towards the top. On the front of the bottle add googly eyes and the beak.

3. Now that your bottles are ready, it’s time to play. Each player will take turns rolling the dice (you can use either one or two). If you use two dice, you can practice addition with your child. Each player will count and add the corresponding number of pompoms into their bottle. The first person to fill their bottle with pompoms wins!

Fall Games

My son wanted to play this game over and over. He loves to race, so this was right up his alley. This game helps to work on fine motor skills, counting, number recognition, addition and turn taking.

2. Fall Bingo

Fall Bingo Game

SUPPLIES

Fall Bingo Game (FREE Download)

Bingo Markers (such as pumpkin seeds, rocks, pompoms, etc.)

Fall Bingo Game

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Download and print the FREE fall bingo game. I recommend printing on cardstock for durability. You could laminate the bingo cards and pieces. As a side note, this game includes 10 bingo cards and the call sheet.

2. Next, cut the pieces out on the call sheet along the dotted lines.

3. Then, set out a bowl with colorful pumpkin seeds to use as bingo markers and a bowl with the call pieces.

4. Everyone should pick one bingo card to use. Place a pumpkin seed on the FREE space in the middle.

5. Now it’s time to play! Call out squares one by one by picking pieces out of the bowl. As items are called, place a pumpkin seed on the corresponding square on your bingo card. Once you have 5 in a row (vertical, horizontal or on a diagonal), say “BINGO!”

Fall Bingo with Dyed Pumpkin Seeds

This game was such a big hit with my son. We played it multiple times for several days. This game helps to work on fine motor skills, matching, fall vocabulary, and math.

Check out my previous blog post to learn “How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds.”

3. Fall Matching Game

Fall Matching Game

SUPPLIES

Fall Match Game (FREE Download)

Fall Matching Game

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Download and print the FREE fall matching game. I recommend printing on cardstock for durability. You could also laminate the pieces.

2. Next, cut the game pieces out along the dotted lines.

3. Time to play. Place the pieces face down on the table in a grid pattern. Then, take turns turning over two cards to find a match. The person with the most matches wins!

Fall Games
Fall Games

My son has always loved matching games. I created this game to help with his vocabulary of fall words. This game helps to work on literacy, vocabulary, matching, memory skills and turn taking.

Fall Games

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds

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How to Dye Pumpkin Seeds

My husband has always loved to carve a pumpkin for Halloween. Typically, we throw away the seeds and pulp. What do you like to do with the pumpkin seeds after you carve your jack-o-lantern?

This year, I decided to keep the pumpkin seeds to use for sensory activities. And considering that my son is currently obsessed with rainbows, I wanted to dye the seeds. Since I wanted to use these pumpkin seeds for fall activities, I opted to color them red, orange, yellow and green.

SUPPLIES

Pumpkin Seeds

Food Coloring

Plastic Zip Top Bags

Aluminum Foil

Baking Sheet

INSTRUCTIONS

1. First, you need to clean and dry your pumpkin seeds. You want to get as much of the pulp off of them as possible.

2. Next, spread the seeds out on a baking sheet in a single layer.

3. Bake in the oven at 200° F for approximately 2 hours.

Baked Pumpkin Seeds
Baked Pumpkin Seeds

4. After the pumpkin seeds are cool to touch, separate them into plastic zip top bags.

5. Add the desired food coloring to each bag. Then, close the bag and mix the food coloring with the pumpkin seeds until they are fully coated.

Colored Pumpkin Seeds
Colored Pumpkin Seeds

6. Finally, lay the colored pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Allow them to dry. I recommend allowing them to air dry overnight. You will want them to be completely dry before using them.

If you want to speed up the process, you put them back in the oven for a little while. Just note that this may alter their color.

Dyed Pumpkin Seeds
Dyed Pumpkin Seeds

Once the pumpkin seeds are completely dry, you can use them in different projects such as sensory bins, play dough kits, games, and crafts. I loved how intense and bright the colors turned out. I cannot wait to share these with Ben!

How would you use them? I would love to hear from you. Have fun!

Dyed Fall Pumpkin Seeds
Fall Colored Pumpkin Seeds

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.

Preschool STEM Pumpkin Investigation

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STEM Pumpkin Investigation for Preschoolers

Happy STEM Day! If you are not familiar with STEM, it stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Children have a natural inclination to explore. So, what better way to explore than with this fun pumpkin investigation.

SUPPLIES

Pumpkins (real and/or fake)

LEGOs (or something else to measure height)

Tape Measurer

Scale

Large Container with Water

Chart (Free Download at the End) and Marker to Track Your Findings

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation Worksheet

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make Observations about the Appearance of the Pumpkins

First, ask the question, “What color is each pumpkin?” Next, ask if each pumpkin is big or small. Finally, ask the question, “Is the stem long or short?” Make sure to record your observations on the chart. You can download the chart that we used at the end of this post.

2. Measure the Height of the Pumpkins

For this part of our science experiment, we used stacked LEGOs to measure the height of the different pumpkins. Have your child stack and count them. If you do not have LEGOs, you can use another type of block or a ruler. Record your measurements in the chart.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

3. Measure the Circumference of the Pumpkins

In this next step, we used a soft tape measure to measure the circumference of each pumpkin.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

4. Weigh the Pumpkins

Time to weigh the pumpkins. We were able to weigh the larger pumpkins by themselves on the scale. For the smaller ones, we weighed them with Ben holding them then subtracted his weight.

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation

5. Will the Pumpkins Sink or Float?

In this final step, you will need to have a large container to fill with water. We used our wheelbarrow, and Ben enjoyed filling it with water. This boy loves water!

Next, have your child make a prediction on whether they think each pumpkin will sink or float. Then into the water they go. Finally, have your child note whether each pumpkin sank or floated. Were their predictions correct?

Preschool Pumpkin Investigation
Preschool Pumpkin Investigation Sink or Float

As an added bonus, the wheelbarrow turned into an impromptu sensory bin after we finished up. As I said before, Ben loves water!

Sensory Play with Water and Pumpkins

CLICK below to DOWNLOAD the Free PDF of my Pumpkin Investigation Worksheet.

FREE DOWNLOAD

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children. As your child’s parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family. I always encourage contacting your child’s pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.