Visiting the pumpkin patch can be a favorite activity for Halloween and it’s a fun time for learning and kindergarten readiness. How can a pumpkin patch help with learning?
Going to the pumpkin patch is quite an adventure:
- Kids get to move and explore a great big space outside and it’s quite possible to get dirty. Bodies and muscles get to walk, run, bend and carry.
- Science facts are almost as plentiful as the pumpkins: plants need dirt to grow. Pumpkins grow on top of the ground. While pumpkins are all more or less orange, they have different sizes and shapes. Pumpkins are attached to big vines and the stem is part of the vine.
There’s so much to talk about and so many questions to ask that lots of language is needed and used.
- Fingers get to explore the texture of pumpkins — the smooth skins, bump outs, and rough stems. The pumpkins feel heavy and hopefully the wind doesn’t feel too cold.
- Noses can smell the dirt, the straw and sometimes the odor of fertilizer.
- Ears get to hear boots on the dirt, maybe the sound of a tractor, the thump from knocking on the pumpkin.
- Eyes practice their observation skills. Do the pumpkins look the same? Are there differences in size and shape and color?
- This connection to nature is hands-on and the memories will last for years.
Choosing a pumpkin is not easy to do. Kids have to think about their decision and make a choice. There may also be some learning about numbers–how many pumpkins–and money. These are only a few of the ways that a trip to the pumpkin patch can encourage kids to be curious and excited about learning. Is there a pumpkin patch in your area?