Holiday Activities

After scooping out the inside of a pumpkin, did you know that you can save the seeds for eating as well as planting?

• Wash the strings off the seeds and drain the seeds.
• Pop them into a container with just a bit of cooking oil, put on the lid and shaaake them so they are lightly coated.
• Take off the lid and add a pinch or two of salt. Shaaaake some more. (Kids like doing this part.)
• Spread the seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet. Pop them into the oven about 325F for about 20 minutes.
• Stir and check a couple of times. Take them out when toasty.
• Wait to eat them until they are cool.

• Variations: instead of salt, you can try a little curry, or chili powder, or cinnamon and sugar.
  Or mix with raisins, cheerios, corn puffs,  fishy crackers, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, etc.
  A few chocolate chips can be added for an early Halloween treat.

Cooking with kids helps develops all kinds of kindergarten readiness skills. There’s creating, planning, organizing, using visual details, measuring, counting, and more. Kids use lots of language skills such as questioning, explaining, and learning specific vocabulary. While roasting pumpkin seeds is a simple activity, it has encouraged problem-solving and thinking skills, as well. Isn’t this a yummy way to cook up some readiness for kindergarten?