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Three Books for a Pumpkin Patch

October 30, 2014 Claire Annette Noland 1 Comment

pumppatchbooks

Every year my field trip buddy, Carmen, plants an acre of pumpkins at her family’s Bettencourt Farms. She plants a great variety making sure to have giant, tiny, heirloom, and different colored pumpkins. Then she opens her patch to local kids to come and enjoy. I get to be the official pumpkin presenter.ppatch w carmen

Yesterday, Hanford Christian kindergarten and first graders boarded the bus and drove on over. They came singing pumpkin songs and ready to find their very own perfect pumpkins.

I love to talk about the life cycle of pumpkins. I fill a table with seeds, vines, flowers and pumpkins. The children taste raw and salted seeds as well as cooked pumpkin. I only share three books because five and six year olds in a pumpkin patch don’t like to sit for long. Here are my book choices for this year:

 

 

pumpkin circlePumpkin Circle the Story of a Garden by George Levenson (author) and Shmuel Thaler (photographer) Tricycle Press

Written in simple, poetic text accompanied by glorious photographs, this book is the next best thing to actually growing your own pumpkin patch. The life cycle of pumpkins is told from seeds to sprouts to Jack O’ Lanterns. The story comes full circle when the seeds are planted for next year’s crop. The book includes tips on growing your own pumpkins.

 

pumpkin rottenRotten Pumpkin: A Rotten Tale in 15 Voices by David M. Schwartz (author) and Dwight Kuhn (photographer) Creston Books

 What happens to a pumpkin when it is no longer needed as a Jack O’ Lantern? Why, it goes back into the garden where it rots, of course. Cleverly told from the perspective of the pumpkin and visitors like a mouse, slug, fly, earthworm and mold, the process of decay becomes a fascinating tale. It ends on a hopeful note as a seed emerges to become a new pumpkin plant. The kids squirmed and squealed and loved the “ickiness” of this book. Now, they all want to throw their old pumpkins in the garden to see what happens. The book includes investigation suggestions for kids.

ppatch scarecrow's hatThe Scarecrow’s Hat by Ken Brown (author and illustrator) Peachtree Publishers

Before making helping the kids to make their very own scarecrow, I shared this cumulative story about a chicken that admires the scarecrow’s hat. The scarecrow likes his hat but he really wants a walking stick. The resourceful chicken visits various animals and gets them what they want and finally ends up with the scarecrow’s hat that becomes a perfect nest!

ppatch w savannah

Savannah’s pumpkins

ppatch w: gavin

Gavin shows off the class scarecrow.

ppatch class

A most successful day in the pumpkin patch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Books, Citizen Science, Farm Fresh, Field Trips, Places Tagged With: Bettencourt Farms, Pumpkin Circle, pumpkin patch, pumpkin patch field trip, pumpkin picture books, Rotten Pumpkin, Scarecrow's Hat, scarecrows

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Comments

  1. evelyneholingue says

    November 2, 2014 at 12:54 am

    Love your selection of picture books and the photos too. The Rotten Pumpkin must be a hit with kids. Excellent title to catch their attention.

    Reply

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