The Science of...Pumpkins

Children are fascinated with pumpkins, and there is a lot you can do other than make jack-o-lanterns! Here are some fun facts and resources about pumpkins:

• Pumpkins are in the squash and gourd family


• Pumpkins are actually the fruit of the plant (the state fruit of New Hampshire)


• Pumpkins originated in North America and are one of the most popular crops in the United States


• Pumpkins are usually orange or yellow, but some are green, white, and even red


• Pumpkin seeds, or pepitas, are edible and very nutritious


• Pumpkins are now grown on every continent except Antarctica
  
• Pumpkins come in many different sizes and have fun and interesting names:

Small: Baby Bear, Small Sugar, Spooktacular
Medium: Harvest Moon, Funny Face
Large: Big Tom, Big Autumn
Jumbo: Big Max, Mammoth Gold

• Pumpkins usually weigh between 9-18 pounds, but can weigh much more, and every year, hundreds of growers compete to grow the heaviest pumpkin
  

Resources about pumpkins:

• http://www.pumpkin-patch.com/



• http://www.teachingheart.net/apumpkinunit.html
  
  
• Pumpkins
  by Ken Robbins, Square Fish, 2007
  
• How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?
  by Margaret McNamara, Schwartz & Wade, 2007
  
• Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
  by George Levenson, Tricycle Press, 2004
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The Science of... Sunflowers

One of the best projects I ever did with children was the sunflower project. Children, teachers, and families were fascinated by the brown sunflower heads I brought in to study. We did sunflower paintings ala Van Gough, made sunflower murals and told sunflower stories. Here are some sunflower facts and sunflower resources:

• Sunflowers are in the Asteraceae family, which means star-shaped flower. Why do you think they call it that? They are related to daisies, asters, and dandelions.
• Their Latin name, Helianthus annuus, literally means sun annual.
• Sunflowers are native to North America, but now are grown in many places throughout the world.
• Sunflowers come in several shades of yellows, oranges, reds, and even greens.
• The head of a sunflower is actually composed of dozens of florets in a spiral pattern.
  
• Sunflowers come in many sizes, from dwarf to giants up to 25 feet tall!
  
• Sunflowers come in many varieties with fun names such as ‘baby bear’, ‘mammoth’, ‘elf’, and ‘lemonade’.
  
• Sunflowers growing outside follow the sun as it moves through the daytime sky.

Here's a great sunflower science activity:

Dissect a sunflower head. You will need a sunflower head from a farm stand, a table covered with paper, trays for sorting, tweezers, magnifying glasses. Examine the sunflower. Notice the spiral pattern of the seeds. How is it different than a growing sunflower?

Resources about sunflowers:

• http://www.burpee.com/ This site has photos and descriptions of several varieties of sunflowers. You can see the different colors as well as the names of sunflower varieties.
• http://www.google.com/ Enter sunflowers and click on images. This site has hundreds of photographs and sunflower paintings.
• This is the Sunflower, L. Schafer and D. Crews. Greenwillow, 2000.
• Sunflower House, E. Bunting. Voyager Books. 1999.
• From Seed to Sunflower, G. Legg. Watts, 1998.

The Freshwater Pond Habitat

The (freshwater) pond habitat teems with plants and animals from several groups, including a vast array of microscopic inhabitants. There are many interesting pond animals: amphibians (frogs, tadpoles of frogs, salamanders, and toads), birds (Kingfisher, ducks, swans, small herons, red-wing black birds), fish (wide variety depending on where you live), insects and insect larvae (dragon flies and dragon fly nymphs, mosquito larvae, water striders, water beetles), mammals (Muskrats), and reptiles (a variety of turtles and some water snakes). The pond consists not only of the water, but the perimeter of small trees, grasses, cattails, and mud. A scoop of pond water yields an interesting study in itself. and is a great invitation to this topic. Armed with magnifying glasses and shallow trays, children can discover a seemingly endless variety of interesting creatures swimming around.

Ponds vary tremendously in size and origin, and specific plants and animals found will depend on your location and climate. If you have a small pond nearby your center, you have a great place to study this interesting habitat. Here are some things to think about and/or ask the children:

• How is the pond different from the ocean? How is it the same?
• How are pond turtles different than sea turtles? Why do you think so?
• What is the difference between an amphibian and a reptile? Why do many people confuse them?
• Are there sharks in the pond? Why not?

Some ideas for pond life activities:

• Create a fresh water aquarium for your classroom for a few days so children can observe animals first-hand. This is especially important if you cannot safely bring children to a nearby pond. Make sure you know how and what to feed any animal you include, and make sure you put them back in a few days where you found them.
• If you can go to a pond, do a checklist scavenger hunt or make a pond walk photo-journal of your visit.
• Make a pond mural (see above photo) throughout your study.
• Make or buy a set of frog life cycle stamps to help children represent the different stages they have observed.
• Make a frogs and lily pads or a turtle and logs matching and counting game.
• Play non-competitive musical frogs and lily pads instead of musical chairs.

There are dozens of field books for children that focus explicitly on pond life, as well as reptiles and amphibians, insects, and birds. The best resource I have found is Woods, Ponds, & Fields, by Ellen Doris. As you can tell by the title, it is also a great resource for the field/meadow and forest/woodland habitats. It includes dozens of nature activities and information, such as how to make an underwater viewer, as well as important safety tips (poison ivy, ticks, etc). Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but there are many used copies available online, and I highly recommend it.