Naturally Educational » Entries tagged with "Pumpkins"
Yarn Art Pumpkin Halloween Craft
We have some favorite Halloween crafts we do almost every year and we also try to add some new ones in. In the past, we made a a yarn pumpkin molded around a balloon. This year, we tried a flatter version of the craft, a Yarn Jack O’ Lantern you can hang on a wall or window. Pin It Materials orange yarn black paper glue green chenille stem (pipe cleaner) wax paper permanent marker Directions: 1. Trace a pumpkin on a piece of wax paper. Pin … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture
5 Pumpkin Books for Your Story Patch
Pumpkins are popping up all over the place here! I love how the pumpkin theme lasts the whole fall season, from harvest to Halloween to Thanksgiving–we study pumpkins, make Jack O’ Lanterns, pumpkin pies, roasted pumpkin seeds, and, of course, pumpkin crafts. We also enjoy reading picture books about pumpkins. Here are some of our favorite pumpkin books for kids: Pin It Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin, by Mary Serfozo: Toddlers will love the language play and the adorable … Read entire article »
Filed under: 0-3 (Babies and Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured
Halloween Science
Pin It Did you know that Halloween can be a perfect learning opportunity for your kids?! Yes that’s right, grab your kids and head to the nearest pumpkin patch! Materials 3 pumpkins of varying sizes knife bowl carving kit (just to make it fun!) Let your children pick out pumpkins. The bigger the pumpkin the longer this project will take, so in this case smaller is better. The one shown here with my son is way too big. Pin It Start by letting your … Read entire article »
Grow A Seed
Pin It My kids and I love looking through and doing my old lessons which I had used when I taught. Here is one of my favorite lessons, both in school and out. I actually had more fun with it at home since there were no time constraints. The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate the stages of plants life cycle and to explain where our food comes from. (when I taught I did this along … Read entire article »
Filed under: 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Ecology, Fall, Featured, Home Arts, Science, Subject Matter
Beaded Pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern Ornaments
We made these easy beaded pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern ornaments to add to our Halloween decorations. Pin It My children love to bead and it is great fine motor skill practice. Materials orange and black beads chenille stems (2 orange, 1 green) fishing wire Directions 1. First, I put them to work sorting out all the orange beads. Pin It 2. Then they strung the orange beads onto a chenille stem. Pin It 3. Twist the ends of the stem together and shape into a pumpkin. 4. Then, … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts
Pumpkin Bird Feeder
After we finished our Pumpkin Shaving Cream Art, we had some bisected mini gourds we did not want to waste. So, we turned them into bird feeders. Pin It First, I took the gourd I had cut in half length-wise and cut two holes at the top of the gourd. Pin It Then, the children threaded the yarn through the holes. Pin It We filled them with nut butter (you can use sunflower if you have peanut allergies), bird seed, and … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), All Ages, Ecology, Fall, Featured
Shaving Cream Pumpkin Art
My children have been asking me when we could do shaving cream art again. The tactile experience helps build learning and the kids have a ton of fun playing with paint and shaving cream. So, we made shaving cream pumpkins! Pin It Materials: posterboard foaming shaving cream paints (Halloween colors) 1. We traced and cut-out a pumpkin shape from poster board. Pin It 2. Then I poured foaming shaving cream and some paints (mostly orange with a little green and purple) into a … Read entire article »
Filed under: 1-2 (Toddler), 1-2 (Toddlers), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), Art, Bodily-kinesthetic, Fall, Featured, Touch
Paper Pumpkin Craft
Pin It Our home has been completely invaded by pumpkins–real, decorative, and crafted! Here’s my daughter’s latest pumpkin project–a toilet paper roll and construction paper pumpkin that is a great paper-cutting activity. Pin It Materials: toilet paper roll orange paint orange construction paper green chenille stem glue scissors pencil ruler Directions: 1. Paint the toilet paper roll orange and let dry. Pin It 2. Take a piece of construction paper that is approximately twice as long as the toilet paper roll. Fold the construction paper in half and mark off lines, … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured
Yarn Pumpkin
Pin It We made a yarn pumpkin, similar to this yarn egg we made for Easter. This requires some manual dexterity and patience but it is very simple and relaxing and I think it looks lovely hanging from our chandelier! Supplies: Balloon School Glue Orange Yarn Green Pipe Cleaner Directions: Pin It 1. Inflate a balloon of any color until it is round. 2. Tie four strings around the pumpkin, knotting at the top, to create eight “sections”. Paint the yarn with glue. (Note: I … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergartners), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 9-11 (Elementary), Fall, Featured, Mathematics
Jack-o-Lantern Candle Craft
Pin It October is my favorite month and it is not just because it is my birthday. I love the apple-picking, the leaves turning colors, butternut squash, and of course, Halloween. And nothing says Halloween quite like a glowing Jack-o-Lantern. My daughter made hers with some left-over tissue paper and a glass baby-food jar. We love crafts, especially ones made from natural or recycled materials but I’ll admit…we take shortcuts sometimes. Especially when I’m hosting … Read entire article »
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Sight



Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

















