Learn about Pumpkins!
Possible Interactive Notebook Activity
Click here for free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/PUMPKIN-FACTS-1482068
Click here for free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/PUMPKIN-FACTS-1482068
1. Pumpkins are thought to have originated in Central America, specifically Mexico. Some seeds found date back to 5500 B.C.
2. Top pumpkin growers are U.S. farmers, growing more than 1.5 billion each year.
3. The word pumpkin comes from the French word for “large melon”,
pompon. The English used “pumpion” and colonists used “pumpkin”.
4. The World’s Largest Pumpkin Pie was made in New Bremen, Ohio, in 2010. 1,212 lbs of canned pumpkin, 109 gallons of evaporated milk, 525
pounds of sugar, 14.5 pounds of cinnamon, 7 pounds of salt and 2796 eggs were used. It weighed 3699 pounds.
pounds of sugar, 14.5 pounds of cinnamon, 7 pounds of salt and 2796 eggs were used. It weighed 3699 pounds.
5. Did you know that pumpkins are 90 percent water?
6. Some people used to believe that pumpkins could cure snake bites and help remove freckles!
7. In addition to orange, pumpkins can be green, yellow, tan, white,red and blue.
8. The “Pumpkin Capital of the World” and home to Libby’s Pumpkins is Morton, Illinois.
9. The fibrous strands of string and seeds are called the “brains” of the pumpkin.
10. Carving pumpkins originated in Ireland using potatoes,rutabagas and turnips. Irish immigrants to America started using pumpkins as they were easier to carve and hollow! What is ONE fact you know about the country of Ireland?_______________________
11. Part of the squash and cucumber family(cucurbita), pumpkins are actually considered fruit! Did you think the pumpkin was a fruit or vegetable?__________________________
12. Ohio, Illinois, California and Pennsylvania are the top pumpkin-growing states. Name a fact about TWO of these states._____________________________________
13. In 2013, Keene, NH, kept the record for the most lit pumpkins! 30,581.
Your turn:
Write a day in the life of a giant pumpkin. What do you see? Hear, Feel? What is it like being the world's largest pumpkin? Etc.
What do you know about the United Kingdom? Write 3 facts.
Pumpkin growers say that a 3000 pound pumpkin is possible in the near future! It wasn't that many years ago that a 1000 pound pumpkin, now a light weight, would have been news worthy. The problem with growing such jumbos is that gravity often causes them to get smushed and then they can't qualify for judging.
A. Do YOU carve a pumpkin during this time of year? If, so, what type of face do you create?
B. Do you prefer carving or painting a pumpkin?
C. What is your favorite type of pie?
14. 2023: A man in Minnesota has squashed the previous WORLD record for the biggest pumpkin ever grown. In 2021, a man in Italy grew a pumpkin that tipped the scale at 2703 pounds. Last week, a man in Minnesota, drove his giant pumpkin to the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off, located in Half Moon Bay, CA. His pumpkin weighed in at a whopping 2749 pounds! Travis Gienger, a horticultural teacher, called his pumpkin, which he grew in his backyard, Michael Jordan! Gienger said it cost about $15,000 to care and feed his pumpkin. Gienger, in 2024,again had the largest pumpkin for the Weigh-offs, but didn't break his previous record.
THE WORLD RECORD FOR A PUMPKIN HAS BEEN BROKEN. In 2025, two twin brothers, in Great Britain, grew a pumpkin that weighted in at 2819 pounds smashing Travis Gienger's record held since 2023. Stuart and Ian Paton's pumpkin grew for 131 days. It averaged 70 pounds of growing per day for about 15 days! https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgj19v2vex8o
Your turn:
Write a day in the life of a giant pumpkin. What do you see? Hear, Feel? What is it like being the world's largest pumpkin? Etc.
What do you know about the United Kingdom? Write 3 facts.
Pumpkin growers say that a 3000 pound pumpkin is possible in the near future! It wasn't that many years ago that a 1000 pound pumpkin, now a light weight, would have been news worthy. The problem with growing such jumbos is that gravity often causes them to get smushed and then they can't qualify for judging.
B. Do you prefer carving or painting a pumpkin?
C. What is your favorite type of pie?
Activities:
1. Illustrate a picture of one of the facts learned.
2. Write a poem about a pumpkin.Pretend you are a pumpkin and write about your day in the pumpkin patch, on a porch or waiting to be purchased at a farmer’s stand.
3.Discuss syllables. Find 7 words that have 4 or more syllables.
4. Can you spot 7 ACTION VERBS in the Pumpkin Facts?
5. Write an acrostic poem using each letter in the word, PUMPKINS.
* Try my webquest on Pumpkins: 10 web questions with several comprehension questions(lots of extension activities).
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pumpkin-Fun-Fun-and-Informative-Webquest-359886
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Purple-Turtle-and-The-Pumpkin-Race-2030138 Beautiful illustrations! In this story, "Purple and the Pumpkin Race",Purple, Zing and Squirty are exciting about participating in the annual pumpkin race. After they carve out their pumpkin to sail, the race begins. Sounds like lots of fun but something goes very wrong!
Photograph from http://firstwefeast.com
Illustration from wpclipart.com
No comments:
Post a Comment