🎃Roll a real pumpkin onto the rug and your class becomes a team of scientists for the day. Children observe, predict, measure, count seeds and test whether it sinks or floats, then record their thinking on pages that match their level.
You'll check out and download on Teachers Pay Teachers. Prices there may include a sale.
Pumpkin Scientists is a printable Pumpkin Day investigation for kindergarten and 1st grade that turns one real pumpkin into a full round of fall science, STEM and early math. Children do the work of scientists: they observe, measure, predict, test and record what they find.
The investigation starts with an informational reading page about pumpkins and eight word cards, then moves to close observation with the senses, the parts of a pumpkin and counting the lines on the outside. A sink or float experiment asks students to commit to a prediction before testing it, and an inside-the-pumpkin investigation leads straight into seed estimation, a count-by-10s seed chart, seed counting mats and a class graph.
Many activities come in two differentiated levels. Level 1 keeps recording hands-on with cutting and gluing, circling answers, tracing, drawing and counting with cubes and ten frames. Level 2 asks students to write responses, measure in inches, compare weight, add and record scientific observations, so a mixed K–1 group can share one experiment.
Beyond the investigation, a pumpkin life cycle page connects the day to plant science, Design a Jack-o'-Lantern adds an engineering-style challenge, and pumpkin writing pages give students space to explain their thinking. A scientist hat and award make the day feel special.
Teachers can follow the 5-day study plan or the one-day Pumpkin Day plan, with teacher notes covering a supply list and safety tips, plus an answer key. The 37 black and white pages suit fall science units, measurement lessons, science centers, small groups and homeschool.
📖 Teaching guide · 13 min readPumpkin Day Science in Kindergarten and 1st Grade: An Hour-by-Hour Investigation PlanRead the guide →A pumpkin is big, surprising and safe to explore, so children stay curious long enough to predict, test and count. Two recording levels let kindergarten and 1st grade learners run the same experiment while writing or marking answers in the way that suits them.
It is written for kindergarten and 1st grade, and it also works for homeschool families teaching those ages.
Many activities have two levels. Level 1 uses cutting and gluing, circling, tracing, drawing and counting with cubes and ten frames; Level 2 uses writing, measuring in inches, comparing weight, addition and scientific observations.
Yes. It includes both a one-day Pumpkin Day plan and a 5-day study plan, so you can choose the pace that fits your calendar.
A real pumpkin and the supplies on the included supply list. Teacher notes also include safety tips for the hands-on parts of the investigation.
🗓️
Created byActivity ExpressSeven no-prep fall, Thanksgiving and winter math and literacy packets for PreK–1st, covering October, November and December in low-ink black and white.
🦇
Created byActivity ExpressA 1-week bat unit for PreK–2nd: leveled reading, vocabulary cards, echolocation, bat life cycle, bats vs birds sort, writing, graphing and two bat crafts.
🌽
Created byActivity ExpressA no prep November packet for kindergarten: 22 literacy pages, 20 math pages, a 4-week plan and harvest themes like pumpkins, turkeys and acorns.
🌱
Created byActivity ExpressPumpkin life cycle science for K–3: a pull-tab slider, spinner wheel craft, labeling, leveled passages, a mini-book and a real pumpkin investigation.