The Magical Pumpkin Patch
This Topic Mini-Research & Literature Web Page
was developed for Mrs. Sutton's Pre-K Class at Cook County Primary School
Designed By Mary Beth Secor, a Valdosta State University Preservice Teacher


Pumpkin Patch with a large scarecrow and a big tree with colorful, fall leaves on it with the sun shining down
An orange pumpkin growing from a vine in a field
 Have you ever wondered  how to grow a pumpkin? What is the one thing that you must have in order to produce a pumpkin? Learn everything you need to know about growing pumpkins at this informational filled website.

Check out these pictures of a pumpkin's life cycle.
The inside anatomy of a pumpkin, including the brains and seeds
 Have you ever been curious about the anatomy of a pumpkin? What does the inside of a pumpkin look like, and what are those insides called? Learn everything you need to know about the anatomy of a pumpkin and much more at this educational site.

Check out these pictures to view the seeds and pumpkin brains within a pumpkin.
For additional information and more up-close pictures of what's inside a pumpkin, go here.
Pumpkin patch full of orange pumpkins
Have you ever wanted to know the history of pumpkins? Do pumpkins grow better in warmer or colder weather? Learn everything you wanted to know about pumpkins and how to care for them here.
An orange pumpkin already carved with triangle eyes, a nose, and a design for its mouth
Have you ever wondered how to properly carve a pumpkin? Visit this great site to get safety tips and ideas on how to carve a face on your pumpkin.





Mini-Research Real-World Activity

Pumpkin patch full of orange pumpkins


Now that you're an expert on pumpkins, you are going to go on a very important mission!

 Pretend that you are a farmer in South Georgia. Because your town depends on you to provide them with the best pumpkins in all of Georgia by Halloween, you must get to work and grow, grow, grow your pumpkins! If you're having trouble remembering the steps on how to grow a pumpkin, refresh your memory by visiting this site. Once your pumpkin patch is fully grown, hop on your tractor and explore your creations. Your job is to pick out your favorite pumpkin; it can be the biggest, the smallest, the ripest, or the cleanest. Once you have your pumpkin, you are going to enter it into the annual Pumpkin Patch contest. Farmers from all over Georgia come and compete at this festival. Because a lot is at stake, you must cut the pumpkin in half and display its insides. If you have the best looking pumpkin both inside and outside, then you will win a prize. Good luck!

Now that your mission is completed, you will return to class. You will draw your pumpkin still attached to its vine, sitting in a field. Remember that pumpkins come in all different colors and sizes, so be creative! Right beside that picture, you are going to draw a picture of your pumpkin cut in half, displaying its insides. Make sure to clearly show the seeds in the center of the pumpkin. To see some examples of what the inside of a pumpkin looks like, go here.
Steps For Real-World Activity

1. Review the how to grow a pumpkin website along with the pictures of a pumpkin's life cycle to refresh    
    your memory on how pumpkins grow and to see firsthand the different stages in which a pumpkin     
    grows.
2. Next, explore the pictures of the inside anatomy of a pumpkin here.
3. Once you have refreshed your memory, think hard of what your pumpkin would look like growing in a    
     field.
4. You will then receive a piece of construction paper and it is now your turn to draw a picture of a   
    pumpkin growing in a field. Use markers to color your picture, but make sure that your pumpkin is still  
    attached to its vine in the field. Take your time, and be creative!
5. Then, beside your drawing of a pumpkin growing in the field, draw a picture of a pumpkin cut in half.    
    Display what you see once it's opened up. Make sure to draw and label the seeds inside of the 
    pumpkin.
6. Be prepared to share your drawings with your class.


Topic Literature Activity
Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch
Jana Dillon

Cover Page of Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch books
Topic Literature Activity
Using Critical Thinking Questions


A.
      Pumpkin patch full of orange pumpkins  Find out how to grow your very own pumpkin patch!

B. Critical thinking questions

1. What plan would you devise in order to save Jeb's pumpkin patch from the crows?

2. What do you think would have happened if Jeb didn't make the jack-o'-lanterns to
     to scare off the crows?

Dr. Seuss stamp worth 33 cents

Mary Beth's Home Page
 Animated mailbox opening and closing with a patch of grass and flowers beneath it
mbsecor@valdosta.edu
 Pumpkin Patch full of orange pumpkins

VSU Topic Pages
3 orange pumpkins and one is cut in half, displaying the insides as well as pumpkin seeds

Topic Mini-Research Lesson Plan
stack of four colorful books with reading glasses on top

Topic Literature Lesson Plan