Pumpkin Carving

For several weeks, the boys have been asking me to buy pumpkins to carve.  The week before Halloween, I finally got one for each of them and then I decided to do a little "school" while having fun carving.

We compared the two different pumpkins for their size.  We guessed if they would sink or float (they float if you have enough water).  We tried to guess how many seeds were in each pumpkin (and sadly, by the time we could count them, they lost interest - so I have no idea how many seeds were in our pumpkin).

Finally we cut them open.  First reactions from the boys - "Ewww!"  "This stinks!", "It looks gross!"  Lots of love for the pumpkins.  So I talked about how to clean them out and that caused other looks of horror at touching the slimy, gross seeds!  Knowing they both have a bit of sensory issues, I didn't push the issue and instead asked if they wanted to clean out the pumpkins while wearing a glove.  Yes, that was the trick and each one of them tried a bit (but really, I did the majority of the work).  Sean hated the smell so much that he had to leave the table while I finished.

Once the seeds were out, I placed the seeds and slime into baggies for them to play with and feel and get the sensory input without the "mess" and "smell".  They liked that much better.

Then I asked each boy what they wanted their pumpkin to look like.  We searched the internet for pictures and once they found what they wanted I traced a face on their pumpkin.  I cut out the face for Ryan's pumpkin, while the boys got to enjoy a Halloween show.  I actually enjoyed the process of carving!

When it was Sean's turn he wanted to try so I bravely gave him a knife and gave several instructions on how to handle it and where to put his hand and a few corrections and he managed to cut out one of the eyes.  It really was tough to cut through the pumpkin so he was done and let me finish.

They were both so excited when they were finished (even though I couldn't get a picture of them smiling).

Now, what is the fun of carving pumpkins if you can't get a bit of science involved with - pumpkin barf (aka food coloring, baking soda and vinegar).  Here is my poor video attempting to capture the pumpkins barfing!  The boys loved it and we were able to get more going once I stopped the video and added even more baking soda and vinegar.

Who knew pumpkins could be the cause of so much fun and learning?