The students in Mrs. Satterberg’s 1st grade class were anticipating it all month – Pumpkin Science Week – and the activities did not disappoint! Each child was instructed to bring in a pumpkin of their choosing, so the variety was great. There were orange and white pumpkins, small and large pumpkins, pumpkins with smooth rinds and pumpkins with bumps. While the size and exterior varied greatly, there were (of course) some similar things as well. Mrs. Satterberg used all of this variety and similarity as she unpacked the lessons in her Pumpkin Science unit. The kids moved through several stations to determine:
- Height, using unifix cubes
- Weight, using both a balance scale and a food scale
- Circumference, using prediction and lengths of string
- Buoyancy, in a tub of water
- Number of Seeds
How well do you know these pumpkin facts?
- The more lines a pumpkin has, the greater the number of seeds!
- The average pumpkin has up to 500 seeds!
- The world record pumpkin weight is over 1,800 pounds!
- Amazingly, pumpkins float even though they can grow to be so huge! This is due to the fact that they are not very dense (with the empty cavity of air in the middle of each pumpkin).
The students in Mrs. Satterberg’s class had ample opportunity to compare and contrast their research to their own predictions and the findings of other students. They enjoyed recording their findings in their Pumpkin Exploration books and helping each other throughout the lesson. At the suggestion of their teacher, “giggles were permitted” and every child had great fun! Even Principal Migliore got in on the action!
Thanks to Mrs. Satterberg, 1st grade science IS fun!
