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October
Craft Ideas
Here are October craft ideas and projects that can be used in your child care center, classroom, or at home with your own children.
When we think about October, we think about a change of seasons, unless you live in Texas, like I do. However, in most every other state, leaves are changing and beginning to fall, the temperature signals a change from summer to fall with crisp winds chilling the air, and pumpkin farms can be seen in every direction.
Pumpkins, scarecrows, spiders, colored leaves, bats, ghosts, and all things scary symbolize the month of October and a lot of people's favorite holiday, Halloween. All of these things inspire some great October craft ideas. In addition to these great October craft ideas, you will find some great ideas to incorporate in your lesson plans for math, science, social studies, and language arts.
Let's see how fun October can be with these great October craft ideas!
Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins
Pumpkin History: Pumpkins are believed to have originated in North America and were reportedly discovered in North America by French explorer, Jacques Cartier, in 1584. He called them "gros melons." The English translated the name to "pompion" which was eventually changed to "pumpkin" by American colonists.
Native American Indians used nutrient rich pumpkin in their diets as well as weaving dried strips of pumpkin into mats. The pilgrims and early settlers saw the pumpkins grown by the Indians and began to incorporate pumpkins into their diet as well using pumpkin in soups, stews, breads, and pies.
Pumpkin Anatomy: Pumpkins are fruits. A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitacae), which also includes squash, cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.
stem- The stem is attached at the top of the pumpkin and, during the growing season, is attached to the vine to bring the pumpkin nutrients. You should never pick up a pumpkin from the stem, as the stem can easily break off.
tendril- Tendrils are thin, curls attached to the stem that once helped to anchor the vine to the ground during the growing season.
leaves- Leaves can be found on pumpkins that are growing on the vine. Leaves help absorb energy from the sun for plant and fruit growth. Once the pumpkin is removed from the vine, the leaves dry up and fall off.
pumpkin shell- The shell is the skin and the pulp of the pumpkin.
skin- The skin or rind is the thin outer layer that protects the pumpkin from insects and disease. It is not edible and does not taste very good.
pulp- This part is known as the meat and is used for cooking all those delicious recipes.
ribs- Ribs are the indented ridges outside of the pumpkin on the shell. They can be deep or shallow.
blossom end- The blossom end is where a flower used to be at the end of the fruit. The flower died of, leaving a scar in its place.
cavity- The cavity is the inside of the pumpkin.
fibrous strands- The slimy strings inside the cavity of the pumpkin
seeds- Seeds are found inside the cavity of the pumpkin with the fibrous strands and are planted in the ground to grow new pumpkins.
seed coat- The seed coat is the outer layer of the seed and protects the innermost nut of the seed that will eventually emerge into a pumpkin.
nut- The nut can be found inside the seed and will eventually develop into a new pumpkin when given moisture and warmth.
Pumpkin Science
Pumpkins provide a great topic for a science lesson for any age child. Here are some science investigations that can be made:
- Make observations about the pumpkin: color, size, shape
- Cut open a pumpkin and identify all the anatomy of a pumpkin
- Sink or float? Fill a large container with water, ask the children to predict if the pumpkin will sink or float. Then, drop in the pumpkin and see if their prediction is correct. Try with different sizes of pumpkins. What happens? Why?
- Make a prediction about the number of seeds inside of a pumpkin. Cut it open and find out how close the predicted number is to the real number.
- Make some inferences about why the pumpkin is flat on one side or what various scars may be from. Was it dropped? Did the wind push it down a hill? Did insects try to eat through it?
Pumpkin Math
Pumpkins can also be used for some fun math lessons to help the children work with numbers and learn about measurement and make comparisons.
- Let the child measure his waist, then around the pumpkin. Which is bigger?
- Compare the weights of different sizes of pumpkins, then compare the weights of some of the children with different pumpkins. What did you find out?
- Measure the height of 3 pumpkins. Put them in order from shortest to tallest.
October Craft Ideas: Pumpkin Art
Some great October craft ideas have been inspired by the pumpkins. Many of these October craft ideas can be adapted for all ages of children.
Paper Plate Pumpkin
Parts of a Pumpkin Craft
Pumpkin Tear Art Craft
Simple Pumpkin Picture
Paint a Pumpkin- Let the child use any colors to paint a pumpkin or draw on a pumpkin with markers.
Pumpkin Seeds Outline- Use pumpkin seeds to outline the shape of a pumpkin or to make the face of a pumpkin.
Pumpkin Prints- Cut a pumpkin in half and dip the cut side into paint and make prints on paper.
Pumpkin Song
Sing this song while doing any of the above crafts:
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, a pumpkin, a pumpkin,
Have you ever seen a pumpkin, that grows on a vine?
A round one, a tall one, a fat one, a small one,
Have you ever seen a pumpkin that grows on a vine?
Pumpkin Recipes
Pumpkin Seed Recipe
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Some Great Pumpkin Books
Check them out at your local library or visit Amazon.
The Bumpy Little Pumpkin by Margaret Cuyler
The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper
Be sure to take a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch or Pumpkin Farm!
Leaves are Falling, Leaves are Falling
Fall is a beautiful time of year where children can watch nature undergo a transformation as days become cool and crisp. It is a great time to teach children about the importance of trees, the parts of the tree, and why leaves change from green to brown, yellow, orange, and red.
Leaf Science: Parts of a Tree
Crown: The leaves and the branches at the top of the tree are called the crown. The crown helps to filter particles from the air and cools the air by providing shade. It also helps to preserve the soil below by reducing the impact of the raindrops.
Branches: The woody parts of the tree that grow from the trunk and support the leaves are the branches.
Leaves: The leaves produce food for the tree through a process called photosynthesis. The leaves use the sun's energy to change carbon dioxide found in our atmosphere and water from the soil into sugar and oxygen. The sugar is the tree's food and is stored in the branches, trunk and roots. The oxygen is released back into our atmosphere.
Trunk: The trunk provides the main support for the tree and gives the branches their shape and support. Tubes inside the trunk carry water from the roots to the leaves and sugar from the leaves to the branches, trunk, and roots.
Roots: The roots anchor the tree into the ground, get food and water from the soil, and store energy.
For a fascinating look at why the leaves change color during the fall season, please visit Science Made Simple.
October Craft Ideas: Leaf Art
Fall leaves, with their bold colors, make a great subject for developing many great October craft ideas. Here are just a few ideas to incorporate into your child care curriculum:
Leaf Painting
Leaf Rubbings
Parts of a Tree
Handprint Falling Leaves
Leaves are Falling Song (Tune to Frere Jacques)
Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling,
On the ground, On the ground.
Leaves are falling, Leaves are falling,
Red, orange, and brown, Red,orange, and brown.
Some Great Fall Books About Leaves
Check them out at your local library or visit Amazon.
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert
The Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson (a really sweet story and beautifully illustrated)
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