Pumpkin Circle

A reader wrote in and said she was going to use “Pumpkin Circle” with her 3-5 year olds next week. She asked me if I had any ideas other than starting as a seed and growing into a pumpkin. Of course, I jumped at the chance to help her out and because I love using books so much with my littles. If you plan on using this book with your students or dancing about pumpkins this month, here are some ideas! 

Read the book all the way through once first.

1) Pumpkins and Farmers: I think having your students start as seeds and grow into a pumpkin is an important dance to include so students can understand how pumpkins (or anything) grow. Plus, it’s the basic idea of the book. BUT you can develop it even more to make it longer and more involved.

Try to separate the group into 2. Make one group the pumpkins and the other the farmers. Have the pumpkins be seeds and slowwwwwww-ly grow into pumpkins. My favorite line from the book for the pumpkins.

” In about a week, out they peek, two fresh, young, fat, green leaves.”

Ask the pumpkins to show your their twisty vines and BIG leaves.

Ask the farmers to keep checking on the pumpkins and how they are growing. Fast or slow? What do they need to grow? What are their shapes looking like? My favorite line from the book for the farmers.

“Help those pumpkins sit up straight so they grow up round and proud”  (you can do so much with this line! Have the farmers mold the pumpkins so they are sitting up straight)

After the pumpkins grow into their full “circle” change groups to let everyone get a chance to be a pumpkin. Even though the book doesn’t mention farmers all that much, I think it’s still important to talk and dance about who plants pumpkins and takes care of them.

There are also some animals in the book that the farmers can be around and through the pumpkins.

2) Pumpkin Patch: Go on a trip to the pumpkin patch! What kind of pumpkins can you see there? Big huge one? Are they heavy? Can you find the tiniest pumpkin? Oh no, the pumpkins are rolling away! Have them pick their favorite one. My students always like to “draw” faces on their pumpkins. This is a time to try each emotion on the pumpkin.

What else can you see at the patch? Corn? Scarecrows? Birds? Possibilities are endless!

3) Make a class pumpkin: You can make a big huge class pumpkin. Use that teamwork! Make a big circle of circle shapes. Ask 3 or 4 students to be the stem making a tall and straight or curved shape. Make sure each student gets to be the stem. Take a picture of the pumpkin and then show them what their pumpkin looks like. As a class you grew a pumpkin! 🙂

The good thing about pumpkins is each one is different just like every child! I hope this expands your ideas about pumpkins and gives you some ideas to work with.

Suggested music for dances about pumpkins that I found in my itunes.

The Great Pumpkin Waltz- George Winston- Linus and Lucy 

Pumpkin Round and Fat – Mr. I and Gary – Hallowe’en

Pumpkin Patch Polka- Randy Albright- Gilead Lake Polka Party 

What songs and dances do you do about pumpkins? Have you ever used the book Pumpkin Circle? I would love to hear! 

p.s. If you ever need ideas please write me! I would love to help out and hear from you!