Pumpkin Time Celebrations

I love October in the Northeast.  Green turns to gold and orange, and deep plum.  The outside world is burnished a tawny brown.  The smell of pumpkins and apples is in the air.  Fall is a time to celebrate the harvest and the bounty it brings.  The leaves blow off the trees heralding the coming of winter and the anticipation of snow. 

Children love to celebrate the seasons, and fall for them is all about Halloween, sweet and scary Halloween. Weeks before the holiday, we read aloud our favorite Halloween books, write poems, and make treats. 

Favorite Books to Read Aloud

Here is a list of some of the books I have shared with students.  Many have become a tradition that I share year after year.

1. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds (This is book 1 in a trilogy)
2. Every Night at Midnight by Peter Cheong
3. Meowl-o-ween by Diane Muldrow
4. Piggie Pie! By Margie Palatini
5. Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
6. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
7. The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll
8. The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams
9. The Widow’s Broom by Chris Van Allsburg
10. The Witch’s Child by Arthur Yorinks
11. The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz
12. The Wompananny Witches Make One Mean Pizza by Jenny Palmer
13. Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Creative Thinking

I enjoy sitting with a group of children and posing a problem to them. They always come up with surprising solutions. Their ideas are often creative and sometimes delicious.

Pumpkin Poetry

Children love to create poems about pumpkins and Halloween.  They enjoy constructing acrostic, haiku, and free verse poems.  Below is an example of a poem that a group of 2^nd graders created.

Sing a Song – It’s Halloween!

Below is a song I created for a group of 1^st graders.  Students can take a familiar tune and make up their own lyrics. This is a song I love to sing with kids every year. Some children have made hand motions to go with the actions in the song.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Chiffon Cookies

These are yummy light and fluffy cookies.  Even children who didn’t think they liked the taste of pumpkins, tried these chocolate chip-studded delights and were hooked.

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned plain pumpkin puree
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup semisweet mini-chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin, sugar, oil until well blended.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until light colored and fluffy.
3. Fold eggs into pumpkin mixture.
4. In a large bowl mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices, and mini chocolate chips.
5. Slowly incorporate the pumpkin/egg mixture into the dry ingredients.
6. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
7. Use a tablespoon to drop large spoonfuls on a greased cookie sheet.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 11-13 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.
9. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!