Yarn Pumpkin

We made a yarn pumpkin, similar to this yarn egg we made for Easter.  This requires some manual dexterity and patience but it is very simple and relaxing and I think it looks lovely hanging from our chandelier!

Supplies:

• Balloon
• School Glue
• Orange Yarn
• Green Pipe Cleaner

Directions:

1. Inflate a balloon of any color until it is round.

2. Tie four strings around the pumpkin, knotting at the top, to create eight “sections”.  Paint the yarn with glue. (Note: I did this both to create a more pumpkin-like shape and also to create the striations seen on pumpkins. It didn’t show that much in the final design so you can probably either skip this step or try using brown yarn if you wish to differentiate the sections more.)

3. Cut about 20 foot-long lengths of orange yarn.  This does not have to be precise.  My four year-old really enjoyed cutting the yarn.

4. Soak the yarn in glue.  As noted at No Time for Flashcards, you can add a little water but DO NOT over-dilute the glue.  I learned this the hard way.

5. Criss-cross the balloon with the glue-soaked yarn.

6. Let dry and then pop the balloon.  Carefully remove the deflated balloon from the yarn pumpkin.

7. Thread a green chenille stem through the top of the pumpkin so about one quarter is sticking out one side and three quarters of the chenille stem is sticking out the other. Twist the two ends together, forming a stem.

8.  Then bend the pipe cleaner back over the already twisted part and twist together again.

9. You should now have the remaining quarter of the chenille stem free near the base of the “stem”. Twist this around a pencil to form a curvy vine.

Display on a table or use fishing wire to hang from a hook.

Picture Books About Pumpkins

Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell: A lovely introduction to the life-cycle of a pumpkin for ages 3-6+. When a young boy needs to get rid of his rotting pumpkin, he places it in his family’s garden. By the time the next Halloween comes around, he has a delightful surprise waiting for him. The lush illustrations will captivate toddlers through young elementary students and preschoolers on up will learn about pumpkins, from seed to sprout, to flower, to pumpkin, to jack o’ lantern.

Pumpkin Moonshine by Tasha Tudor: My children find this classic tale, for ages 4-8 but really suitable even for older toddlers, absolutely hysterical. Sweet but resourceful and adventurous little Sylvie visits her grandparents’ farm and decides to select a pumpkin for a “pumpkin moonshine” (a jack o’ lantern for us modern readers). When she tries to roll the large gourd down the hill, it gets away from her, causing all sorts of mischief. When the pumpkin finally comes to rest, she shares a nice bonding moment with her grandfather, carving the face and then spooking the neighbors with their creation. The sweet original illustrations hearken back to a time of simple childhood pleasures.

How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara: This book has a fun lesson about mathematics for ages 4-8, plus some scientific information about pumpkins, all wrapped up in a sweet story about how sometimes there is a lot inside a small package. A teacher asks his class to guess how many seeds are in a small, medium, and large pumpkin. The answer surprises the class and shows them that you cannot always judge by appearances.

Educational Connections

• Science: Read about the life cycle of the pumpkin.  Use photographs to make a chart.
• Mathematics: Carve your own pumpkin and skip-count the seeds.  How do the lines on the outside of a pumpkin reveal how many seeds are inside?
• History and Culture: Research the history of the pumpkin, use by Native Americans, and how the pumpkin came to be associated with Halloween and Thanksgiving.
• Home Arts: Find out about the nutritional benefits of pumpkin and then try to make a few pumpkin treats!

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