Illinois is the home of the PUMPKIN! Illinois farmers grow more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world. Most of the pumpkin processing occurs in Morton, IL, which is known as the "Pumpkin Capital of the World." Explore how pumpkins grow with this pumpkin charm.
- Start off with a small, jewelry-sized zip-top bag. Put the following items inside the bag:
- Pinch of sand: pumpkins grow best in sandy soil
- Pumpkin seed: you can eat a pumpkin seed or plant it
- Flower: pumpkins grow on a vine, but through pollination they start by growing inside the flower
- Insects: insects like bees help pass pollen from one pumpking flower to another
- Blue bead: pumpkins are 90% water and need water to grow
- Green bead: a tiny green pumpking starts to grow at the base of the flower
- Yellow bead: sunlight changes the pumpkin from green to yellow
- Pumpkin: sunlight changes the pumpkin from yellow to orange
- Orange crinkle paper: pumpkins contain pulp and seeds
- Finally, punch a hole above the seal. Then, loop a string or yarn through the hole and tie it off. Now, you have a pumpkin charm to wear around your neck. Be sure to share everything you know about PUMPKINS!
Books to read with this project:
- Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
- Pumpkins by Jacqueline Farmer
- Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson
- Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
