Halloween Science

I’ve heard of the SMASHING Pumpkins.  Have you ever heard of the FLOATING Pumpkins?  Mrs. Kean’s Kindergarteners have!!  Our Kindergarten Scientists took to the lab to determine if Pumpkins would sink or float.  Along the way,  they discussed big words and big concepts like Observation, Prediction, and Displacement. They used Math, Measurement, and Language to help them decipher.  An orange pumpkin, a white pumpkin, a Jarrahdale (what the heck is that?!), and a Red Hubbard were all in the race.  Check the photos to learn the difference.  

Their first task was to determine the tallest.  How do you do that?  With math blocks, of course.  But wait a minute – “One of these big guys is turned on its side because it didn’t have a flat bottom.”  And, “One of these guys has a really long stem. Do we count these?”  Great questions by our young scientists.  

Their next task was to determine the heaviest. How would they do this? Without a large scale in the room, what better way to find this out than to measure its water displacement?  What’s your guess?  Only a Kean Kindergartener knows. 

Their final investigation was the best part yet!  Yep – the ooey, gooey insides of the pumpkin.  These curious students wanted to know how these seeds were the same and how they were different.  Their final product was a 10 Frame graph to help them count how many seeds their little hands would hold!

Happy Halloween from our SMOS Kindergarten!

Throughout the school year, we will be highlighting the amazing and wonderful things that are happening in our classrooms and grade levels at St. Margaret of Scotland School. We are very proud of the work our teachers do with our students and are amazed by what happens at SMOS. Our goal is to share more about the hidden gem that is St. Margaret’s.