Pumpkin Measurement Activity

We supplemented our measurement unit this Fall by measuring the attributes of pumpkins. Students had fun working with their team to explore their pumpkins AND this pumpkin activity made a great addition to our measurement unit. 

It was super fun and not as much work (or mess) as I thought it would be!

I asked parents to donate pumpkins to our class, promising that I would return them for their family to carve up into jack-o-lanterns.  I got 10 pumpkins, which made for groups of two and a couple groups of three.

How We Measured our Pumpkins

We are in the middle of a measurement unit, so I used the pumpkins to elicit some measurement data.  We measured around the pumpkins and the height of the pumpkins in both centimeters and inches.

What is the Best Tool to Measure the Pumpkins?

Before measuring we discussed the best measuring tool for each measurement (ruler vs. tape measures).

This helped us address the math standard of using different tools for different purposes.  Although I can give students pictures of different things to measure and ask what tool they would use, measuring pumpkins allows for a more hands-on approach.

Count the Seeds in a Pumpkin

After measuring, we counted all the seeds. The pumpkins had a lot more seeds than I expected!

I was hoping to use the data (how many seeds) for a few addition problems, like we did for our Fall Art Project.  However, the numbers were too large for my students at this point in the year. 

Our family has always gutted our pumpkins from a rectangular hole in the side, rather than taking out the stem.  The rectangular piece fits snuggly back in place and it keeps the beautiful stem intact. 

I carved the rectangles in all of the pumpkins before school started so I didn’t have to do it with students. 

Groups removed their seeds and counted them.  Different groups used different counting strategies.  It was interesting for me to see which groups used a make-10 strategy and which groups just counted one-one.

This group put their seeds in groups of 10.  Most groups used that strategy, but a few needed some more help with their counting and grouping.

I gave students a recording sheet to use during the Pumpkin Measurement Activity.   Would you like a copy of it for your classroom? Click below to download it!

I expected this project to be much messier than it really was.  Laying down butcher paper helped a lot.  I also think that second graders are a bit less messy than younger kids.

They knew to keep the “goop” in one place!

Measuring Bats, Spiders & Ghosts

Have you done any pumpkin exploration with your students?  I’d love to hear what you have done in your classroom in the comments below!

This activity goes along well with my freebie Measuring Bats, Spiders & Ghosts.  Check it out in this blog post. 

Extend the Pumpkin Measurement Lesson

Find out how we extended the measurement lesson and continues our learning.  I love how lessons can start in one place, but through exploration, evolve into much more!  In the extension, I had students reflect on the “why” of certain numbers and tools.