Drawing Pumpkins

When we went to Daniels Farm we picked out several pumpkins to use in our activities during the fall unit.  One of the activities the children really enjoyed was drawing the pumpkins in their journals.  This is a pictorial documentation of one day of the activity.  They repeated this activity over several days using different pumpkins and gourds.

First we set out one of the pumpkins in dramatic play on the table.  We placed orange and green crayons, markers and some pencils on the table.  We left them there and did not give any special instructions to the children.  The children independently came over to inspect the pumpkin.  Some of the children went and got thier journals out of their cubbies.  They sat down and started drawing what they saw.  The process was amazing to watch.  The language they used in their conversations with each other during the activity was also amazing to listen to.  They talked about the field trip, what they thought was inside the pumpkin, what they were going to wear for Halloween and lots of other unrelated topics.  The children floated in and out of the activity and the mix of children changed often.  This was a great language and literacy activity and the kids had a great time!

We put out the green and orange pumpkin to see if the children would observe the multiple colors and not just color the typical orange pumpkin they see in their minds eye.  This increases their power of observation which is needed for reading and writing in the primary grades and for science activities.



See how this child is using two colors and forming a circle for the shape of the pumpkin.

This child used both the orange and the green seen in the pumpkin and also added a face like she would see in a jack-o-lantern.  When asked about the face she said it was like the one she carved into her pumpkin with her family the night before at her house.  This shows a connection between a present experience and a past experience.

 This was this child's first attempt at drawing the pumpkin.  Notice how large the pumpkin is.  Often the first time representing something in a drawing it is difficult and multiple attempts and practice is needed. 

In this picture you can see how in one journal a child started to add the lines they saw on the pumpkin.  The child in the picture is the same child you see in the previous picture.  She drew the pumpkin multiple times practicing and enjoying the process. You can see she is now drawing the pumpkin smaller and the circle is tighter.  She has spent time studying the pumpkin and is becoming more focused on the details.

 By drawing the pumpkin the children are preparing to make the curves (circle motion) that will be needed to make the curved lines in the upcoming Handwriting Without Tears lessons for the letters with curved lines such as C,D,O,G,Q.

This child is working on their second picture of the pumpkin.  She started with the orange color and and is getting ready to overlay the green over the top.  This shows a different way to look at the formation of the pumpkin and how they see the texture and depth of the colors.

You can see in this picture that this child is enjoying exploring using different writing tools.  He is making lines, scribbles and swirls.  He is also representing the different colors seen in the pumpkin.  He is participating with his peers in the process and feeling very proud of his accomplishments.  He later proudly showed off his pumpkin to his teachers and drew several more pictures in his journal.