Kindergarten: Let the Gourd Times Roll

At Chatfield Farms, students visited a series of learning stations to explore all things pumpkin. They learned about the pumpkin life cycle, looked at different kinds of pumpkins, dissected a pumpkin, and made their way through a corn maze. The trip ended in the pumpkin patch, where each kindergartner picked a pumpkin, and teachers cut it fresh from the vine.

Back at school, the pumpkins became the focus of a multi-week unit connecting writing, science, and art. In writing, students used their pumpkins as inspiration for descriptive pieces, noting what they looked, felt, and smelled like. They compared their pumpkins’ sizes and colors, recorded observations, and even sampled baked pumpkin seeds. In science, students studied the life cycle of a pumpkin—from sprouting seed to decomposition—while in art, they created observational drawings inspired by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her polka-dotted pumpkins. Using circle stencils, they filled their drawings and backgrounds with dots before painting their colorful pieces.

The unit concluded with the Great Pumpkin Hunt, a tradition that dates back to Graland’s earliest days. After hearing the legend from members of the athletics department, kindergarteners received orange dots on their ears and set out to find the Great Pumpkin. Excitement filled the air as they spotted him racing across campus, visible only to them. The experience, blending imagination, community, and learning, continues to make Kindergarten in October a highlight of the school year.