DIY Pumpkin Puzzles

We have been exploring the outside and the inside of pumpkins all week long and along the way, I happened to notice that my younger preschoolers are particularly fascinated with putting the lids on and off the pumpkins that are sitting on this shelf. I have titled this post DIY  Pumpkin Puzzles because that is exactly what these are only I didn’t intend for them to be puzzles…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

The pumpkins sitting on this shelf were prepared by my prekindergarten class yesterday. The prekindergarten children cleaned out small pumpkins as part of their exploration of the insides of a pumpkin. After the children left for the day, I finished making sure all the pumpkins were completely cleaned out and then set them on this shelf until the prekindergarten children can take them home this week…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

But when my younger class of children came to preschool this morning, they were all about opening up each pumpkin that was on the shelf then trying to figure out how to put the lid back on…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

I happened to also have another version of DIY Pumpkin Puzzles set up for the morning only we used this version for painting.. Perhaps next time I get in a pumpkin carving frenzy, I will intentionally add a few pumpkin puzzles for play…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

The pumpkins I carved for painting didn’t seem to be as interesting when it comes to putting together a puzzle. Perhaps because I carved the pumpkin tops into simple basic shapes…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

I think it was just that my students preferred trying to figure out how to put the more complex lids back on the pumpkins…

Pumpkin Puzzles

However, the children did find my DIY Pumpkin Basic Shape Paint containers interesting and everyone spent time at the table exploring the pumpkin painting process…

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

But my favorite discovery of the day was how much my students enjoyed the complexity of matching pumpkin lids to pumpkins and not the easy ones – but the hard ones that even I have trouble putting back on!

DIY pumpkin puzzles!

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Deborah J Stewart

Deborah J Stewart

Every time I think I know everything I need to know about teaching young children, God says, "Hold on a minute!" and gives me a new challenge.

Let me tell ya...

With each new challenge that you overcome, you will find yourself better equipped and more passionate about teaching young children.

God didn't call wimps to lead, teach, or care for His children. Nope, he has high expectations, so get ready. You will have to give your very best but after teaching for over 30 years, I can tell you that it is a wonderful and rewarding journey.

Whenever your calling feels hard, just remember, 'He who began a good work in you (and in the children you serve) will be faithful to complete it.'

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