Guest toddleo Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 next week we will be incorporating pumpkin themed activities into our play, and I was after some inspired ideas from you guys. Obvioulsy there will be some nice and sticky collage work involving pumpkin shapes and orange materials, we will have a lovely messy tray full of pumplkin seeds and "innards" of the pumpkin which the children enjoy letting run through their fingers. What clever and interesting things do you do around this theme?
Deb Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 We thought we would hammer golf tees into a pumpkin next week. Think I read this idea on this site recently. Must admit desperate to give it a go myself, could be very satisfying!
HappyMaz Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 We thought we would hammer golf tees into a pumpkin next week. Think I read this idea on this site recently. Must admit desperate to give it a go myself, could be very satisfying! Brilliant for hand-eye co-ordination and building up strength in fingers and hands when they try to pull them out again! We've done this every year for a couple of years now - we usually don't repeat things at exactly the same time each year but one little boy came in a few weeks ago and said he'd seen some pumpkins in the shops and when were we going to do the hammering on ours! Maz
Guest Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 We thought we would hammer golf tees into a pumpkin next week. Think I read this idea on this site recently. Must admit desperate to give it a go myself, could be very satisfying! Sounds great....will try this. Already have one pumpkin for interest table and then cutting open to explore inside. Think I will head to the shops for another now and some golf tees....knowing our children this activity will go down well. Have already got the collage bit in hand and was trying to think of other ideas. Thanks.
Guest Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 PASS THE PUMPKIN GAME: Children sitting in a circle pass a pumpkin round to the following rhyme: "Farmer Brown of Bangalow town, passes the pumpkin round and round" You can use more then on epumkin to be passed around at the same time (of different sizes) Whoever gets the large(st) pumpkin when the rhyme stops places it in the middle of the circle and does something with it -- balances on top of it, jumps over it, lifts it high above their head. The teacher can dictate the action by using a variation of the following: Farmer Brown of bangalow town sits on a pumpkin and spins around or "stands on a pumpkin and then jumps down" etc. etc. A pumpkin ring verse (add your own gestures/actions): The pumpkin King in his castle slept, all night long a dreaming; The finger gnomes in his castle walls, all night long a scheming. Rickety-tay, rickety-tay, pass round the treasure and hide it away. Rickety-tay, rickety-tay, pass round the treasure and hide it away. Rickety-tee, rickety-tee, wake up Pumpkin King and see, Where oh where can your treasure be?
belle06 Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 we have made pumpkin biscuits with the children in the past (very tasty) will add the recipe for anyone who wants it Title: PUMPKIN BISCUITS Categories: Breads, Fruits 2 cups whole-wheat flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 2 tablespoons maple syrup 4 tablespoons soy milk Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Mix together the first 6 ingredients; set aside. Blend together the pumpkin, tand maple syrup until smooth. Add to dry ingredients. Stir in soy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Roll out dough to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut with a cookie cutter. Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Serve immediately.
Guest Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 I'm going to open the pumpkin and challenge the children to count out say 10 pumpkin seeds using tweezers!! good for counting and hand eye co-ordination/fine motor. They could count more seeds! This would be an ongoing activity in my maths area. Munch
Andreamay Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 got the tees do they use proper hammers or the tap a shape ones?
Guest Posted October 25, 2007 Posted October 25, 2007 We use big wooden mallets when we do our pumpkin bashing as well as smaller wooden hammers. The children decide which ones are easier to use. Linda
Guest Posted October 26, 2007 Posted October 26, 2007 I'm going to open the pumpkin and challenge the children to count out say 10 pumpkin seeds using tweezers!! good for counting and hand eye co-ordination/fine motor. They could count more seeds! This would be an ongoing activity in my maths area.Munch looks like I've got to get shopping now for tweezers as well and golf tees!!!
Guest Posted October 26, 2007 Posted October 26, 2007 I'm off shopping too - any good recommendations where to buy golf tees and tweezers...
Deb Posted October 26, 2007 Posted October 26, 2007 We have a large Tesco near us that sells sports equipment so we were hoping to buy the golf tees from there.
Guest Posted October 27, 2007 Posted October 27, 2007 We're not allowed to do halloween but I am going to take in a pumpkin for exploratory play probably outside in the tuff spot when I'm on PPA Tesco's-value golf tees in 4 colours 20 pack 47p look with the camping gear and tennis balls!! Pumpkins-reduced at lidl 99p bargain!! £2:99 everywhere else
Guest Posted October 27, 2007 Posted October 27, 2007 Loads of pumkin ideas here: http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/se...en_ms_pumpkins/ Plus try making this cake in the shape of a carved pumkin Pumpkin lantern cake: RECIPE INGREDIENTS: Cake: 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground ginger 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 4 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 1/4 cups milk, at room temperature 1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin 1 tbsp. vanilla extract 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 1/4 cups sugar 6 large eggs, at room temperature Frosting: 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature 1 tbsp. vanilla extract Approximately 9 cups powdered sugar Green food-coloring paste Orange food-coloring paste One flat-bottomed green ice cream cone 12 large yellow and white gumdrops (6 of each) Sugar (to roll gumdrops on) 2 tbsp. chocolate chips Clear edible cake glitter 1. Heat the oven to 350° and butter two 10-inch bundt cake pans. 2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 3. In a medium bowl, stir together the milk, pumpkin, and vanilla extract until smooth. 4. In another large bowl, beat the butter or margarine and oil together with an electric mixer until combined. Next, beat in the sugar. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Alternately beat in the milk/pumpkin mixture and the flour mixture until just combined. 5. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. 6. Cool the cakes in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn them out onto wire racks to cool completely. 7. Directions for Frosting: # In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. # Mix in the vanilla extract. Then beat in the powdered sugar gradually until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. # Color about 1 cup of the frosting green and the rest orange. 8. Assemble the Cake: # Trim the bottoms of the cakes so they lie flat against each other. # Frost the flat surface of the bottom cake and place the other cake on top. # Frost the entire cake orange. When the frosting dries, add green frosting leaves and top with the ice cream cone to create a stem. 9. Decorate the Cake: # Sprinkle sugar over your work surface and use a rolling pin to flatten 12 large yellow and white gumdrops together into a pancake about 1/4 inch thick. Adults only: use a knife to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. # Microwave 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips for about 60 seconds. Dip the left side and bottom of the facial features in the melted chocolate. Dab a small amount of water onto the top surface of each feature, sprinkle the edible glitter on top, then press the facial features onto the cake.
Guest Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 I'm off shopping too - any good recommendations where to buy golf tees and tweezers... Got some golf tees from the sports & soccer shop in town...74p per pack. Need to get some tweezer so will look tomorrow morning in the chemist. I also brought 4 new hammers (small) from a 85p shop....lets hope heads stay on!!!!!! Oh & my pumpkin from asda for 98p. Happy halloween
Guest Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 You can get plastic tweezers for 10p each online I think it is a first aid supplier. Or pack of 4 from ebay for £1.99 free postage. Munch
Andreamay Posted October 28, 2007 Posted October 28, 2007 Enormous pumpkins in sainsburys for 99p and i got my tees for a pound for a big bag in asda but that was a short while ago now.
mundia Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Dont forget the usual allergy advice, particularly the seeds, although not common, some people do suffer allergic reactions when they handle the fresh seeds or flesh.
Guest toddleo Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 A timely post from you Mundia. We have really loved the golf tee hammering suggesting, it has worked SO well, fantastic idea. However, one of our members of staff came up with a very itch rash and streaming nose when fiddling about on the inside of the pumpkin, hooking out the seeds!!
Guest Posted October 30, 2007 Posted October 30, 2007 Thats good advise from Mundia, when scooping out innerds some children can experiance breathing problems. They are usually children prone to breathing problems and removing from the area usually sorts it out. Biccy, why are you not allowed to do halloween, is it on relgeous grounds? Sal
Guest Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 Just wanted to let you know the hammering golf tees into the pumpkin was a great success...many thanks for sharing this activity. mrsb will be trying the tweezers & seeds tomorrow.
Guest toddleo Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 here, here Mrs B. I would say we have had more positive feedback from parents with this activity than with any other activity we have carried out. A huge hit with the busy boys who love to charge around the room, they sat still for ages, hammer in hand!
Guest Posted October 31, 2007 Posted October 31, 2007 LEA brought in a ruling many years ago that it should not be done.It was around the time of the north east child abuse/satanic rites issue which was big news at the time.Its never been officially changed although the staff turn over authority wide over the years means many settings now do Halloween and are unaware of the original statement.Our head at the time was in full agreement with the authority so traditionally its not been done.Reception are doing Meg and Mog as part of their 'favourite stories theme' so meeting part way. As a family we have never joined in with Halloween.When the children were young they went to a 'Bright Lights Disco' at church where they could dress-up as anything other than horror.Now they are older we have an family outing.We've been out for tea (ok at IKEA but at least I wasn't cooking!) then to the pictures to see Starburst. (which is great!! Robert Niro is fab).Based on a mix of religious beliefs and an objection to the commerciality of it all.
denisse Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 I would also like to thank you for the hammer and pumpkin idea it has been fantastic and the children have had a great time, even the little two year olds.
Guest Posted November 1, 2007 Posted November 1, 2007 Today was the third day of the pumpkin and he's baring up well .We've had him out on the tuff spot on outdoor play.Nice development today: the boys have moved on ( typical boys full of enthusiasm but now they've been there & done that) and it was all girls accessing him today .At the end of the session he was placed in a pram and wheeled to the doctors!! I've been placing him on a quoit to expose fresh areas of skin to hammer at.
emmajess Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 We've done the pumpking / golf tee thing this year- pumpkin obviously now has lots of holes in - do you think we could still use pumpkin for cooking, or will the holes have affected the inside? Or the golf tees have introduced germs to the inside? (Clean non-golfing golf tees!)
Inge Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 interesting question.. ours were always so mangled and bruised that exploration was the only way to use it.. we always had the how many golf tees will we find inside game... we found 10 last year. Inge
Cait Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 ours has been more popular with the girls this year - noticeably so. There's been lots of 'natter chat' going on, incidental chit-chat as if they are sitting having a cuppa at a coffee morning - nothing about what they are doing - it's been a real hoot listening in and we've all taken turns to go and sit nearby. "Did she?, oh that wasn't very kind, so what did you say to her?" "well I said it was mine and she had to share!" "And did she?" "yeah" "What we havin for snack this mornin, what did you choose?" "er, grapes and apple and I think she said there's carrot too" you get the picture. All this whilst 4 girls busily hammered away!!!
emmajess Posted October 15, 2009 Posted October 15, 2009 ours has been more popular with the girls this year - noticeably so. There's been lots of 'natter chat' going on, incidental chit-chat as if they are sitting having a cuppa at a coffee morning - nothing about what they are doing - it's been a real hoot listening in and we've all taken turns to go and sit nearby."Did she?, oh that wasn't very kind, so what did you say to her?" "well I said it was mine and she had to share!" "And did she?" "yeah" "What we havin for snack this mornin, what did you choose?" "er, grapes and apple and I think she said there's carrot too" you get the picture. All this whilst 4 girls busily hammered away!!! So lovely! You should try and film one of the chats - parents and teachers would love to see one of those gorgeous moments.
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