Friday means FUN!

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Next week we will begin our study of the life cycle of a pumpkin, complete with a field trip to the very special, very festive, Lane Farms. In anticipation of this, we sewed pumpkins today during Friday Fun. This is one of my favorite activities, as it helps build students’ fine motor skills and gives them an experience that many have yet to experience. Each student begins with a precut circle of orange minky fabric that has a series of black Sharpie dots on the backside that outline the circumference of the pumpkin. I explained how students would be using a needle that was sharp at one end and had an eye at the other. When the student pulls on the thread, he or she needs to pinch the eye of the needle and hold the thread from coming out.(This is easier said than done!) Fortunately, we had three adults helping today, which gave each student an individual sewing coach!

The students couldn’t contain their excitement. They were very careful with the needle and followed the directions like pros.

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After the student sewed around the circle using a running stitch, the adult carefully tugged on the thread, causing the circle to bunch up. Next, the student stuffed a plastic grocery bag into the center, giving the bunched up circle some shape and giving us a good use for plastic bags! Then, the adult tied a knot at the end. Finally, the student inserted a small stick into the center, making a stem. Viola! A pumpkin and big grins all around!

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We will keep the pumpkins here in the classroom on display, so please feel free to stop in and look at the handiwork!

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