The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin – Fall Paper Plate Craft for Kids

This post includes dozens of pumpkin activities for kids. Highlighted, however, is an easy paper plate life cycle of a pumpkin activity.

Fall is an inspiring time of year. Children head back to school, gardens are ending their harvest, and in many parts of the world, the air is cooling. In other words, it’s time for a cozy sweater and a bit of warm cider. Heading to the pumpkin patch is always an exciting time.

I’ve got loads of pumpkin activities on this blog but I particularly love this pumpkin craft for many reasons. This fall activity is inexpensive, easy, creative, and kids learn life sciences! Children will learn all about the life stages of a pumpkin and a little botany to boot!

Pumpkin Facts

• Depending on the ultimate size of the pumpkin, it takes 80 to 120 days for a pumpkin to grow from seed to fruit.
• Pumpkins are native to North America and are one of the oldest domesticated plants.
• The word pumpkin is derived from the Greek word pepon, which means “large melon”.
• Pumpkins have male and female flowers. You can eat these flowers! They are good for fighting colds, helping your bones, and strengthening your eyes with Vitamin A.
• Honeybees play a significant role in fertilization.
• The seeds from a mature pumpkin can be used to grow more pumpkin plants during the next growing season.
• Pumpkins are a warm-weather crop and are typically planted in July.
• 95% of the US Crop of pumpkins are grown in Illinois.
• All pumpkins are winter squash.
• The color of pumpkins derives from orange carotenoid pigments.
• Although pumpkins are typically orange, they can be yellow, white, green, and red.
• According to science, the pumpkin is a fruit.
• The largest pumpkin ever recorded was over 1800 pounds.

The Life Cycle of a Pumpkin Craft

A pumpkin’s life starts by planting the seed in the warm ground. Then, once the seed drank up all sorts of water and sunshine, a sprout will pop up through the soil. Next, you’ll watch the leaves and vine grow larger. Finally, pumpkin flowers blossom from the plant. The female blossom produces a green pumpkin that ripens to an orange pumpkin.

A male pumpkin flower.

How Does a Pumpkin Reproduce?

A pumpkin plant produces both male and female flowers. The female flower contains several hundred eggs, which the male flower makes the sperm (or pollen). Much like human beings and other animals, the sperm must fertilize the egg in order to reproduce. In the case of a pumpkin, the “baby” is a seed.

Pumpkin Craft for Kids

I learned this pumpkin craft in Montessori training as part of our Botany unit. The idea is that you combine an activity with learning to ignite the child’s desire and interest to learn more. Kids are fascinated with the cycle of seeds grow to sprout to green pumpkin to orange pumpkin, especially since often the pumpkin’s life ends in jack-o-lanterns or dessert (or both!). Add this pumpkin sewing activity to your fall theme!

Materials Needed for the Paper Plate Pumpkin Craft

• Two small orange paper plate
• Yarn, string, or ribbon
• Scissors
• This lifecycle worksheet  from atozteacherstuff.com
• Markers or Crayons
• Glue stick
• Green or brown sticky back felt

5 Life Stages of a Pumpkin

1. Pumpkins Seed – The first stage of a pumpkin’s life where soon the seed grows to break the surface of the soil)
2. Sprout
3. Plant
4. Pumpkins Flowers – A beautiful bright yellow flower that is sure to attract your children
5. Green pumpkin (juvenile)
6. Orange pumpkin – The pumpkin is fully grown, ripe, and ready to be picked most likely from a pumpkin patch.

Approach

• Print out the life cycle coloring page from atozteacherstuff.com
• Color in the stages of the lifecycle talking about each stage as you go
• Cut out the stages of the lifecycle
• Take your piece of yarn, string, or ribbon and fold each stage over and glue to secure

• Cut a stem out from the stick back felt
• Place on top of one of the small orange paper plates
• Take the other small orange paper plate and cut a small semi-circle at the top
• Place that plate bottom down on top of the other plate with the stem
• Glue together
• Insert a string with lifecycle stages on it
• Invite children to pull the string out to see the sequence of the lifecycle

17+ Pumpkin Crafts & Pumpkin Activities for Kids

• Pumpkin Sewing Activity for Preschoolers
• Explode a Pumpkin with Rubber Bands & Other Exciting Montessori Pumpkin Activities
• Thermie Pumpkin Soup Toddler Style
• Grow Your Own Pumpkin

• Pumpkin math with pumpkin erasers 
• Measure the circumference & diameter of a pumpkin
• Count pumpkin seeds
• Weigh pumpkins
• Size order pumpkins by weights
• Bake pumpkin seeds
• Dye pumpkin seeds
• Make a pumpkin seed mosaic
• Story sequencing cards
• Pumpkin Tissue papercraft

• Types of pumpkins
• Study the parts of a pumpkin, which include fruit, stem, seeds, skin, pulp, ribs, fibrous strands, and the blossom end.
• Baking Soda & Vinegar Pumpkin

Preschool Songs about Pumpkins

Five Little Pumpkins

Music and Lyrics: Copyright 2007, 2014 Super Simple Learning®
Video: Copyright 2015 Super Simple Learning®

One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin smiling smiling.
One little pumpkin is happy.

Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins pouting pouting.
Two little pumpkins are grumpy.

Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins yawning yawning.
Three little pumpkins are sleepy.

Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins crying crying.
Four little pumpkins are sad.

Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins laughing laughing.
Five little pumpkins are playing.

Five Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate.
The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late.”
The second one said, “There are witches in the air.”
The third one said, “But we don’t care!”
The fourth one said, “Let’s run and run and run.”
The fifth one said, “We’re ready for some fun!”
Then OOOhh went the wind,
And out went the lights,
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight.

I’m a Little Pumpkin (to the tune “I’m a Little Teapot”)

I’m a little pumpkin
Orange and round.

Here is my stem,
I grew in the ground.

When I get all cut up,
Don’t you shout!

Just open me up
And scoop me out!

Children’s Books about Pumpkins

The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons

Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry, the life cycle of a pumpkin book

From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer

Pumpkin Time by Erzsi Deàk

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Pumpkin Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington

Other Life Cycle Crafts and Fall Activities

• Life Cycle of a Honey Bee 
• Life Cycle of a Frog Activities for Kids
• What’s New On Our Montessori Shelves (October)
• Learn about Pollination
• Owl Crafts & Books for Kids
• Learn about Parts of the Honey Bee with this Free Printable
• Life Cycle of a Chicken Activities

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