CLARK, NJ — In Kimberly Nacht’s kindergarten class at Valley Road Elementary School, students recently conducted a science experiment in which they learned about the lifecycle of a pumpkin, a topic they began studying in October when they looked inside the pumpkin, felt the outside, discussed different types of pumpkins, and carved a jack-o’-lantern. At the end of the month, the class read “Pumpkin Jack,” by Will Hubbell, a paperback picture book about a boy who leaves his jack-o’-lantern outside and then is surprised when he finds new pumpkins the next season.
On Monday, Nov. 1, the class put their jack-o’-lantern in a jar and began observing its changes over time. Students watched the pumpkin’s decomposition in the jar, observing how it finished out its lifecycle, broke down and could be used to help eventually grow new pumpkins, both as compost and by using its seeds. Students recorded their observations in their journals.
Nacht said the students really enjoyed the experiment, adding, “I told them that their pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns that they threw away are also decomposing like this, just somewhere where we can’t see it!”
Photo Courtesy of Christine Casale Broski