Engaging Pumpkin Life Cycle Activities for Special Education Classrooms

Looking for fun and educational fall-themed science activities for your classroom? This pumpkin mini science unit is an ideal way to engage young learners, particularly in special education settings, with hands-on, multisensory lessons.

Teaching the Pumpkin Life Cycle with Literacy Integration

To kick off our week-long Pumpkin Life Cycle Unit, we explored the stages of a pumpkin’s growth using the book From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer. This engaging read made a complex science topic accessible and enjoyable for my students.

As a special education teacher, I love incorporating literacy into all subject areas. This book was the perfect introduction to our pumpkin-themed science week!

Hands-On Pumpkin Life Cycle Craftivity

After reading, we created a pumpkin life cycle craftivity while watching a time-lapse video of a pumpkin growing from seed to fruit. This visual and tactile activity helped reinforce the stages of the life cycle memorably. (You can find the link to this craft in the resources section below.)

Pumpkin Investigation and Observation

Throughout the week, we conducted a pumpkin investigation by observing both the inside and outside of a real pumpkin. The highlight? Carving it open and exploring its parts! We wrapped up the unit with a fun pumpkin craft where students labeled the different parts of a pumpkin—another great way to reinforce vocabulary and science concepts.

Why These Activities Work for Special Education

These pumpkin science activities were especially effective because they were multi-sensory and short in duration—most lessons lasted no more than 20 minutes. In primary grades and special education, it’s essential to use a variety of engaging, hands-on activities to meet the needs of all learners.

Try This Pumpkin Science Unit in Your Classroom!

Want to bring this engaging fall science unit to your students? You’re in luck—I've shared my favorite resources below to help you get started!

Pumpkin Life Cycle Resources

• Pumpkin Life Cycle Craftivity – [Link to resource]

• Pumpkin Investigation Worksheet – [Link to resource]

Would you like help turning this into a downloadable PDF or adding visuals for Pinterest or classroom newsletters?

Do you want to implement an idea like this in your class? Well, you are in luck! Allison shared her resources just for you!

• Pumpkin Life Cycle

• Pumpkin Investigation Sheet

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