Today we did some pumpkin investigations with a special pumpkin. It actually was the pumpkin that my son in grade three picked at the pumpkin patch yesterday. We named it Mr. Tipsy because it does not have a flat bottom so it tips over all the time! (It did, however, meet Ethan’s requirement of being the biggest pumpkin he could find!) First, we measured, with cubes, how tall Mr. Tipsy was (16 cubes) then Mrs. Morris gave groups of kids some yarn which was the same length as Mr. Tipsy’s circumference (yes, we learned that big word today!). We used cubes, dominoes, and link its to measure the length of that string. Finally, we wondered what would happen if we put Mr. Tipsy, the pumpkin, in a tub of water. Would he sink or float? Ten children thought he would sink. Seven thought he would float. Guess what? He floated! We wondered why. Some of us thought he floated because he was big but then we realized that a big rock wouldn’t float so that couldn’t be the reason. Some of us thought he floated because he was light but he actually was pretty heavy. Some of us thought he floated because he was fat. Some of us started to think about the shape of Tipsy being like a boat that floats even though it has lots of people. Some of us thought that maybe he floated because he had air inside. This was such an excellent time of wondering! I asked the boys and girls to see if they could find out the answer. So, be prepared, moms and dads, to do a little googling tonight! I will ask the boys and girls tomorrow what they learned.

We have some exciting news to share with you!  As you know, we’ve been working on our reading stamina.  Our goal was to build up to 15 minutes and…drum roll, please….we did it today!  So, tomorrow after recess we will be having a special treat: popcorn and a movie (Franklin’s Reading Club).  I am so proud of this group of kids!

Today in our Bible lesson we talked about how God is like a farmer who chooses a special pumpkin (us!) and cleans out the slimy, yucky mess inside (our sins).  He carves a smiley face (gives us joy) and put a light inside (so that we can shine for Him).  We thought we would try to remember what God has done for us each time we see a carved pumpkin this Fall season.

We sure had a fun time today at the pumpkin patch!  Some of the highlights were:

– a fun bus ride

– a look at interesting pumpkins and gourds

– a story about a square pumpkin (By the way, parents, can you help us find out if there is really such a thing as a square pumpkin?  We were curious about that.)

– yummy hot chocolate

– a hayride

– fun inside the barn (cornbox, ride on tractors, hay maze)

– the bouncy pillow

– the corn maze

We were very busy and, hopefully, will sleep well tonight!