Pumpkin season is the perfect time to mix science, technology, engineering, art, and math in one exciting day of learning. This Pumpkin STEAM Day gives your kindergarten students hands-on experiences across every content area—plus a rich literacy connection with the interactive read-aloud of Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell.
Kickoff: Read Pumpkin Jack
Begin with the beautifully illustrated story Pumpkin Jack, which follows a pumpkin as it transforms through the seasons. Our interactive read-aloud lesson plans include comprehension questions, vocabulary, sequencing, and a science tie-in that sets the stage for the STEAM centers. This is our “Pumpkin Jack” after a few months of decomposing. We promise that it doesn’t smell as long as you keep the lid on. 🙂
Science: Pumpkin Volcano (Elephant Toothpaste)
Watch excitement bubble over as you and your students create a pumpkin volcano! It just takes a little hydrogen peroxide, yeast, warm water, and dish soap to create a chemical reaction inside a carved pumpkin. They observe chemical changes, compare reactions, and record their observations like real scientists all while learning the scientific process!
Technology: Numbers to 10 Boom Cards
Take pumpkin fun digital with Boom™️ Cards. These self-checking slides let children practice number recognition and counting sets to 10. Perfect for reinforcing number sense and giving students immediate feedback. Kids LOVE them and so do we! Not only are they super engaging, but they are self-checking too!
Engineering: Build a Fence for Five Little Pumpkins
Challenge budding engineers to design and build a gate/fence sturdy enough to hold five little pumpkins. Provide craft sticks, blocks, clothespins, etc. Kids test and improve their designs, using problem-solving skills and creativity. Add the Engineering Design Planning Sheet for even more learning. Our students love saying the poem/song as they build their gate/fence (Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, “Oh my, it’s getting late, etc.).
Art: Pumpkin Life Cycle Craft
At the art center, students will create a pumpkin life cycle craft—seed, sprout, vine, flower, green pumpkin, orange pumpkin. This integrates science concepts with fine motor work like cutting, gluing, and sequencing. You can also add a real pumpkin seed for the seed, a yellow cupcake liner for the flower, and green curling ribbon for the vine to make it more dimensional.
Math: Counting Pumpkins to 20
Students practice counting up to 20 objects (pumpkins) with clip cards. Students count how many pumpkins are in the truck or pumpkin patch, and clip the number on the card. Students can also use real pumpkin seeds to mark the number (instead of clothespins) for extra novelty!
Pumpkin Day Made Easy
Are you ready to have the best Pumpkin Day ever? We have done all the hard work for you. All you have to do is click on the image or the link below and get ready to celebrate all things pumpkin! These centers can be done all at one time or spread out over several days. We do ours every Wednesday morning for about 90 minutes. Our students rotate through five centers. We then do any extra activities throughout the week.
Click HERE or on the image above to snag our Pumpkin STEAM Day centers and activities!
Free Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Bingo
To extend literacy, download this FREE Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Bingo game. It’s a festive way to review beginning sounds during small groups or centers.
👉 Grab your free Pumpkin Beginning Sounds Bingo here
Tips for a Smooth Pumpkin STEAM Day
- Set up in advance: Pre-cut craft pieces and portion out science ingredients.
- Group rotations: Allow 15–20 minutes per center.
- Cross-curricular connections: Tie in fall vocabulary and writing prompts.
- Ask for help: Ask parents or older students to help run centers.
Celebrate fall with curiosity, creativity, and a little pumpkin magic! Your students will remember this STEAM day long after the pumpkins have faded. 🎃
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