GROWING YUKON PUMPKINS…classroom style
Yes you can grow a pumpkin in your Yukon classroom! If your classroom has a bright sunny place, with a place where a vine can creep, it may be a good location to try this experiment….and most of the growing will be during the summer when few people are in your classroom.
You will need:
- a good sized container (minimum: 20 litres)
- Enough gravel to layer a depth 10 – 15 cm at the bottom (drainage is important)
- Sandy soil mixed with a good amount of compost
- pumpkin seeds that produce mini pumpkins
- trellis
Starting out:
- In a growing medium, plant your seeds (only 3 or 4 seeds), in late April or early May (seeds need about 10 days to germinate)
- Plant the seed in a fairly substantial mound of soil
- Water regularly (but not so much that puddles form – pumpkins like dry soil)
- Pumpkins LOVE sunlight! (classroom have great light – artificial & natural light)
- By the time your class is ready to break for summer, small plants should be sprouted, and well on their way.
Next Steps:
- Water and fertilize regularly (20-20-20 works)
- About 3 months after planting, a trailing vine, with about ten mini pumpkins should welcome your students back to school.
Larger pumpkins require more space and generally do not do well in containers. If you do have a very large container that can be placed in your classroom, try Sugar Pie, these are smaller, edible pumpkins. Seedlings can always be started in the classroom and then transplanted into a greenhouse, or to a hot and sunny place in an outdoor garden.
EATING PUMPKINS
Pumpkins can be used in a variety of ways such as in soups, puddings, breads and muffins. Try making some of the recipes listed below with students.
Pumpkin Pancakes:
250ml (1 cup) All Purpose Flour
250ml (1 cup) Whole Wheat Flour
30ml (2 tbsp) Sugar
20ml (4 tsp) Baking Powder
5ml (1 tsp) Salt
8 ml (1 ½ tsp) Cinnamon
375ml (1 ½ cup) Milk
250ml (1 cup) Canned Pumpkin or Pureed Pumpkin
2 Eggs Separated
60ml (¼ cup) Oil
Raisins (optional)
Directions:
- In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon
- In a small bowl, whisk together milk, pumpkin, egg yolks and oil. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended
- Beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into pumpkin batter.
- Pour about ¼ (60ml) batter onto hot, greased griddle. Cook until tops are bubbly, turn and cook other side until browned
- If desired, pour batter into pumpkin shapes including a stem and decorate pancakes with raisins to create Jack O’Lantern eyes, nose and mouth.
Makes 10-12 pancakes
Pumpkin Popsicles:
An excellent snack to make with kids on a hot day!
In a small 3 ounce Dixie Cup add 3 tablespoons of skim milk vanilla pudding, 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin and a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sir together, add a popsicle stick and freeze. When frozen, peel the cup off and eat!
SUPPLEMENTAL READING (for Kids):
Cooper, Helen. Delicious Pumpkin Soup Story. (K & gr 1)
Fowler, Allan. It’s a Fruit, It’s a Vegetable, It’s a Pumpkin. (K – gr 3)
Cooper, Helen. Pumpkin Soup. (K – gr 3)
Gibbons, Gail. The Pumpkin Book (K – gr 3)
Berger, Melvin & Gilda. Les Citrouilles. (K & gr 1)
Cook, Deanna. The Kids’ Multicultural Cookbook: Food & Fun Around the World. (gr 4 – 7)
Albyn, Carole & Webb, Lois. The Multicultural Cookbook for Students. (gr 4 – 7)
Download a printable version (PDF) |
