The Kinder'gardeners' Pumpkin Patch

This was a project that I did when I student-taught with the fabulous Jen Dahl in Black River Falls. We started off reading a quick book about pumpkins then we made some art MAGIC! We retouched on the difference between 2D and 3D. The kiddos would be making two different pumpkins. Their first job was to stuff a paper bag full of crumpled up newspapers and then twist the top of the bag shut to make a stem. I gave them each a small cup of red and yellow and told them to mix it together to create some magic. 'It makes orange!' They shrieked as they mixed the colors together. It literally blew their minds! They used the orange to paint the rounded part of their 3D pumpkin. When they were finished, they put it in the pumpkin patch (on the counter) in front of the window so that our pumpkins could get some sunlight to grow! After they had finished that, they then painted a HUGE orange oval on a paper. This would later become their 2D pumpkin.

On day two, we used brown slick-sticks to add lines to both our pumpkins. Then they cut out their 2D pumpkin. Next, they added a small brown stem and I showed them how to cut out a spiral for their pumpkin's vine. After they had finished their 2D pumpkin, they made some more art magic by mixing yellow and blue together to make green! They used this to paint their 3D pumpkin stem.

Because one class had a short schedule, they fell behind. So to catch them back up, I had the other two classes turn their 2D pumpkins into jack o' lanterns. Typically, I would not have them make something that is geared towards a holiday, just in case we had some friends that don't celebrate. But I checked with the kindergarten teachers and they said that I should be good to go to make jack o' lanterns. For the two classes who made jack o' lanterns, we cut out eyes, noses, mouths, and teeth out of black and white paper and glued them on.

I want it to be known that a kindergarten class said that I was the funniest teacher they knew because I called them kinder-GARDENERS. Get it? Gardeners? They were making/growing pumpkins?! Eh. Well at least they think I'm funny....

So much character on these 2D jack o' lanterns!