What happens when you let a pumpkin rot? That was the question proposed by my son last year…so we decided to find out.
Rotting Pumpkin:
We carved our pumpkin & put it on the porch to greet visitors.
After a few weeks, our pumpkin, who Reese named Jack Rotty, began to get a little mushy. We got a tray for Rotty to sit on so he wouldn’t rot directly onto the porch. We made a journal to record our daily findings. We got to work!
Halloween Activity: Journal
Friday, 6:00pm “Rotty is turning soft like a sponge. It’s got black mold. It’s getting eaten by a bug & looks black and not so good.”
September 13
September 14
Sunday, 7:15pm
“It’s rotten. It looks kind of ashy. His mouth is getting all rotten. I see a spider on the pumpkin. There is more mold today. I see bugs. They must be looking for food in Rotty. He feels soft.”
September 15
Monday, 6:30pm
“He’s rotten & smells like a dirt pile. His face is all gooey. You can see where I stuck my finger in. Look at all the pumpkin juice! The back is falling & tipping over. I wish Rotty would stay a little bit longer. His color is black & orange.”
September 17
Wednesday, 7:15pm
“He is rotten. He is smaller because he’s going down. Inside there’s a lot of mold! It smells like pumpkin to me…and dirt. I don’t see any bugs today. There’s a soft part on his head.”
September 21
Sunday, 7:15pm
“He’s so small! Not big & bumpy. You can still see where I put my finger. He’s decomposing. Part is soft from decomposing, but part is hard because it dried up. There’s a fly on him. He must eat the pumpkin. The back is sinking fast!”
September 22
Monday, 7:30pm “He’s not like that anymore…not full. He looks like rotten eggs. He’s all brownish. Look inside…mold! He is small. I see a Junebug in there…it’s laying in Rotty. I see a fruit fly inside…lots of fruit flies!”
September 26
Friday, 3:00pm
“He’s not big & tall. He feels hairy. He’s dry. It’s called evaporate. Our guess was wrong. I thought he would turn into goo. We see fruit fly larva from Larva Land. No, really, they came from fruit flies.”
Pumpkin Faces:
We loved watching how the face of Rotty got grumpier and grumpier as it aged. This was a GREAT experiment to do together. It was Reese’s first chance at long term observation, and our record book helped keep track of the changes each time we looked. I had to put a note on Rotty that said “Please excuse our science experiment!” because I was afraid our dear UPS lady would think we’re nuts!
How do you decorate your pumpkins?
my three year old class observed our pumpkin from (2010) decompose, then germinate in the spring (2011), to produce our halloween pumpkin! They used powerful words to describe the process….gross, disgusting, ugly, shrinking, moldy, hairy, germinate, flower, vine, tendril. The pumpkin is about ready to harvest, a life cycle completed!
That is amazing! What a unique, meaningful experience you gave them. I guarantee they will remember much more about pumpkins & their growing cycle than if you had just read a book & done a cut-and-paste! And talk about learning dealyed gratification!
This is fantastic! I love seeing the progression. And it’s so disgusting at the same time!
What a great science experiment – I think mine are a little young at the moment but can’t wait till they are old enough to do something like this (may also use it when I return to teaching as a great science experiment)
This is BRILLIANT! I loved reading Reese’s observations and can’t wait to try this with my kids when they’re a it older.
You’ll have to let us know how it goes!
I can’t help but think of you every time I see a rotting pumpkin…in a nice way :).
Great project, I may have to try this with my step grandson, who is 10. I’ll have to find out what they are doing in Science.
I would encourage you to do it with your grandson no matter what they’re doing in Science! It’s a fun way to see what really happens to those pumpkins after Halloween 🙂
Love that you turned something that is normally a ‘groan task’ (i.e. who gets to throw out the rotting pumpkin) and turned it into a science project! So cool!
I love his pictures! Journaling is such a great idea!
This is GREAT! I think I remember seeing it last year when ya’ll did it; but this is so detailed and great pirctures! In fact, I was laughing my head off as I scrolled down. GROOOOSSSSSSS! But so hilarious; and such a great project. I love love love it. We are TOTALLY doing it this year. Jack (8) will go CRAZY for this!!
Doing it this year!!
Loved your experiment and logging of the process.
This is what happened when someone left a pumpkin to rot at my house. What a great surprise.
http://thesingingnurse.com/the-accidental-pumpkin-bush/
Click the link above or paste it in your browser to read the poem
Fall is fun isn’t it?
Blessings, We love Living Health, Ms. Dawn
already did that did the same exact exmirement BRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!