Pumpkin Pollination

Pre-Activity

• Cover tables with newspapers
• Cut pumpkins in half
• If possible, have students wear aprons to prevent getting pumpkin on their clothes.

Activity

• Speak to students about pollination techniques used by different types of plants. If Halloween or Thanksgiving is near, use pumpkins as your example fruit!
• Pass out the student worksheet and walk them through each portion. Explain that pumpkins are actually fruits because they carry seeds.
• Have students make a prediction about how many seeds they think will be in each pumpkin.
• Pass out pumpkins halves, and have groups of 4 work together to count how many seeds are in the pumpkin. For younger ages, have them place 10 seeds in each deli cup to make it easier for them to count.
• Have students clean up before leaving.

Pumpkins are a great fruit to help students learn about pollination as they are an important crop we rely on every year. They have both male and female flowers making them a great example to study. For pollination to occur, pollen from the male flowers must be transferred to female flowers. This happens through bees and other insects that visit the flowers looking for nectar. After pollination occurs, a seed forms which grows into a sprout. This sprout becomes a vine that develops flowers. Finally, a pumpkin grows from the vine! Pumpkins are a great crop that can be used to make pies, soup, bread and even used in decoration.