Roo's class has been studying the life-cycle of plants from seed to harvest. They've had a lot of fun with the unit, drawing diagrams and sprouting seeds.
Last week he brought home a couple of pumpkin seeds - THE original Halloween symbol - wrapped in a damp paper towel. After a couple of days Roo checked and shouted, "They sprouted, they sprouted!" I have not seen that child so excited about anything since he discovered he could be a superhero for Halloween.
Fast forward a few days and the sprouts turned into seedlings.
Quick! Get them in some soil.
Granted, it's the wrong time of year to plant crops, especially here - it was only 21 degrees F last night - but we had to get those babies planted. They're safely nestled in warm soil near a sunny window. We know, of course, that the plants won't grow into full-blown pumpkins, but it will be interesting to see how well they grow inside.
Next summer we'll try to grow some pumpkins to full size - a thrifty way to learn about growing food - and enjoy the results.
Maybe next year we can make jack-o'-lanterns, both scary and funny, from our home-grown pumpkins.
Jack-o'-lantern photos (from top to bottom) courtesy of ourstereo and My Readable Feast.
ohhh... we have similar pumpkin seed excitment at our house right now! Are you up for a pumpkin growing contest... or to see who can keep theirs alive the longest. :)
ReplyDeleteYou're on! One of ours doesn't look very good today. . .
ReplyDeleteHomegrown pumpkins... Good luck! I was thinking about that as I was gutting my pumpkin... Like, I should spread these seeds around the yard and see what happens. Alas, we decided to make a snack of them instead. Muahaha. Also, looove your Halloween Tunes on the sidebar :) Particularly, This is Halloween and Time Warp!
ReplyDelete-Alexandra Dare
http://lafemmenotoire.com
Thanks, darlin'! Not sure how well pumpkins will do outside next summer. But at least we'll get some cool tendrils we can put in a vase and decorate a book shelf or table.
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