Geography Quest: Pumpkin Edition
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Pumpkins aren’t just for Halloween.
Or the month of October.
Many Americans will bake pumpkins pies in the fall.
But, do you know much about this perennial fall favorite?
It’s time for a Geography Quest: Pumpkin Edition.
How Do I Implement a Geography Quest in My Homeschool?
Are you new to the Geography Quest?
Your children can work together on finding out different pieces of the day’s assignment.
Geography Quests are meant to be fun little challenges to get the day started
or to change things up in your day.
Sometimes they are open ended.
Sometimes they lead to rabbit trails
or new interests,
or a fun discovery.
They are meant to be self-guided depending on the age of your children.
Geography Quests are for young children,
middle schoolers,
and teens.
Things go more smoothly for multiple ages working together if I help them with some guidelines:
- Answer the questions together using reference books and websites.
- Try to avoid just Googling the answer. Use websites such as National Geographic for Kids.
- Write down the answer.
- Work together without arguing or hogging. Work as a team.
- Everyone must have a turn being the “recorder” – so it’s not the same person each day.
- Everyone will contribute to the answer at dinner time. Make sure you include everyone.
- Discuss where you can find the answers and give assignments according to age and ability.
Where Do Pumpkins Originate from?
It’s fun to consider where our food comes from.
Have you ever thought about where your favorite fruits and vegetables come from?
Let’s investigate pumpkins:
- Make a guess– what continent do you think pumpkins come from?
- Do some research– see what you can find out if you research pumpkins
- Narrow down– the possibilities and come up with an answer
- Extrapolate the data– what about plants related to pumpkins? Are they all from the same continent?
Was your guess correct?
Make a Pumpkin Map
Once you’ve narrowed down your continent,
it’s time to make a map.
Can you find the specific region of the continent?
- Color and label a map– and make a key to identify where pumpkins were first grown
- Place a title on your map- titles help people to know what you’re map is about
- Add in other vegetables– those related to pumpkins
- Add in your favorite fruit or veggie– where does it come from?
Consider setting aside a folder for all your Geography Quests maps.
You can revisit your journey!
FYI-Wonder Maps are our favorite map sets!
Pumpkin Literature Resources
Along with your pumpkin research and map,
enjoy a good book.
This is a list of our favorites,
even for teens!
(who have fond memories of these titles)
- The Pumpkin Book– a wonderful non fiction book about pumpkins and their varities by Gail Gibbons
- Pumpkin Jack– I love this book for the illustrations alone. So descriptive!
- How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin– follow the classroom tale to answer this question
- The Pumpkin Runner– a fantastic pumpkin tale from the other side of the world.
- Too Many Pumpkins– This has been in our family library for 18 years or more.
- From Seed to Pumpkin– a Let’s Read & Find out Science book. These are the best for young scientists!
Autumn Pumpkin Art for Your Geography Study
Are you familiar with Chalkpastel.com and the easy, pleasing art lessons for any season? Nana does a terrific job of leading students through video lessons.
We’ve been following along since the days of using written book tutorials!
Add in some art with Fall Chalk Pastels.
Chalk is a forgiving medium!
More Autumn Geography & Nature Study Links
- October Nature Journal Calendar– Download your free calendar and record observations throughout the month.
- November Nature Journal Calendar– Download the calendar and make recordings of your nature observations.
- Geography Quest: Fall Foliage Treasure Hunt Edition– Follow the turning of the leaves in the autumn.
- Geography Quest: Apple Growers Edition– Learn about the apple crop and where you’ll find the best apples.
- Geography Quest: Corn Edition– Identify types of corn and how we use this crop
Subscribe for a Geography Quest Notebook Page
Would you like a printable to record your Geography Quests?
Subscribe below and you can download your treasure map to be used for each Quest.
Geography Quests are a simple and engaging way to explore Geography with your students.
Will you join us?
