Pumpkin Bubble Maps

We are still in that wonderful pumpkin season!  Have you visited a pumpkin patch yet?  We went in mid-October to a new-to-us patch...it was so much fun!

My girls created some "Bubble Maps" shortly after their pumpkin patch visit.  Bubble maps are great for organizing thoughts, learning and practicing new vocabulary, and brainstorming ideas.  Simple bubble maps for my girls (4 & 6) involve using words that they associate with the larger idea; in this case, "pumpkin."  They came up with words that they associate with pumpkins, and wrote them down inside "bubbles," which connect to the bubble (or in our case, pumpkin) in the middle.

Some of the words they thought of include:

*paint (they saw painted pumpkins)
* stem, seeds, and skin (parts of the physical pumpkin itself)
*goo (what they felt from their sensory activity last week)
*fall (the season in which they find pumpkins abundant)
*orange (the typical color of pumpkins)

There really is no "wrong" answer for a bubble map!  Ask your kids to write down what they think of when they think about pumpkins...their answers might surprise you!

You can use bubble maps for any variety of topics or themes!  They are lots of fun and easy to create!

Pumpkin Patch Picture/Craft

This is a super cute and easy pumpkin/fall themed activity.  All you need is:

*cut up green yarn (or string or whatever else you might have)

*orange circles (or pumpkin cutouts or stickers)

*a sheet of paper

*glue bottle

Have your child create a "pumpkin patch" by gluing the "pumpkins" and the "vines" throughout the paper.  You could even have various sized orange circles!  

Super simple, frugal, and a fun way to teach that pumpkins grow on a vine (they don't just appear in a box at a grocery store!).

Pumpkin Patches in Reno

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year.  Saturday, my first born "baby" is turning 4 years old.  I can't believe how beautiful and bright this little person has become, and I cannot imagine my life without her.  Each year we go the pumpkin patch on her birthday (or the day before).  This is so much fun, and I love comparing pictures from year-to-year.

If you haven't had a chance to visit a pumpkin patch yet, I'd highly encourage it.  Many allow free entrance, and you don't even have to buy anything, so this can be a fun, free activity to do with your children.  If you live in the Reno area, there are a few choices.  The only one we've ever gone to is Ferrari Farms.  It is located on the corner of Rock and Mill.  There are animals to look at, pumpkins, gourds, hay ride ($), and a corn maze ($).  I also read that they now do pony rides ($). It runs from 9am-8pm through October 31st.  You can call 775-856-4962 for more info.  There are also two other pumpkin patches in Reno.  There is one out Pyramid, Andelin Family Farms, (cost $ to get in), and also the Toll House Pumpkin Patch on Virginia Street near Bishop Manogue.  It looks as though most of these go just through October, so head out soon!  For a little bit more info on these places, visit HERE and scroll down to "Washoe County", or HERE if you live somewhere else (scroll down and click on your state).  Have fun!