Today was all about pumpkins! We listened to the story Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell, which taught us about the life cycle of pumpkins. A pumpkin named Jack was put outside after Halloween, where it rotted as the weather grew colder. After winter, all that was left was wrinkly skin, a stem, and a few seeds. As the snow melted and the weather got warmer, a sprout started growing–a pumpkin plant! After a while, the plant grew and yellow flowers started to appear in the summer. In fall, pumpkins replace the flowers, but they are green. It is not until October that pumpkins usually get their orange color (this is called ripening) and are ready for us to pick. We talked about our own gardens at home and some of us want to try to grow our own pumpkins for next Halloween! The rest of us without a garden will have to visit a farm stand to pick ours out. Outside, we found so many worms because of the rainy weather. Some of them even got to sit with us at snack time. Then, we hiked down to Jack’s Creek, where the water was up high and moving fast because of all the rain. We really enjoyed watching the leaves fall into the creek and the water flow over the mini waterfall. Back at the pavilion, we warmed up under the heaters and completed a pumpkin craft before it was time to head home.