We set out all the pumpkins Parker grew in his pumpkin patch!

I put together a special basket for this row. It was full of Australian and pumpkin items. Some we used, others we didn’t.

READY TO ROW:

We started our row with delicious pumpkin pancakes, fruit, and bacon.

Story Disk:

Jordan colored our story disk.

Afterwards, he placed the disk on Australia.

Cover Art:

The boys colored their cover page for The Pumpkin Runner.

BIBLE:

Memory Verse:

I created a Bible memory verse pack for The Pumpkin Runner.

You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store. There’s a FREEbie tracer in the preview!

Parker traced the memory verse that I added to his notebook while Jordan used the copywork page to write his verse.

Joshua:

With a main character named Joshua, we HAD to read Jericho’s Tumbling Walls.

The Good Shepherd:

We read Arch Books’ Jesus, My Good Shepherd. It’s always a wonderful reminder that God cares for us as a shepherd cares for his sheep.

SOCIAL STUDIES:

Geography:

I set out several geography activities on Little Learning Lane.

The Continents:

We read excerpts from Explore Australia and Oceania on our Epic app.

I printed a continent worksheet (Mrs. Jones Creation Station) and whited-out the names of the seven continents.

First, I had Parker practice matching the seven continents using our continents lapbook.

Next, I had the boys label the oceans and color code the continents.

Parker continued to review continents using our continent silicone mold and continent labels (imagine our life).

Australia:

We read Living in Australia and continued reading from Explore Australia and Oceania (on Epic).

The boys used some of the Australia activities I set up on Little Learning Lane.

The boys color-coded our Australia black-line map (Montessori Print Shop).

The boys completed the All About Australia worksheet from our Story Review.

Hemispheres:

We read The Hemispheres excerpt from Exploring Australia and Oceania (on Epic).

I brought out our globe and Bub identified the equator, the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere. He also mapped a line from Paris to Hong Kong.

The Great Barrier Reef:

We read about Oceania and the Great Barrier Reef (on Epic).

Since we were learning about the ocean, we sampled some delicacies from the sea! Daddy surprised us with a special Sushi dinner!

The History of a Jeep:

We read a brief history of the Jeep in Off Road Vehicles Jeep Wranglers on our Epic app.

We also read Sheep in a Jeep, just for fun!

News on the Wire:

Though I’ve mentioned this before, I love when our curriculums align. Jordan and I discussed the Associated Press (AP) and the need for an unbiased world news source.

A few days later, our Landmark History of the American People book informed us about the history of the newspaper business.

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Story Review:

I created a story review for The Pumpkin Runner.

You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store.

Alliteration:

I printed our Awesome Alliterations worksheet from our Story Review.

First, he read the example then completed the sample at the top. Lastly, Jordan created his own sentences using alliteration.

Vocabulary:

I printed our Vocabulary worksheet, cut out the labels and presented them at the table.

You can download your FREE copy here at our TPT Store.

Jordan and I reviewed the vocabulary words for this book.

Common Sayings:

I printed copies of our Common Sayings worksheet and passed out one for each child.

The kids loved the crack-the-code format. This was a really fun way to introduce idioms and common sayings.

Build-a-Word:

I created an Australia Build-a-Word worksheet.

You can download your FREE copy here at our TPT Store.

The boys used the Build-a-Word worksheet to create as many words as possible out of “Australia”.

Tall Tales, Fables & Legends:

TALL TALE:

We discussed how most tall tales began with an element of truth that grew into an exaggerated story.

The boys read Johnny Appleseed, John Henry an American Legend, and The Tale of John Bunyan.

I love when our Sonlight studies tie-in with our FIAR units. Jordan’s creative writing assignment included hyperboles and making up his own tall tale.

SCIENCE:

Australian Flora & Fauna:

I set out Australian Animal activities on Learning Lane.

We read Super Marsupials Kangaroos, Koalas, Wombats, and More.

We reviewed our Australian Animal Cards (Little Spark Company).

Jordan colored the clipart and sorted it in the correct box.

Physical Anatomy:

We read the Bones and Muscles page from the Usborne See Inside Your Body book.

Jordan put together our skeleton man. He even made a video that made us all laugh.

I love Bub’s sense of humor. He has a gift of lightening the mood on a heavy-work day.

The boys also worked on our magnetic human anatomy board.

Physical Exercise:

We’ve reviewed healthy eating and exercise many times.

Bub read Oh the Things You Can Do That Are Good For You on his own.

Hot Air Balloons:

First we read How Things Work: Hot Air Balloons. This book gave us a wonderful explanation about the science behind hot air balloons.

Then we read Hot Air the (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride. This was a wonderful, whimsical retelling of the first hot air balloon ride and the historical facts leading up to it.

Afterwards, I let Bub play inventor and try a few ideas he had in mind. None of them worked, but he still keeps trying and talking about different ways to make a hot air contraption.

Designing a Hot Air Balloon:

I printed copies of our Design a Hot Air Balloon worksheet from our Story Review.

This was a really fun activity. The kids enjoyed sketching their design while I read aloud.

Sheep Ranches:

We studied sheep many times, specifically when we rowed A New Coat for Ana and recently Warm as Wool. This time around, we just reviewed a few things.

Parker and I read On the Farm together. I love the simplicity and beauty of Anna Milbourne’s books.

We read a few more books about sheep as well as excerpts from Julia Rothman’s Farm Anatomy.

Jordan completed the sheep worksheets from our Story Review.

I printed worksheets from our On the Farm Sheep pack.

Parker read and completed his sheep worksheets.

BOTANY – Pumpkins:

I brought out our squash seeds to begin our botany lesson.

We read the squash pages from Julia Rothman’s Farm Anatomy book.

Next, we used our Lifecycle of a Bean pieces to match with our Lifecycle of a Pumpkin cards.

As I read our pumpkin definition cards, Jordan put together our “Parts of the Pumpkin” felt puzzle.

Then I brought out our squash cards and we talked about all the varieties.

Pumpkin Patch SNACKtivity:

I chose The Pumpkin Cat to accompany our pumpkin life cycle unit.

I set out a pumpkin patch SNACKtivity for the kids.

The kids set up their pumpkin patch with Brachs’ pumpkin mallows on top of chocolate cake. They ate it while I read The Pumpkin Cat aloud.

Pumpkin Lifecycle:

Parker and I went outside to observe his pumpkin vines and pick the last big pumpkin. We noticed yellow blossoms and a few baby pumpkins.

He picked the last pumpkin in his patch. He grew four edible pumpkins this year!

Pumpkin Lifecycle:

I printed copies of The Lifecycle of a Pumpkin worksheet from our Little Pumpkin Science Pack.

You can purchase your copy here at our TPT Store.

The kids colored and put the lifecycle worksheets in order.

We arranged Parker’s pumpkins as the centerpiece for our kitchen table. We plan to dissect them, cook them down, and use them in our fall baking!

Pumpkin Exploration:

I printed copies of the Parts of the Pumpkin and Pumpkin Exploration worksheets from our Story Review.

I set out trays with worksheets, pumpkins, and colored pencils.

They kids weighed, measured, and recorded their pumpkin data.

We headed to the sink to test the buoyancy of our pumpkins. When asked “why do pumpkins float?” They all responded with a resounding “because they’re full of air!”

I cut them open and they explored the inside cavity.

After they finished exploring their pumpkins, I cut them up and put them in the oven to roast. I like to sprinkle one pyrex with cinnamon, because the aroma is a little less “squashy” and more “pumpkin pie-like”.

After cooling, I scraped the flesh from the skin, puréed it, and put it in freezer-safe containers to use through the season.

Buoyancy & Density:

I printed copies of our Candy Science Sink or Float worksheet.

You can download your copy here at our TPT Store

We cleaned out our candy jars and the kids picked the candy they wanted to experiment with. They taped the packages on their worksheets and made their predictions.

The kids conducted their experiments and wrote the actual results.

ARTS, CRAFTS & FUN:

Aboriginal Art:

The last time we studied Australia was while rowing Katy No Pocket. We made aboriginal paintings then and I wanted to make them during this row too.

The kids used their q-tips to add their colored dots.

Pumpkin Soup:

We used Parker’s pumpkins to create our own delicious pumpkin soup!

During dinner, we read Pumpkin Soup at the table.

We served the soup with our favorite grilled cheese and sparkling “purple punch”.

Painting Pumpkins:

Haley set out our pumpkin painting project. She laid out all the paints, glitter, and brushes.

Using acrylic paints with glitter, they spruced up our little pumpkins.

Harvest Festival:

Our church puts on a big harvest festival every year. This year it fell on a Sunday, so we continued our celebration all week long.

We read It’s Harvest Time! This is a wonderful book that begins with a celebration thanking God for the harvest and ends with the Thanksgiving holiday!

Pavlova:

I’m not one for meringues, but I thought the kids might enjoy this treat. I’ve seen it made many times on The Great English Baking Show, but this was my very first time baking a pavlova.

Using Mary Berry’s recipe, I followed along with surprising ease. This was actually pretty easy to make.

It was a beautiful, almost iridescent, white fluffy consistency.

Sadly, my pavlova cracked, but it still had rustic charm. Honestly, I’m not a fan, but some of the kids enjoyed it.

HELPFUL LINKS:

Pinterest Board:

You can find most of the activities, ideas, and printables from this post on our The Pumpkin Runner Pinterest Board.

Youtube Playlist:

As with our other rows, we created a The Pumpkin Runner Playlist with read-alouds, music, science, and other clips.