We are celebrating the last week of our spooky month by dedicating an entire week to pumpkins! Learn more about these gorgeous gourds with daily STEAM Learning Lab lessons. Today we bring you two lessons: Marbled Pumpkins, and a counting lesson with Pumpkins on the Vine!
Marbled Pumpkin
Ages 4 and up with an adult
For this weeklong celebration of pumpkins, we are experimenting with making 3D art. By using pumpkins as a canvas, children (and adults!) have an opportunity to make art on a canvas that isn’t flat and blank, like paper. Instead pumpkins are round and in a multiple of colors. While kids may have tried marbling before(like this tutorial here https://discoverygate.wpengine.com/steam-learning-lab-shaving-cream-marbling/) This project is a little messier, and the natural roundness of the pumpkin will impact how the marbling is displayed.
This activity also gives kids a chance to see how different substances can interact with water. The nail polish isn’t water soluble, meaning it won’t easily mix into the water because of the chemicals wihin it. Instead, the polish will float on the top of the water, which is how we can make a design in the polish and then transfer that design onto the pumpkin. Using polish lets us draw a pattern on the water! When the project is finished, kids can notice how the leftover polish stays in strands within the water, leaving the water clear.
