A day of knowledge and pumpkins for Wamsley Elementary second graders

For most school children a day of writing, math, and science is not their idea of a good time on a cool fall day, but Wamsley Elementary second-graders might think otherwise now.

With the help of teachers Sara Harvey and Emily Rodriguez, second-graders spent Oct. 17 learning with a little help from pumpkins.

“We wanted to do more learning days this year, so we decided to do pumpkin day with the season,” Wamsley second grade teacher Sara Harvey said.

Activities included pumpkin decorating, pumpkin experiments, pumpkin cooking, pumpkin math, pumpkin writing, and more. 

“I think it went really well, the kids learned a lot. It’s awesome seeing them experience content in different ways,” Harvey said.

Students picked the pumpkins themselves during a visit to the local pumpkin patch.

“I think it was a very meaningful and relevant time for them because of the season,” said Emily Rodriguez, the other second-grade teacher at the elementary school.

“We went to the pumpkin patch the day prior, so everything is really relevant to them. Every activity that we did they just found so much meaning in it because they experienced the pumpkins,”

Most of the activities were hands-on; students even had the chance to make their own small pumpkin pie from scratch. 

The experience was not only new for the students but for Rodriguez, it was her first time making a pumpkin pie in my life.

“It was a new learning activity for me as well, and watching them be hands-on and doing it themselves. It was just awesome to see what they are capable of doing outside of the classroom,” Rodriguez said.

Harvey believes learning days create lasting, positive experiences for the students. She said when she looks back to here elementary days, the things she remembers are those experiences.

“I’m hoping to do more throughout the year, one around Christmas, another in the spring,” Harvey said.

“Just trying to tie in the standards we are focusing on, with application, and real-life experience.”

Both teachers agreed the big hit of the day was finishing the day making pumpkin slime after dissecting, learning and identifying each part.

“It was everywhere, but it was a lot of fun,” Rodriguez said.

kmills@postindependent.com