Fall is for Pumpkins
just for kids
Fall is for Pumpkins What is your favorite thing about fall? The weather gets cooler, and in northern climates maple trees turn into a beautiful sea of golden orange, red,
and yellow. What a wonderful gift! One of the most colorful sights of autumn is a field of those bright orange squashes we call pumpkins. You’ll also find them decorating porches
and doorsteps. In fact, October is the perfect time to take a trip to a pumpkin patch and choose some for cooking and decorating. Read on for some cool facts about pumpkins.
Fruit or Vegetable?
Illustration by Scott Holladay
etable? Most Is a pumpkin a fruit or a veg veg eta ble s pe op le thi nk pu mp kin s are veggies, they because, like many kinds of or boiled. But are often cooked, roasted, is really a fruit! since a pumpkin has seeds, it ash plant famPumpkins are part of the squ Oth er squ ash ily cal led Cu cur bit a pep o. its such as melfamily members include fru ns first came ons and cucumbers. Pumpki erica—but now from Central and North Am r the world! you can find pumpkins all ove
bees! Pumpkins Need Honey zz around er to grow. Honeybees bu
honeybees in ord Pumpkins need help from s. As the bees travel from ting pollen on their bodie lec col rs, we flo kin mp pu the pumpkin flower to the llen drop from the male po of ins gra r, we flo to r flowe es have girl flowers flower. (Yes, pumpkin vin kin mp pu ale fem the of inside flowers must be polled pollination. The female cal is is Th rs!) we flo y bo and Over time the female s to grow from the vine. kin mp pu for er ord in d linate These pumpkins are pumpkin begins to grow. the of it fru the d an s die r flowe ger. After about three to orange as they grow big n tur n the d an en gre t firs ready to be picked. on the vine, pumpkins are g win gro of s nth mo r fou
Delicious Pumpkin Dip
What you need:
• 2 cups powdered suga r • 1 package cream chee se (8 oz) • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (also called “solid pack” pumpkin) • 1 teaspoon cinnamo n • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 30 THE BANNER | October 2015 | www.thebanner.org
What to do:
• Combine powdered sug ar, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and sp ices in a bowl. • Mix ingredients with a mixer or a wooden spoon until well blend ed. • Enjoy this delicious dip with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or graha m crackers!
How Pump kins Grow If you’ve e ver
Pumpkins are usually orange but are sometimes yellow, green, red, or white. The world’s heaviest pumpkin was grown in Mainz, Germany. It weighed 2,096.6 pounds (951 kg)! Most pumpkins contain seeds.
hundreds of
Native Americans introduced pumpkins to the Pilgrims who came to North America from England.
felt the in you know side of a p it feels slip umpkin, pery and k The inside ind of slim s of the pu y. mpkin are strands. So called fibro me people us like to call kin brains them pum ! Inside all pthat goo a k in seeds re the pum . Like any p other pla grow from nt, pump seeds. Onc k ins e the seed good soil, is planted it sprouts in into a vine flowers be . Small yell gin to gro o w w fr flowers are the beginn om the vine. These ing of a ne w pumpkin !
Power Pumpkins
The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word “pepon”, which means “large melon.”
are Pumpkins are packed with things that a bet of good for you. Pumpkins have lots ir the ns caro ten e, whi ch give s pum pki a bet y, bright orange color. In your bod min vita carotene turns into vitamin A. And clear. A helps your eyesight stay sharp and t. ligh It also helps you see better in dim and tein Pumpkin seeds have lots of pro pkin fiber. Eating a handful of roasted pum n tha er seeds will help you feel full long r you p other foods. Fiber also helps kee s seed heart healthy. Even better, pumpkin ck! taste good. So they make a great sna
Pumpkin flowers are edible!
n Make Your Ow Pumpkin :
d What you nee
• School glue t paper • 1 roll of toile ge tissue paper an • 1 sheet of or uction paper • Green constr cleaners • Green pipe truction paper • Brown cons
Word Fun
What to do:
er ll of toilet pap • Cover the ro r. pe pa e su tis with the orange t pu d an t fla t ee First, lay the sh e th middle. Lift the roll in the ilet to e up around th ue tissue paper ss ti a tuck the extr paper roll and . le to the roll’s ho and roll paper down in truction paper ns co n w ro b ce of em. Then • Take one pie e pumpkin’s st th e ak m to roll’s hole. it the long way em inside the st e th k ic st d inside the fold it in half an and tape them r pe pa n ee gr t of rled pipe • Cut leaves ou ndrils using cu te d an s ne vi te e vine). roll’s hole. Crea curly parts of th ol co e th e ar ils shapes cleaners (tendr tion paper into uc tr ns co ck la tb face. Glue • If you like, cu th to make a u o m a d an , se athroom for eyes, a no pkin in your b um p ur yo t Pu . orations! them into place use for fall dec ho ur yo in ce or another pla
How many words can you make from the word pumpkin? Have a contest with yo ur family and write down as many wo rds as you can in the spaces below. ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _______________ ________________________ _________________ Christin Baker is a full-time stay-at-home mom. She is a member of Resurrection Fellowship church in Grand Rapids, Mich.
www.thebanner.org | October 2015 | THE BANNER 31
Fall is for Pumpkins What is your favorite thing about fall? The weather gets cooler, and in northern climates maple trees turn into a beautiful sea of golden orange, red,
and yellow. What a wonderful gift! One of the most colorful sights of autumn is a field of those bright orange squashes we call pumpkins. You’ll also find them decorating porches
and doorsteps. In fact, October is the perfect time to take a trip to a pumpkin patch and choose some for cooking and decorating. Read on for some cool facts about pumpkins.
Fruit or Vegetable?
Illustration by Scott Holladay
etable? Most Is a pumpkin a fruit or a veg veg eta ble s pe op le thi nk pu mp kin s are veggies, they because, like many kinds of or boiled. But are often cooked, roasted, is really a fruit! since a pumpkin has seeds, it ash plant famPumpkins are part of the squ Oth er squ ash ily cal led Cu cur bit a pep o. its such as melfamily members include fru ns first came ons and cucumbers. Pumpki erica—but now from Central and North Am r the world! you can find pumpkins all ove
bees! Pumpkins Need Honey zz around er to grow. Honeybees bu
honeybees in ord Pumpkins need help from s. As the bees travel from ting pollen on their bodie lec col rs, we flo kin mp pu the pumpkin flower to the llen drop from the male po of ins gra r, we flo to r flowe es have girl flowers flower. (Yes, pumpkin vin kin mp pu ale fem the of inside flowers must be polled pollination. The female cal is is Th rs!) we flo y bo and Over time the female s to grow from the vine. kin mp pu for er ord in d linate These pumpkins are pumpkin begins to grow. the of it fru the d an s die r flowe ger. After about three to orange as they grow big n tur n the d an en gre t firs ready to be picked. on the vine, pumpkins are g win gro of s nth mo r fou
Delicious Pumpkin Dip
What you need:
• 2 cups powdered suga r • 1 package cream chee se (8 oz) • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (also called “solid pack” pumpkin) • 1 teaspoon cinnamo n • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 30 THE BANNER | October 2015 | www.thebanner.org
What to do:
• Combine powdered sug ar, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, and sp ices in a bowl. • Mix ingredients with a mixer or a wooden spoon until well blend ed. • Enjoy this delicious dip with gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or graha m crackers!
How Pump kins Grow If you’ve e ver
Pumpkins are usually orange but are sometimes yellow, green, red, or white. The world’s heaviest pumpkin was grown in Mainz, Germany. It weighed 2,096.6 pounds (951 kg)! Most pumpkins contain seeds.
hundreds of
Native Americans introduced pumpkins to the Pilgrims who came to North America from England.
felt the in you know side of a p it feels slip umpkin, pery and k The inside ind of slim s of the pu y. mpkin are strands. So called fibro me people us like to call kin brains them pum ! Inside all pthat goo a k in seeds re the pum . Like any p other pla grow from nt, pump seeds. Onc k ins e the seed good soil, is planted it sprouts in into a vine flowers be . Small yell gin to gro o w w fr flowers are the beginn om the vine. These ing of a ne w pumpkin !
Power Pumpkins
The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word “pepon”, which means “large melon.”
are Pumpkins are packed with things that a bet of good for you. Pumpkins have lots ir the ns caro ten e, whi ch give s pum pki a bet y, bright orange color. In your bod min vita carotene turns into vitamin A. And clear. A helps your eyesight stay sharp and t. ligh It also helps you see better in dim and tein Pumpkin seeds have lots of pro pkin fiber. Eating a handful of roasted pum n tha er seeds will help you feel full long r you p other foods. Fiber also helps kee s seed heart healthy. Even better, pumpkin ck! taste good. So they make a great sna
Pumpkin flowers are edible!
n Make Your Ow Pumpkin :
d What you nee
• School glue t paper • 1 roll of toile ge tissue paper an • 1 sheet of or uction paper • Green constr cleaners • Green pipe truction paper • Brown cons
Word Fun
What to do:
er ll of toilet pap • Cover the ro r. pe pa e su tis with the orange t pu d an t fla t ee First, lay the sh e th middle. Lift the roll in the ilet to e up around th ue tissue paper ss ti a tuck the extr paper roll and . le to the roll’s ho and roll paper down in truction paper ns co n w ro b ce of em. Then • Take one pie e pumpkin’s st th e ak m to roll’s hole. it the long way em inside the st e th k ic st d inside the fold it in half an and tape them r pe pa n ee gr t of rled pipe • Cut leaves ou ndrils using cu te d an s ne vi te e vine). roll’s hole. Crea curly parts of th ol co e th e ar ils shapes cleaners (tendr tion paper into uc tr ns co ck la tb face. Glue • If you like, cu th to make a u o m a d an , se athroom for eyes, a no pkin in your b um p ur yo t Pu . orations! them into place use for fall dec ho ur yo in ce or another pla
How many words can you make from the word pumpkin? Have a contest with yo ur family and write down as many wo rds as you can in the spaces below. ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _________________ ________________________ _______________ ________________________ _________________ Christin Baker is a full-time stay-at-home mom. She is a member of Resurrection Fellowship church in Grand Rapids, Mich.
www.thebanner.org | October 2015 | THE BANNER 31
