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Pumpkin Activities

As well as being great fun, carving pumpkins and exploring winter vegetables can help your children develop many skills. These include developing muscle strength, problem-solving, creative designing and testing theories, to name a few.

For this activity, what you need and the process you follow will depend on your children’s ages and capabilities. Toddlers will need the pumpkin opened up for them so they can explore the contents safely. Older children can be carefully supervised and supported to use basic tools to carve and explore the pumpkin’s contents more independently.

Pumpkin activity ideas

Here are a few of our ideas that we have been sharing with the children this week:

Exploring pumpkins and winter vegetables

Here we have a selection of winter vegetables with different textures, consistencies, colours and smells for the children to explore using child-sized hammers and golf tees.

Remember to support your children by talking to them about how to hold the hammer and the tee.

  • Children taking part in pumpkin activities at nursery
  • Pumpkins being used in fun activities at nursery

Explore the pumpkin’s interior

Explore the inside of a pumpkin with younger children. Support their learning by talking about the texture, colour and naming the different items.

Make pumpkin and squash soup

We have taken a BBC Good Food recipe for you to follow below. Follow this recipe with your children to make warming, hearty soup.

Let your children join in and really be part of creating the soup by:

  • Reading the recipe together
  • Getting them to find the equipment that you need
  • Measuring and weighing
  • Cutting and peeling
  • Stirring and tasting
  • Setting a timer and the heat setting

All with lots of support, guidance and supervision from an adult.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 1kg pumpkin or squash (try kabocha), peeled, deseeded and chopped into chunks
  • 700ml vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 150ml double cream
  • For the croutons
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 slices wholemeal seeded bread, crusts removed
  • A handful of pumpkin seeds

Method

  1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook 2 finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft but not coloured.
  2. Add 1kg pumpkin or squash, cut into chunks, to the pan, then carry on cooking for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally until it starts to soften and turn golden.
  3. Pour 700ml vegetable or chicken stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft.
  4. Pour 150ml double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée with a hand blender. For an extra-velvety consistency, you can pour the soup through a fine sieve. The soup can now be frozen for up to 2 months.
  5. To make the croutons: cut 4 slices of wholemeal seeded bread into small squares.
  6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the bread until it starts to become crisp.
  7. Add a handful of pumpkin seeds to the pan, then cook for a few mins more until they are toasted.

These can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container.

What Our Parents Say

As you may already know we are moving to Leighton Buzzard from the 6th of October which unfortunately means we will be taking Isla out of Woodlands. We did not find it easy finding a nursery in Leighton Buzzard that we felt as comfortable with as we do yours. Woodlands was the only nursery we looked at for Isla so we didn't realise just how good we had it until now! So we would like to say thank you to you and all the staff for all the help and for creating a warm, inviting, creative space with personality for Isla to enjoy when she is with you.

Father of Child

Very talented and caring staff. My son really loved this nursery. He learnt a lot in all aspects from communication, relationship building, being independent, to learning maths, shapes, letters, word, sentences etc. Really pleased with the development. Thanks to all the lovely staff, you are all the best.

Vaibhav H (Father of Child)

My daughter has been in the nursery since the Baby Room. It has been an incredible journey. Now she is in the pre-school and every day she is excited to go to the nursery. She loves the staff, her key worker, the other kids, the setting (especially the garden). She really enjoys all the activities organised through the week/day. She enjoys and has fun while learning. The staff encourage and support multilingual families making the kids feel proud they can speak more than one language. Now the staff are also getting her ready to go to school this September. The staff have always been amazing, very approachable, flexible and caring.

B C (Father of Child)

The staff are so kind and caring, they all know my daughter even those in different rooms. She skips in to see them every day and they are as excited as me when she does new things. It's a home away from home.

H G (Mother of Child)

I can't thank the staff enough for giving me peace of mind when my child is with them. The number and variety of activities each day is amazing and the fact they manage to get in the garden or go on trips - even in winter is fantastic. My child's development is streets ahead of his peers who don't attend nursery.

S H (Mother of Child)

The nursery has a lovely nurturing and vibrant atmosphere which my son loves. There is plenty of space for him to explore and learn via the vast range of toys and equipment they have. I know he is well cared for. I am always well informed and I work together with the nursery staff to give my son the best possible experience.

Claire F (Mother of Child) 

The care, consideration and attention my son receives is exemplary. Staff pay attention to his strengths and weaknesses and verbalise them to us and ideas for developing them are implemented. All staff demonstrate an excellent attitude and have excellent relationships with their designated children.

A D (Father of Child)

The staff were warm, caring and professional and the facilities are great. We felt like our daughter was part of a big family. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all working there.

E S (Mother of Child)

I have been impressed by the level of care given to my son since he started. The daily warm welcome of the staff makes both children and parents alike feel at ease. Seeing the smile on my boy's face as we drive into the car park is proof enough for me that the team are doing something right.

Alexander M (Father of Child)

My little girl has recently started and is absolutely loving her time at nursery. The settling in sessions were brilliant and really helped put my mind at ease, especially with me starting back at work. The ladies in the Baby Room are super friendly and enthusiastic and I can't thank them enough for their support in what could have been quite an emotional rollercoaster.

G W (Mother of Child)

Once I drop my son off into the Baby Room, I feel he's as safe and as well looked after as I do at home.

Laura R (Mother of Child)