• Home
  • About
  • Homeschool
  • Activities
    • Sensory
    • Fine Motor
    • Alphabet
    • Art & Crafts
    • Science
    • LEGO
    • Math
    • Nature Study
  • Farm
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Stir The Wonder

Charlotte Mason Inspired Learning

  • Home
  • About
  • Homeschool
  • Activities
    • Sensory
    • Fine Motor
    • Alphabet
    • Art & Crafts
    • Science
    • LEGO
    • Math
    • Nature Study
  • Farm
  • Shop

Science Sensory Toddlers Tot School

The Mess-Free Way to Explore Pumpkin Guts with Toddlers

During the Fall season it is always fun to carve jack-o-lanterns! But before you toss the guts and roast the seeds kids may enjoy digging into a gooey sensory experience! If your child isn’t into slimy sensory play or you have a toddler, you can allow them to freely and safely explore pumpkin guts with a mess-free pumpkin guts sensory bag! (Updated 9-17-2016)

Allow your toddler to freely and safely explore pumpkin guts with this mess-free pumpkin guts sensory bag!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Exploring Pumpkin Guts with Toddlers

Safety reminder: Toddlers and young children should never be left unattended with sharp knives and plastic bags. Please be extra careful when doing this activity. 

Supplies:

  • Table covering (a large paper bag opened up works great!)
  • Pumpkins
  • Bin
  • Spoons
  • Plastic Sandwich or Gallon sized bags
  • Knife (for adults)

How to Set Up:

To set up this activity, cover your table with an opened up large paper bag or other table covering. Using painters tape will help hold the brown paper in place without damaging your table. Then set out a plastic bin and some spoons for scooping. Finally carefully cut open the pumpkin, place it in the bin and allow your child to explore the pumpkin inside and out.

Toddler exploring pumpkin

Toddlers Learn through Exploration

We did this activity when my son was a young toddler as part of our tot school Halloween week. Caden, then age 22 months, loved exploring the pumpkin and learning through his senses. He helped to scoop out the pumpkin guts and seeds.  He enjoyed banging on the hollow pumpkin with the spoons and listening to the sounds it made. He also spent a good amount of time playing with the pumpkin top, taking it off and fitting it back on just right.

Making a Pumpkin Guts Sensory Bag

Caden wasn’t too fond of the sticky, slimy guts so I put them into a resealable sandwich bag. I wasn’t too worried about the bag opening, but if you are you can tape over the resealable edge with clear packing tape.

Pumpkin Guts Sensory Bag

My son really enjoyed squishing the seeds and pulp around in the bag. He kept repeating “squishy, squishy”. Then he decided to put the guts back in the pumpkin and take them back out. He repeated this action a few times.

Caden enjoyed the squishy bag of pumpkin guts so much, I am sure if I let him he would have played with it all day!

Toddler exploring pumkin guts sensory bag

Overall, we had a good time exploring the pumpkin guts! Caden and I spent a good half hour playing with the pumpkin, which if you know toddlers they don’t spend much time doing anything!

And my favorite part, we surprisingly didn’t make too much of a mess! Happy Halloween!

steam-kids-launch-week-bonus

Save

© 2012 – 2016, Stir The Wonder. All rights reserved.


24 Comments

« Jack-o-Lantern Sensory Bin
Tot School: Fire Safety »

Comments

  1. Laura M. says

    September 11, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    This is great…I’m pretty sure my 3 year old shares my aversion to “icky stuff” and that both of us would much prefer to play with this stuff in a baggie! Even the baby would be able to play along! Saw this posted on Discover and Explore and had to see it! Looks great!

    Reply
  2. Courtney @ Teach Preschool says

    September 17, 2013 at 11:12 am

    I love the idea of adding the sticky, slimey guts to a bag for sensory play! Thanks for sharing on the Discover & Explore linky!

    Reply
  3. Sarah @ How Wee Learn says

    September 26, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    Putting the ‘guts’ in a bag is such a great idea! Controls the mess and gently eases wee ones into different sensory experiences. Fantastic! This would be great for my babe – who still puts everything in his mouth – he will love being a part of pumpkin carving!

    Reply
  4. Alyssa says

    September 5, 2014 at 4:52 pm

    What a fun idea! I just wanted to let you know that I am showcasing this with a link back on my Fall Activity Roundup at Simply Creative Kids if you don’t mind.

    Reply
    • Samantha says

      September 5, 2014 at 6:44 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  5. Ashley Moore says

    September 9, 2014 at 8:24 pm

    Uggg….I hate pumpkin guts! I would have to leave them in the bag too; I’m sure my kids would be happy stringing them all over the place though!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Fall: Fun Friday feature | Teach Preschool says:
    September 20, 2013 at 12:51 am

    […] the Wonder is up to their elbows in Pumpkin Guts Exploration.  I love the idea of creating a sensory bag out of all that slimy […]

    Reply
  2. 10+ Activities Using Real Pumpkins says:
    October 3, 2013 at 9:36 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration by Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  3. Halloween Fun for Toddlers says:
    October 29, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    […] sick (all month–it’s getting old) so I tossed them.  I did use the guts to recreate this awesome idea I saw on […]

    Reply
  4. Montessori Inspired Pumpkin Unit says:
    September 12, 2014 at 11:42 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  5. 10 Fall Sensory Play Ideas - Stir The Wonder says:
    September 16, 2014 at 6:08 am

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the […]

    Reply
  6. 25 Super Fun Pumpkin Activities for Kids - Playdough To Plato | Playdough To Plato says:
    September 23, 2014 at 12:30 am

    […] Fill a Ziploc with pumpkin guts. […]

    Reply
  7. Fall sensory play ideas from the Weekly Kids' Co-op - Gift of Curiosity says:
    September 25, 2014 at 12:01 am

    […] Pumpkin guts exploration from Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  8. 20 Fun Halloween Activities for Toddlers says:
    October 7, 2014 at 7:35 am

    […] Sticky Witch Hat craft from Twodaloo 6. Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the Wonder 7. Creepy Crawly Sensory Play with water beads from Little Bins for Little Hands 8. Finger Paint […]

    Reply
  9. The Pumpkin Patch Parable Preschool Unit Study - Meet Penny says:
    October 7, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  10. Find Fall Learning By the Bushel: Seasonal Activities for Kids | What Works in Family Support says:
    October 15, 2014 at 4:05 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration: Let them help prep the pumpkin for carving, or paint it instead, to make this a two-part activity! (WMELS Domain: Health and Physical Development- Sensory Organization) […]

    Reply
  11. Fabulous Fall Science Experiments - How Wee Learn says:
    September 11, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the Wonder – Before breaking into the pumpkin, have the kids hypothesize what they’ll find inside. Then let them inspect, explore, and record their findings. […]

    Reply
  12. 10 Tips For Baby's First Halloween » Maternity Comfort Solutions says:
    May 21, 2019 at 7:32 pm

    […] Exploring Pumpkin Guts with Toddlers […]

    Reply
  13. Pumpkin Activities for Kids! 40 Ways to Learn, Play & Decorate! says:
    August 5, 2019 at 2:24 pm

    […] Mess-Free Pumpkin Guts Exploration from Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply
  14. The Pumpkin Patch Parable | A Unit Study Resource Round Up says:
    October 20, 2019 at 10:34 pm

    […] Mess-free pumpkin exploration for toddlers from Stir the WonderMini Pumpkin Volcano from Little Bins for Little Hands Magic Pumpkin Science from Playdough to Plato […]

    Reply
  15. Free Printable Bucket List to Help You Make the Most of Fall says:
    September 22, 2020 at 3:07 am

    […] Make the most of your pumpkin and use the insides to create an easy, messy sensory bin. Your kids can explore as much as they want. Take advantage of the peace and quiet to actually carve the pumpkin! Worried about the mess? Create a clean, squishy sensory bag instead.  […]

    Reply
  16. 20 Spooktacular Halloween Activities for Kids (STEM Education & Halloween Science!) - Adventure Travel Family says:
    January 13, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    […] Pumpkin Guts Sensory Exploration– Perfect for kids who love getting messy and gross, this pumpkin guts exploration ends with a squishy sensory bag ideal for Halloween! Little ones will feel like they have made their very own Halloween science lab! […]

    Reply
  17. Pick a Pumpkin! | Science in Storytime says:
    September 30, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    […] Pumpkin guts exploration: http://www.stirthewonder.com/pumpkin-exploration/ […]

    Reply
  18. 36 Cute & Easy Pumpkin Crafts for Kids to Make! - HOAWG says:
    August 4, 2022 at 9:00 am

    […] Exploring Pumpkin Guts from Stir the Wonder […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stuff We Recommend

Join the Steve Spangler Science Club “”
Subscribe:

Favorite Baby Buys for the Second Time Around

Amazon Associates

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in