Covering harvest with Leo has been a real joy, as he seems particularly interested in vegetables and fruit, not just for eating, but for investigating.
Pumpkins have proved a real favourite for him, next to corn.
We have kept several tiny pumpkins around for sensory free play, for crafty sticking on, for pumpkin bowling, all sorts. So when he spotted the larger pumpkins at the farm shop and shouted “PUMMM!” loudly, i knew that this activity, which i have been looking forward to, would go down a real treat.
We picked up a small pumpkin, light enough for him to still hold it, and from the moment it got home it has been carried around, rolled around, sat on, put in mixing bowls and barrels and generally received a great deal of attention.
We didn’t intend carving a pumpkin for Halloween, but we did use this pumpkin and one from one of Leos previous activities for a ‘display’ for the evening.
So the day came, not long after we got it, for pitching out on the garden with a few tools and getting stuck in! We were even met with a beautiful rainbow in the questionable shy display.
I cut into the top and pulled it loose so he could ‘discover’ its insides for himself.
We provided him with a bowl, tongs and an ice cream spoon, and were keen to see what tasks he would create for himself.
As soon as he saw it set up for him, he dashed over and grabbed the spoon with his serious business face on. It was seconds before he was taking off and replacing the top, like a jigsaw puzzle piece.
He pulled and squished at the flesh a little, rubbing its slime through our hands, though surprisingly this was not high on his list of things to do with it. Must have been having an off day. Hes usually right in there with anything squelchy.
He liked scooping and picking at the seeds, and putting them into our hands, the bowl, and back into the pumpkin.
He tried carrying it again, and taking it to a specific spot to turn it upside down and empty it. Logic play!
He incorporated some seeds with his stones and enjoyed inspecting the two together and playing with them.
We cut it in half, and this reignited interest after he put it down to play elsewhere in the garden.
He tried putting them back together again, the right way up too, and tried his very best to fit the top back in.
We had a good sniff, what a funny old smell. Not my very favourite smell.
He was not consistently playing with this activity with us, even on a guided level, but he still got a lot out of it in the short 20 minutes of play we had.
I have to admit, I had an absolute ball!I think this is going to become as annual an activity for us as carving is to others, until hes old enough to carve anyway!
This post is for Unit 2, Autumn & Harvest.
