During the fall I like to teach about pumpkins before we go on our annual field trip to the pumpkin patch. Before we go, we turn our dramatic play center into a pumpkin patch! There are three different activities students can do to stay busy. Students can build and walk through a DIY corn maze, pick pumpkins out of the pumpkin patch or head to the snack bar where they can buy a piece of pie or a mug of hot apple cider! Be sure to grab the free Pumpkin Patch Printables here!
This is one of my favorite dramatic play centers I have ever had in my classroom! Before we go to the pumpkin patch we wanted to create a pumpkin patch in our own classroom. There are three areas that my students can explore.
The first area is the Corn Maze. Start by creating your own DIY corn maze. After you determine how big you want your corn maze to be then figure out how many corn stalks you will need. In our dramatic play area, we used 10 corn stalks. To make the corn stalks, I used Pool Noodles and Pacon® Fadeless® Art Natural Burlap Paper. I laid the paper out and ran a seam of hot glue along the edge, then put the pool noodle in the middle and rolled it like a burrito. Then, after I cut off the excess, I made another strip of hot glue and completed the corn stalk base.
My students helped me make the actual corn for the corn stalks. We used the Festive Fall Corn Craft Kit but decided not to use the tissue paper that comes with the kit. We simply glued the foam corn to the cornstalks. To make our cornstalks stand up, we threaded the noodle on the end of a plunger. To create the entry, I printed off the corn maze letters that you can download for free here. Instead of having a tall entrance, I cut one of the corn stalks in half so it made two little corn stalks. My students loved moving the corn stalks around and "exploring" the new mazes they created.
The second area that my kids could explore was the actual pumpkin patch. To set the scene we had a Pumpkin Patch Backdrop set up, then we added the Lil' Pumpkin Directional Sign Cardboard Stand-Up. To make it look like and feel like we were in an actual pumpkin patch, I used Mini Orange Hanging Paper Lanterns, 18" Orange Hanging Paper Lanterns, and Orange Hanging Paper Lanterns to look like pumpkins. We then cut out leaves from the Gigantic Fantastic Felt Sheets.
The kids loved being able to go into the "pumpkin patch" to pick their own pumpkin. Then they would be able to go to the cash register to buy their pumpkins and pumpkin goodies.
After their long day at the pumpkin patch students can head over to the last area of our patch. Here they can buy pumpkin pie and hot apple cider. I used Pumpkin Pie Favor Boxes to create the pie. My kids love using the Melissa and Doug® Brew and Serve Coffee set. It is perfect for little hands to make their own steaming cup of cider or coffee.
Be sure to download the free pumpkin patch signs and corn maze signs here so you can flip your own space!
Find more of my favorite Pumpkin Themed activities HERE. Happy Pumpkin Picking!
