Set up a center for students to make predictions about their pumpkins. They guess the weight, height and circumference of their pumpkins. After the students make their predictions, provide time for them to make the measurements. In kindergarten, the students use a piece of yarn or other nonstandard measuring tool for measuring the height and circumference. A parent volunteer can measure the yarn, or you can gather all of the yarns to find the longest one.
Turning a pumpkin into a delicious pumpkin pie is a great topic for a writing exercise. At a writing center, ask a parent volunteer to write down the instructions as the kindergarteners tell them the procedure for making a pumpkin pie. Have the students illustrate their recipe. Place all of the writings together to make a class recipe book.
At the pumpkin patch, ask the farmer to describe the life cycle of the pumpkin plant. He might be able to show the students all of the stages of the life cycle on his farm: the seed, a seedling, vine, flowering plant, green pumpkin and mature pumpkin. At a center in the classroom, have the students arrange cards with pictures of the stages in the correct sequence.
Set up a center with a pumpkin cut open. Have the students extract the seeds from the pumpkin. The students remove the pulp and meat of the pumpkin from the seeds. Place the pumpkin seeds on paper towels overnight to dry. The next day, place the seeds in a plastic bag with one to two tablespoons of canola oil and kosher salt. Shake the bag to coat all of the seeds. Lay them on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast in the cafeteria oven for twenty minutes. Serve at snack time.