Pumpkin Seeds

It took the girls 0.5 seconds to pick up the word “pumpkin” and now HEB is known for “pumpums” almost as much as it is known for “totillas.”

We stored pumpkin guts in Ziploc bags last year when the girls were doing tummy time and sitting up (what, how was this a year ago?!), but this year we cleaned the pumpkin out, rinsed and dried the seeds out on a cookie sheet, and have incorporated them into or sensory play. Here are three great ideas for those pumpkin seeds you’ll be harvesting.

Scraping out the seeds together is already such a sensory-rich experience. Both girls were a little nervous to reach inside (check out that sweet, unsure picture of our Eden above!), but were loving it by the end!

We gave the seeds a quick rinse, patted them with a paper towel, and spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry. They were ready to play with by the next morning!

We used our beautiful Grimm’s Wooden Bowls and some of our go-to sensory play items like spoons, muffin tins, and glass jars (‘Hi, I’m Christina and I hoard pretty bottles…”) to use with the seeds. I had a friend ask how long the girls usually stay engaged in something like this and right now we’ve worked up to 20 minutes. I can’t help but think being a twin helps, because they can interact with each other. When we are working up, I’ll start small, like 5 minutes before jumping in. Sometimes they’ll invite me to play sooner by bringing me something if I’m sitting close by, but they know that I’ll eventually join them in play, which can encourage them to stay engaged.

We have been incorporating this IKEA mirror into our play and loved using it outside with the seeds and pumpkins! The light was beautiful and the mirror kept catching the leaves in the trees. We have had it since the girls were born and they’ve loved using it during tummy time.

And finally, we threw some seeds and pumpkins in our trusty Crate & Barrel Sand and Water Table (pumpkins of all sizes float!) and the girls fished the seeds out and did a whole lot of splashing.

Play on, pumpkin fans!