VOLUME 23
Welcome to the latest ChopChop Kids Club newsletter!
This month we’re cooking with squash! Plus doing a lot more with it—like jack-o’-lantern-themed math games, rotten science experiments, and more. We’re also wondering what your favorite things are about this month.
Please drop us a line and let us know!
Have fun and be well!
While you’re still learning, an adult should help make sure that the oven has been turned on correctly and everything is safe. Remember to tie your hair back, keep hands and any flammable objects—like dish towels, papers, or cardboard packages—away from the oven, use the proper cooking temperature, and carefully watch the food that is cooking.
1. Make sure there is nothing in the oven before you turn it on. Turn the oven on and set it to 425 degrees. Wait for the oven to preheat. Many ovens will beep to alert you when the oven is preheated.
2. With the help of an adult, open the oven door, put the baking pan in the oven, and close the door.
3. Set a timer according to the recipe—35 minutes—and check to see if the squash is done. If not, leave it in for another 5 or 10 minutes and check again.
4. Avoid opening the oven door to peek at the squash, as it will make the oven lose heat.
5. Use pot holders when removing the pan from the oven.
6. Be sure to turn off the oven when you’re done using it!
If you have a good spot to leave your jack-o’-lantern after Halloween, you can observe the process of decay (rotting). Simply go outside every day with a notebook and pen, note the date and time, and write down a few things you see and some theories about them. Is the pumpkin getting shriveled up? Why do you think that happens? Do you see any black or white furry stuff growing anywhere? Do you know what it is? Are any animals interested in the pumpkin? Do an internet search to look up anything you’re not sure about, like “Why is my jack-o’-lantern fuzzy?” When it finally collapses completely, note how long it’s been since you first put it outside.
For related fun, check out the picture book Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell.
According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest squash ever was (no surprise) a pumpkin! It was grown in Rhode Island in 2017 and weighed 2,118 pounds. That’s just over a ton, which is roughly the weight of a small car, a walrus, or the Liberty Bell.
All you need is a pumpkin (or another squash or large vegetable), some string and scissors, and a pencil and paper. Ask everyone to look at the pumpkin and then (without using the pumpkin to measure) cut a piece of string they think will be just long enough to go around the pumpkin’s middle, like a belt. Once
everyone has cut their string, try putting each string around the pumpkin.
Mark down whether each was too long, too short, or just right. Who got closest? Did they have a particular strategy, or did they just get lucky? (Try it again with anything else you can fit a string around, like a big pot or a grapefruit!)
If you’re not going to get to go trick-or-treating this year, you might feel disappointed. That’s okay. You can talk about that feeling with a trusted friend or family member. Afterward, try listing 5 (other) favorite things about this month—either October in general, or this October in particular. If you don’t feel like writing them down, you can draw them instead.
Make the most of your jack-o’-lantern with a quick fitness routine!
To add a little creepy Halloween ambience, put on the “Monster Mash.”
Then ready, set, squat:
1. Hold a pumpkin in your arms at chest height.
2. Bend at your knees and hips, sticking your rear end out like you’re sitting in an imaginary chair. Keep your chest lifted.
3. Squat down as low as you can, keeping your head and chest lifted and keeping your knees over your ankles. Press your weight back into your heels.
4. Push through your heels to bring yourself back to the starting position.
5. See if you can do a set of 5 squats. If you need to, you can put down the pumpkin!
