Fall Activities With "Sophie's Squash" and Freebie

If you haven't read Sophie's Squash, I highly recommend it. This Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book is the sweetest book about a little girl who finds a new friend... a squash. There are several life lessons your can learn when reading Sophie's Squash.

Throughout the book, Sophie treats the squash as her playmate. She even names it Bernice. Bernice goes to school, plays with Sophie, goes to the library, and visits the farmers' market. As the days go on, Bernice begins to change. The squash gets freckles as it begins to rot. Finally, Sophie asks the farmer at the farmers' market what she can do to keep the squash healthy. This is a great lesson on learning about the life cycle of a squash.

I love all the varieties of squash. I mixed different ones for a centerpiece on my table. Why don't you bring different varieties of squash for the students to investigate? You could even have a squash tasting party! Did you know that a pumpkin is a squash?

I've provided some fun activities as your students read this precious book.

1. Discuss Personification  

What human qualities did Sophie give to her squash? Students can even decorate their own squash and give explain the human qualities of their squash. If you don't want to fool with decorating a real squash, use the app PicCollage. Just search photos for a butternut squash, add text, and stickers to decorate the squash. Students can even draw on the squash.

      

2. Comprehension and Sequencing 

As the story evolves, poor Bernice develops blotches and begins to rot. Students can answer comprehension questions about the story and then write important events of the story.

3. Study the Life Cycle of a Squash 

You can even use the life cycle of pumpkin as an example of the life cycle.  This is a photo of a squash plant in our garden. The leaves get HUGE!

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