My kids always enjoy gutting the pumpkin, it’s like an ultimate form of sensory play! But we aren’t always sure what to do with all of the pumpkin seeds, there are only so many we can cook and eat. This process of making colored pumpkin seeds was a fun experiment, and the seeds made fun mosaic material.
This makes a great Fall art project for toddlers and school-aged kids as well. The idea behind making these is essentially the same as dyeing Easter eggs! And the ideas for different colors are endless.
What you need:
- Pumpkin seeds (rinsed and dried)
- Water
- Bowls
- Food coloring
- Construction paper
- Glue
- Markers
What to do:
To color the seeds, rinse and dry them well.
In a few bowls, add some water and food coloring. Add the pumpkin seeds to the bowls and let sit. The longer the seeds stay in the water, the more vibrant they will become. We let ours soak for about 30 minutes.
Remove the seeds from the bowls and lay on a baking sheet to dry.
At this point, they can be used in a Fall sensory bin, for counting or for making mosaics!
To make the mosaics, draw a simple shape on construction paper (or other heavy-duty paper). Kids can add glue to the shape and place the colored pumpkin seeds to create a mosaic.
My kids made pumpkin mosaics, and then make more mosaics of vegetables containing seeds that the colored pumpkin seeds could represent.
I love the way these turned out! Such wonderful sensory process art.
Katie Chiavarone holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from NYU and is a mom to three young children. She co-authored the book The Undeniable Power of Play. This post is adapted from her blog, Views From a Step Stool.
