Peter the pumpkin eater grows pumpkins and the fruit of the Spirit! After all, pumpkins are fruit! Likewise, it’s October, and pumpkins are everywhere. Therefore, I thought it would be an excellent time to discuss the decay and growth of a pumpkin while also growing the fruit of the Spirit.

If you know Little Pot’s fruit-bearing steps, you know that God uses our physical, spiritual, social, and academic growth to produce His fruit. All three of these holistic areas are included in our Mother Goose meets Mother Nature resources. These resources use traditional nursery rhyme characters to introduce a part of God’s creation. In our version of Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater lyrics, Peter is a squirrel who puts his wife inside a pumpkin because he loves to eat pumpkins—however, the pumpkin decays. Consequently, Peter discovers the pumpkin life-cycle.

These resources are in our Peter-Peter Learns about Pumpkins rhyming book and our Teach About Decay and Growth with Peter Peter Teacher’s Guide. Both are available at a discount in the Learn and Teach About Decay and Growth Bundle. Lesson plans, worksheets, and activities are all included.

Peter the Pumpkin Eater – Spiritual Growth

The potter plants a seed in Little Pot’s humus soil. That is to say, the seed represents God’s Word and the humus represents our humility. Therefore, discovering what the Bible says about growing, planting, and seasons is a good place to start.

There is a right time for everything. Everything on earth has its special season. there is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.

Ecclesiates 3:1-2

Understanding God’s creation changes over time is an important lesson for young children. They begin to understand how they are growing and changing. In addition, applying the idea that all living things grow and change is an important scientific concept we must teach. Likewise, it is good for them to see that God’s Word describes it too.

Social Growth with Pumpkin Activities

In addition, the plant inside Little Pot will grow a stem and leaves. The stem represents our integrity because it is straight and upright. Likewise, a man of integrity is straight and upright too (proverbs 11:3). The leaves represent healthy relationships. Photosynthesis is when a leaf nourishes a plant with light. In the same way, our relationships should nourish us with the light of Christ.

To be a person of integrity and develop healthy relationships, we must grow socially. In the nursery rhyme lyrics of Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater, Peter and his wife learn and discover the life cycle of the pumpkin together. This is a great opportunity for children to discuss how they can learn and discover new things when they work together too. Pumpkin activities are much more fun when they are done with friends and family.

Peter the Pumpkin Eater’s Academic Growth

After Little Pot grows a stem and leaves, a flower blooms. The flower represents new knowledge blooming. Learning about the decay and growth of pumpkins can be a lot of fun. October is a great time to get a pumpkin and learn with a hands-on experiment. Pumpkin activities can teach students science, writing, and math. They can observe how pumpkins grow and decay while writing about their observations. They can also count pumpkin seeds, and match sets to numerical digits.

Read more about the Mother Goose Meets Mother Nature Series here.

Spiritual, Social, and Academic Growth are Necessary for Fruit-Bearing

In conclusion, The Learn and Teach About Decay and Growth is a resource that includes activities for spiritual, social, and academic growth. All three areas are necessary to grow the fruit of the Spirit. You can learn more about how Little Pot becomes a fruit-bearing vessel by signing up below. You will also discover how “the Potter” grows the fruit of the Spirit through you. In addition, you will be added to our email list, and each Friday, you will receive a short, fruitful email. I hope you will join me.

Amazon also sells new versions of The Little Pot, The Tea Pot, The Oil Lamp, and The Small Jar. For a limited time you can buy the first editions here.