Every kindergarten class is somehow required by autumn season law to take a trip to the pumpkin patch. Its a rite of passage I guess. Now in lots of places, this would mean heading to a patch where pumpkins are actually growing on a vine in the dirt. But for us southern Californians, the pumpkins certainly aren't on the vine, or in the dirt. For us, a pumpkin patch is more of a carnie-style setup in a vacant parking lot. Basically the trip included a petting zoo (which did have actual real live animals that you could see on a farm), a pony ride (on actual ponies, who did go around a 12'circle 3 times- and then had to take a 15 minute rest), a train ride (around the parking lot of course), a hay ride (same route as the train- only pulled by a lawn mower tractor), a hay bale maze, and lots of inflatable jumpies, obstacle courses, and slides. Now you know what I mean by carnie-style. After all the activities had been exhausted it was time to pick their pumpkin. Again, by pick they mean choose, not pick off the vine. The kids were instructed to pick a pumpkin according to this stipulation:
Which of course ended up with every kindergartner holding up their choice pumpkin and asking, "is it smaller than my head?' I loved the kid who told the teacher, "I have to get one bigger than my head. Once my sister brought home a little one and my dad was mad." I did see him walking out with the biggest pumpkin of them all- hope dad is happier this time.
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