There are plenty of pumpkins left after Halloween. Use one to work this experiment.
Once a pumpkin has been cut it rots quickly. Have you ever seen an old jack-o-lantern sitting by someones porch steps? If a pumpkin sits outside and is frozen it will begin to spoil.
Use this experiment to see how a pumpkin rots. Cut a pumpkin in half. Put one half outside where it will not be disturbed. Keep the other in your classroom or inside the house on a thick layer of old newspapers.
Check the pumpkins in a few days to see if mold has begun to grow. Check inside and out.
Note changes each week and watch for the pumpkin to begin drying out. Does the rotting stop when the pumpkin dries out?
Bacteria must have water to grow. Does the pumpkin outside dry or rot faster than the one inside? What effect does the temperature and amount of moisture have on the rotting process?Dehydrated fruits and vegetables will keep for a long time. Why is this possible? Follow up this experiment by tasting several different types of dehydrated fruit. Also try jerked meat . Why doesn't it spoil?
Try leaving one pumpkin with the seeds still inside and another with seeds and fibers hulled out. Which rots faster? Why?
