It’s pumpkin carving time! Carving pumpkins is a fun activity for
toddlers and up. They make festive
home decoration at Halloween and throughout the fall season. With supervision, kids of all ages can turn a
pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern, with many design choices. Carving a pumpkin can become a family tradition
that creates great memories, year after year.
1. Start by picking out a pumpkin on your visit
to a pumpkin patch, the supermarket, or a local farmer’s market. Select a smooth pumpkin with a strong
stem. These are the healthiest and
easiest to carve. Make it a fun trip for
the family!
2. When you’re ready to start carving, gather your pumpkins, carving tools, and a spoon,
bowl, patterns, plastic table cloth, candle or battery operated light. Patterns can been purchased at the supermarket,
variety store, or even found free on the internet.
3. Take
some time with the kids to pick out the patterns you are going to use to carve
your pumpkins. You can turn this into a
family fun time, with snacks for everyone as you make your choices. Choices can be the traditional Jack-O-Lantern
face, a cat face, witch on a broom, or the latest trend in pumpkin carving, celebrity
faces. Once you start looking there will
be so many choices, it could slow the process. However, help the kids to pick a
few favorites and move on.
4. While
the kids are gathered to pick out designs, this is a good time to, also, talk
about being safe with sharp objects that will be used. Even if the kids are older, teens and teens, don’t
skip talking about safety.
5. Carving
your pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern can get pretty messy and wet, so, cover your
work area with a plastic tablecloth before starting to carve.
6. With
a black permanent marker, draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin, away
from the stem, to create a lid. Cut out
the lid. According to age, supervise the
kids, appropriately. Again, sharp objects
are used for this activity, so be safe.
7. Scoop
out all the seeds and fibrous insides of the pumpkin. Use your bowl to collect this. Later, the kids can help separate and pick
out the pumpkin seeds for roasting. Pumpkin
seeds can be a delicious and healthy snack.
8. Make
sure you have an extra copy of the pattern you will use. Tape the pattern to the face of the pumpkin. Next, poke holes along the lines of the pattern
with the appropriate tool. This may be
harder to do for a toddler or small child, so Mom and Dad can help.
9. Take
the sharp cutting tool and cut out along the pumpkin design, exactly where you
have poked holes. Remove the cut out
pieces as you go.
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10. Last,
place a candle or a battery operated light inside to light up the pumpkin. Watch the excitement, listen to the
squeals! Happy Halloween and a festive
time throughout the fall season!
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