by John Oystein

Created on: September 24, 2010   Last Updated: September 25, 2010

More than any other Halloween memory I cherish, I enjoy the annual pumpkin carving more than anything else. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m no artist, and pumpkin carving was no exception. My poor pumpkin’s eyes never seemed level, its nose was always somewhat off-center, and its mouth was never in proportion to the rest of its face. But it was still fun, and that was what counted.

Kids will enjoy carving their own pumpkins, and it’s a great activity to bring the family together. Let’s prepare some carving!

First, obviously, is to get the pumpkin. I prefer growing my own. It gives the kids something to look forward to. I’ve known some kids to even name the plants they’re growing. But if you can’t grow your own pumpkins, try to obtain one from a church or a charity fundraiser. Failing that, get one from a farmer’s market. Oh, all right, you can get one at a supermarket, too. Gee whiz.

Now that you’ve got the pumpkin, let’s clean it off and prepare to carve it. This is the time to determine what pattern you will use for the pumpkin. You can draw your own or use a pattern from a kit. Remember, however, when carving to give yourself just a little additional width in your cuts so they will match the pattern.

Cutting a pumpkin is fun, but messy! Be sure to lay out some newspapers to keep the pumpkin innards from getting all over the place, but have a plate or tray handy to save the seeds! Have some towels handy to clean yourselves, too. It probably wouldn’t hurt anything to have the kids put on a smock before they get started.

Here’s something else about the pumpkin innards. You can use them in the decoration as well! I remember while I was in Cub Scouts, one of my den mates left a goodly amount of strands on the inside of his pumpkin, and in gave his lantern a huge, gaping, fanged maw, with gruesome “slobber” streaming out. Everyone loved how disgusting it looked, and I was cursing myself for being so tidy. A friend of mine sent me a picture of sick-looking lantern “vomiting” up strands and seeds. And I’ve seen other carvers use the seeds to give their lanterns warts or freckles.

Now, it’s time to do the cutting. Use caution when handling a knife! If your kids are very young, it’s probably best they don’t do any cutting at all. The seasonal supply sections of your local stores will probably have a specialized pumpkin cutting kit, with blades specially designed for younger users. But when cutting into a pumpkin, if the kids are old and responsible enough, with supervision, cut using a small-bladed knife with a good handle for easier control. The knife also doesn’t need to be too sharp, either.

With your safely used knife and a pattern, it’s time to cut. For a children’s project, I don’t recommend going all-out. A simple design with eyes, a nose, and a mouth is sufficient. My family liked to make two basic designs, a happy face and a scary face. I guess it was our version of the theater masks, or something.

For better illumination, keep the holes small. The smaller the holes, the more intense the light source on the inside will seem to be. A small candle is the traditional light source, but I used a glowstick one year, and it got some more attention. I found blue works the best. Such sticks are readily available at army surplus shops.

Remember, be safe with the blades when cutting. And once Halloween’s over, toss your decaying lantern into the compost bin and let it not go to waste. Happy Halloween!

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