This time of year always puts me in a good mood. There’s something uplifting about candy, costumes, candy, jack-o-lanterns and candy. When the kids were younger, we used to spread out plastic table clothes and make a whole evening out of carving pumpkins. I’d roast the pumpkin seeds, and we’d snack on them as we carved. Good times, people, good times.
If you plan on carving pumpkins with the kiddos this year, here’s a few tips:
- Use ice cream scoops to scoop out your pumpkins. Your arms will stay cleaner and they do a great job a scraping the sides of the pumpkin.
- Use dry erase markers to draw the face out first. You can easily erase if you have mistakes and the kids will still get to design, even if they aren’t old enough to do the actual carving.
- Spray the inside of the pumpkin with a water/bleach mixture and then coat it with petroleum jelly. It will last longer.
- Use battery operated tea lights instead of candles. You will still get the full it effect of a jack-o-lantern, without the potential fire hazard.
- If you do use candles, sprinkle the inside of your pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg and/or cloves for a DIY air freshener.
- If you don’t have a dry erase marker, let the kids draw their design on with a large nail. The nail will leave an imprint deep enough for you to see where to carve.
- Instead of cutting off the top of the pumpkin, try something different, cut off the bottom or back.
- A dry wall saw makes an awesome carving tool and handles way better than a sharp knife.
- Use props. This is a perfect place for the kids to showcase all of those “treasures” they’ve collected through the summer {and the perfect opportunity for you to help the de-clutter their collection}. Let them glue on the leaves, rocks, etc. that they’ve collected as hair, eyeballs, etc.
- Want to get fancy? Try printing out FREE pumpkin patterns. {This will probably win your best pumpkin on the block, because IS a competition, don’t you know. Ha!
How about YOU, what tricks have you learned over the years?
~Mavis
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Laura says
The tip I learned is that battery operated tea lights don’t light our Jack-o-Lanterns nearly bright enough for us! So, back to the regular squat candles. I love, love, love that smell anyway, that one when the lid starts to “cook!” Without that smell it isn’t Halloween!
Another tip. Carve them only a few days before Halloween, and cook them a few days later!
Oh, and the next day when the the pumpkin lots are packing it in, ask if you can have some! Sometimes you can get them free or cheap and cook them. I’ve been told that they haul them off for cattle.
Wynne says
Great tips; thanks! I’m excited to see if vaseline will ward off the squirrels this year.
Lisa says
Thanks for posting a link to those cool carving patterns!
Michelle says
We let my little guys use the child safety knives that we got from Pampered Chef a long time ago (at least I *think* that is where we got them.) Anyhow, they are similar to the pumpkin carving knives, a bit thicker but the same idea. It made them (the boys) carving a lot easier and I didn’t stress so much about them cutting themselves.