We are all pretty smart in our own ways, but come on ladies, be honest with yourself. How many of us truly love to carve pumpkins? When the kids get excited, they pick out the pumpkins, design and timing, and yet somehow we get to do all the work to include paying for the pumpkins, scooping the pumpkins, and finishing the designs when they quit. Not to mention the daunting task of keeping things clean during this ordeal.
So what do we do? Rob our kids of the joys of halloween and fall itself? No ladies! We take a stand against carving. You can go anywhere and find a million different ways to decorate with pumpkins without picking up one carving knife that bends with the slightest hint of resistance. I am going to show you a few of my favorites that I enjoy doing with my children, from babies to adulthood.
#1 – Buy a kit.
There are tons of kits. What we learned from these kits are that the plastic piece they have graciously provided to penetrate the pumpkin also bends and breaks with any resistance. So how do you combat this you ask? Grab a phillips head (that’s the one with the x on the tip) screwdriver and pre-puncture your holes. This makes things so much simpler and the kids are able to push in the pieces they choose.
The amazing thing about this way of “carving” are that there is little to no cleanup, no harsh chemicals and when halloween is over, you can pull out the pieces and use the pumpkins for thanksgiving decorations. Don’t limit yourself to kits either. You can use flowers, branches, or ribbon too.
#2 – Paint
First off, let me start off by telling you that if you don’t have a covered porch, painting is going to look really sad after the first rain. Especially if you use water-based (in other words, no-stain, easy clean up) paints. But if you have a shelter, by all means, paint. The possibilities are endless and the kids get to put their own personal touches all over the pumpkin, finishing on their own time.
The downside of this, is that there is possibilities of messes on kids, clothes, furniture, and so forth. It also requires the use of a chemical. However, if you use a water-based paint, you should be able to wash the pumpkin off after halloween and reuse the pumpkin after.
#3 – Hot Glue
I saw a really cool tutorial one day on pinterest, that used everyday objects to hot glue to the pumpkin itself. From sequins, googly eyes and ribbons, the options are fantastic for us moms. Allow the kids to choose what they would like to add to their pumpkin and let it be a funky or fantastic as they desire, as long as you have the glue to hold that dream together. Caution: Always help your kids with the glue guns so they don’t burn themselves or others.
The downside to this is that if you only have one glue gun and multiple children, it can become hectic and confusing. A battle of which kid gets what decoration glued on first. However, after halloween, just remove the glue and you can use the pumpkins again.
These three ways are by far not the only ways to decorate your pumpkins. Use your imagination and your skills to create something truly unique for your home.Whatever you choose to use for your pumpkin decorations, remember that a little mess never hurt anyone. It’s okay to get messy, sometimes, those are the most memorable for the children. Build memories with your children that will last them a lifetime.
Let me know in the comments how you decorate your pumpkins without carving them!