Fun Pumpkin Decorating Ideas

Vegetable Mania

Dress up your pumpkin using other vegetables. Let your children create a three-dimensional face for their pumpkin using vegetables. The possibilities are endless try adding a carrot nose, green onion or lettuce hair, slices of squash for eyes.

Children can do the creating while parents do the necessary cutting. Then use toothpicks to stick the face together. If the toothpicks are too difficult to push through some pieces by hand tap them lightly with a hammer.

Many of the vegetables will wilt if it is warm so create this vegetable faced pumpkin just before Halloween and keep it refrigerated during the day if it is too warm outside.

Paint A Pumpkin

Every year we get a large pumpkin, which we carve and three smaller pumpkins that my children paint. We spread the table with newspaper, pour some paint, and then armed with their paintbrushes they go to work. My daughters usually end up with a pumpkin that looks like it’s been scribbled on, but they don’t mind. My son likes to try and create monster faces, which scare his sisters. But that is the whole point.

My children love creating their own special pumpkin. Since they are too young to carve the jack-o-lantern it isn’t truly theirs but the ones they painted are.

Dress It Up

One year for Halloween instead of carving we dressed up our pumpkins like ourselves. We gave them yarn hair, painted on facial features, stuck in earrings and added bows for the girls, and put a tie around the boy’s necks. It was fun to see our family sitting on the front porch pumpkin style.

Frosted Pumpkin

You don’t usually associate pumpkins and frosting unless it’s a pumpkin cookie frosted with cream cheese icing (Yum!). But using this idea your pumpkin will look good enough to eat, just don’t try it. Instead of carving, use royal icing to decorate your pumpkin. Royal icing is different than traditional icing because it hardens as it dries. If you don’t have a decorating kit you can cut the tip off a sandwich bag and use it to create the facial features. Be sure to let the icing harden before touching it. Also if it gets too warm the face might melt away, so keep your pumpkin cool.

This pumpkin decorating idea is based on decorating a pumpkin instead of carving it. There are several advantages to decorating your pumpkin instead of carving it.

• Decorated pumpkins tend to last longer. They will not wilt or mold like carved pumpkins.
  
  
• The process is safer. You don’t have to worry about knives or your children cutting themselves.
  
  
• Decorated pumpkins don’t need a candle to shine and are a great decoration for your porch during the day.
  
  
• After Halloween you can use the pumpkin to bake a pie, cookies, or any number of delicious items.
  
  
• It’s always fun to do something new and let your creative juices flow.