Let's have some Halloween fun! 🎃

Yes, it’s that time again! (comes round quick, doesn’t it?! Or is that just me?).

Here in the UK, we have half term this week and the children are off school for the run up to the official Halloween. Unfortunately, school resumes for most of them on the 31st, so apart from the traditional knocking on doors, I expect there will be parties the weekend before.

But with a week to prepare, why not try a few creative ideas to keep the kids busy?

All things pumpkin:

Pumpkin carving is great fun and even if you make a small one, they look great inside or out and make you feel festive (much like having a tree at Christmas!).

There are kits out there for children so they can carve safely, but don’t think that it’s not safe for them to use a knife. In fact, learning to use a knife safely is the best skill. Didn’t we all have to learn sometime? I read somewhere, ages ago, that it’s actually safer to use a knife with a sharp edge instead of a carving tool because it makes us subconsciously more cautious when using it. We understand the consequences. Let’s face it, you will probably only cut yourself with a knife a few times, but I bet they were when you lost focus for a moment.

Teaching your child how to cut a pumpkin safely is the same as teaching them to use a knife when cooking and the sooner you do it the better it is for them. However, you must feel confident too. You know your child best and the timing has to be right. It’s no good teaching them if you are unsure because it will show.

Anyway, however you decide to carve, have fun! Draw designs (or download our templates in our Free Halloween Pumpkin Pack!) and trace or copy them onto the pumpkin. Work the knife away from fingers and use the whole blade, especially if it is the same width as a drawn line. Work slowly, there’s no rush. Enjoy it and get creative!

Obviously, to carve the pumpkin, you will have emptied it of its contents. When doing this, keep EVERYTHING!