photo credit: unfoldedorigami
Have you ever just given your child a pumpkin and let their imagination run wild? They can do amazing things with a pumpkin if you sit back and let thier imagination work.
The small pumpkins are just too cute. You will normally find them in the produce department and often they look more like a fall decoration then anything else.
Next time you are at the store pick up a couple of these pumpkins and bring them home for the kids. Although these tiny pumpkins are too small to carve. You can give each one a different face. Pick up some non toxic paint and let the kids go to work.
You could also use different crafting supplies to decorate these little pumpkins. You can use those funny little squiggly eyes, different colors of contruction paper, pipe cleaner, or may other craft supplies to turn these cute little pumpkins into beautiful centerpieces or you can put them around the house as full decorations. If you happen to use non toxic paint you can later skin the pumpkinds and each them without making you sick.
The tiny pumpkins don’t bruise or dent. You could also use them for fun outdoor games instead of using the bigger ones. You could play pumpkin bowl or or a fun game of pumpkin toss. If you are going to play these games make sure you do it on a soft surface so that the pumpkins don’t get damaged.
You don’t have to use the actual pumpkin to play different pumpkin activities, you could just use the image of the pumpkin. You could create felt pumpkins and hang them around the house. You could also draw a pumpkin on a big piece of paper and draw in the eyes and mouth and play pin the nose on the pumpkin.
Since we know all kids love to cook you could have your kids get all the seeds out of a pumpkin and let them do roasted pumpkin seeds. You can find that recipe here.
If there are some favorite neighbors or even some elderly couples in your neighborhood your kids could give away decorated pumpkins to them. They neighbors will love the gifts and the kids will feel very proud.
You can also take empty gallons of milk and cut the tops off and paint the whole jug orange and then paint black eyes, nose, and mouth. Add a little sand in the bottom and a votive candle and then you can use them to light your walk ways on Halloween night.
There is so much you can do with a pumpkin so you and your child sit down and have some pumpkin fun this halloween.
