Easy Halloween DIY Pumpkin Carving Guide

Guest Blogger #752, Entry #1756, October 26, 2012

Halloween is fast approaching us – and has to be one of the most fun holiday seasons there are! What could be more fun than dressing up, eating candy and doing DIY pumpkin crafts with your children? There’s nothing more fun than carving pumpkins yourself and seeing the impressive results once you’re finished!

Easy Halloween DIY Pumpkin Carving Guide

It can be difficult knowing where to start though – as carving pumpkins can actually be quite tricky! If it’s something you really want to learn though we have a few great tips and tricks to get you started.

Also, remember, if scary, scowling faces aren’t your idea of a pretty pumpkin patch for Halloween – then fear not! There are loads of different ways you can decorate your pumpkin! Maybe carve out a witch on a broomstick, flames or a cat. All these things are Halloween themed – but not as scary looking, especially for young children.

Pumpkin carving ideas

Carving your pumpkin

You need to carve out your pumpkin before you can start designing the patterns onto them. The best way to do this is to remove a lid first and then carve the insides out from the lid hole. It’s great to get younger children involved in this part of the process, as it doesn’t involve any sharp knives of cutting. All you need to do give the young ones some big spoons so they can get scooping.

Another great idea, is to saved all the pumpkin that you scoop out. This can be used later for cooking and baking. Your kids will love the idea of eating the pumpkin as well as carving them! You could even make Halloween themed pumpkin pie!

Transferring the pumpkin design

The next step is transferring your pumpkin design onto your pumpkin. You can do this by either printing off some design templates from online resources – there are loads of designs out there for you to try! Or you can simply buy a marker pen and draw on your own design.

If you’re doing the carving with children but are reluctant to let them handle the knives themselves, letting them do the drawing is a good idea. A marker pen is much safer than a knife after all! Let your children design the pumpkin and then you can go ahead with the actual cutting later on.

Pumpkin carving ideas for your Halloween

Pumpkin cutting tools

The most important thing to start with is gathering the right tools. You want to make sure you have some sharp knives – the sharper the knives the safer it will be for you. You’ll want to start out by gently scoring the pumpkin along the lines you’re children have designed. This will mean, when you later cut deep you’ll be less likely to slip with the knife – which means no accidents. Also, at this stage – remember to keep the pumpkin on a non-slip surface, flat surface.

How creative can you be this Halloween?

After completing all of this you’ll not only have some very happy neighborhood children – but some very seasonal and decorative pumpkins too! Thanks to Distinctive Doors for this guide to a classic porch decoration.

For more Halloween ideas on Stagetecture, click here.