Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Halloween Pumpkin Carving...
Halloween is coming soon. Whatever your feelings are about this holiday, it can be a great time with young children. (I love the Halloween parties and kids' costumes every year.) I'll share some Halloween tips and ideas over the next few days, but let's first start out discussing pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns...
Did you ever want to become a pumpkin expert... There's more to pumpkins than meets the pie (sorry). You can learn the history of pumpkin carving, and build your basic skills with pumpkincarving101.com. Learn the best lighting techniques, tools to use and how to best preserve your carved pumpkin. Did you know that pumpkins are not a vegetable? They are a fruit! Pumpkins, like gourds, and other varieties of squash are all members of the Cucurbitacae family , which also includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.
If the actual carving seems like it would be a bit too messy for you... Use this virtual pumpkin carver, you can carve and animate your creation for the Halloween party. And the best part is, if you make a mistake, you can start over again until it’s just right. Check it out here.
A great activity for kids that I do every year is to buy the minature pumpkins (they're actually a gord that looks like a pumpkin) for each of the children in your care. Then the kids can paint faces on them instead of carving. After drying, each child can take their personal jack-o-lantern home at the end of the day.
Here are a couple more "pumpkiny" sites to visit:
Crafts, carving patterns, activities, and more at the Family Fun website.
The Ben & Jerry's website (yep, the ice cream company) has games, coloring pages, and more.
I'll share some more Halloween sites tomorrow... And after you have made your best effort at pumpkin carving... check out what the experts can do!
Halloween is coming soon. Whatever your feelings are about this holiday, it can be a great time with young children. (I love the Halloween parties and kids' costumes every year.) I'll share some Halloween tips and ideas over the next few days, but let's first start out discussing pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns...
Did you ever want to become a pumpkin expert... There's more to pumpkins than meets the pie (sorry). You can learn the history of pumpkin carving, and build your basic skills with pumpkincarving101.com. Learn the best lighting techniques, tools to use and how to best preserve your carved pumpkin. Did you know that pumpkins are not a vegetable? They are a fruit! Pumpkins, like gourds, and other varieties of squash are all members of the Cucurbitacae family , which also includes cucumbers, gherkins, and melons.
If the actual carving seems like it would be a bit too messy for you... Use this virtual pumpkin carver, you can carve and animate your creation for the Halloween party. And the best part is, if you make a mistake, you can start over again until it’s just right. Check it out here.
A great activity for kids that I do every year is to buy the minature pumpkins (they're actually a gord that looks like a pumpkin) for each of the children in your care. Then the kids can paint faces on them instead of carving. After drying, each child can take their personal jack-o-lantern home at the end of the day.
Here are a couple more "pumpkiny" sites to visit:
Crafts, carving patterns, activities, and more at the Family Fun website.
The Ben & Jerry's website (yep, the ice cream company) has games, coloring pages, and more.
I'll share some more Halloween sites tomorrow... And after you have made your best effort at pumpkin carving... check out what the experts can do!
// posted by Tammy Wachter @ 4:39 PM 
