by
Tiffany Capuano
Halloween just isn’t the same without pumpkins on the
front porch. Watch kids scoop out the insides of the
pumpkin, seeds and goop squishing through their small
hands, and it’s sure to elicit either squeals of delight
or disgust.
Pumpkin carving has turned more serious over the
years, with complex, artistic patterns available in
books and on the Internet. Regardless of what the
pumpkin looks like in the end, it’s one art project that
makes kids smile.
To produce a great pumpkin masterpiece, make it anything
you want. Cut polka dots or stripes instead of a face.
Make it patriotic, creepy or funny. Carve your favorite
character or a self-portrait. Just remember to supervise
all young children with any sharp tool.
Prepare the pumpkin:
Draw a circle about 4-6 inches
in diameter around the stem of the pumpkin, putting a
V-shaped notch somewhere around the circle’s edge. It
makes replacing the lid easier. Using a sharp serrated
knife, cut out the lid and set aside. Scoop out the soft
pulp inside the pumpkin, using a jar lid, ice cream
scoop or large metal spoon.
Design the pumpkin: Draw your design with a pencil
or marker on the pumpkin. Paper patterns can be taped to
the pumpkin, and using a pushpin or ballpoint pen, poke
holes through the pattern into the skin of the pumpkin.
Remove pattern when finished.
Cut the pumpkin: Cut out all of the features. Many
pumpkin-carving tools are available at crafts and
discount stores. Carving tools are a safer and more
effective means for working with pumpkins than kitchen
knives.
Light the pumpkin:
Place an unlit votive candle on
a small piece of foil at the bottom of the pumpkin.
Light it with a long wooden match or long-necked
lighter. For safety, use a small battery-powered light
or a strand of Christmas tree lights to illuminate the
inside.
If carving creepy or fun designs isn’t feasible,
paint your pumpkins instead. Other ideas include using a
set of small lights, similar to LiteBrite pegs, which
insert into the pumpkin and light up from within. Empty
out the pumpkin and use it as a vase for flowers. Attach
ears or accessories or other household items, like large
screws, wine corks or food – all without even carving
the outside.
Patterns are everywhere. Online sites offer free pattern
printouts and other ideas. Check out
www.Pumpkincarving101.com, www.Carvingpumpkins.com and
www.Fall.about.com for some great kids’ patterns and
ideas.
Gather your family, friends and neighbors for a
special Halloween treat this year. Make it a spooky
celebration with all things ghostly. Scary may be tops
for adults, but most children like the fun and festive,
with a hint of creepiness.
Set the atmosphere with an easy Scene Setter, a
plastic wall covering that attaches with tacky adhesive.
Scene Setters are 5 feet high, 50 feet long, and large
enough to wrap around a garage or indoor room. An
alternative to the arduous task of building a Halloween
set, Scene Setters wall coverings come in a variety of
Halloween scenes, turning a room into a graveyard,
haunted house or dungeon. Available at online retailers
and at Party City stores.
 Jingle Ghosts
Thick craft foam sheets, white
Hole punch
Yarn
Small bells
Wiggle eyes
Cut a ghost shape out of the white foam sheet. Glue
on wiggle eyes. Punch a small hole at the top of the
ghost’s head and one at the center of the bottom of the
ghost. Cut two lengths of yarn for the top and the
bottom. Attach a bell or two to the yarn at the
bottom. Hang on a doorknob or outside where it will
jingle in the wind.
Variation: Craft foam, which sticks when wet can also be
cut into Halloween shapes and used as tub
toys.
Neighborhood Phantom
Draw a large, 2-foot-tall white ghost on a sheet of
white poster board. Add eyes and a mouth with black
marker. On another sheet of paper print the following
poem and decorate with Halloween stickers:
The Phantom haunts you happily from now
through Halloween,
and was delivered by a friend who (hopefully) was
not seen.
The spirit of the neighborhood has come to
wish you well.
Someone, somewhere, selected you to receive this
happy spell.
You must display the Phantom on your door so
all can spy
that you’re already haunted by this happy little
guy.
Then fix a sack with goodies like the one
given to you.
Ring someone’s bell, leave a bag and make them
happy, too!
Happy Halloween!
Fill a gift bag with Halloween goodies, add the
phantom and the poem. Ring someone’s doorbell and run!
In some neighborhoods, the tradition is called “boo-ing”
or being “boo-ed.”
Halloween is the biggest holiday for candy sales,
according to the National Confectioners Association, the
trade association representing the candy industry. But
children aren’t necessarily going door to door anymore
to get the sweets. With parents concerned about safety,
many churches and malls offer indoor trick-or-treating
that’s sure to provide the same pleasure without the
risk.
“My family prefers not to go trick-or-treating,” says
Jamella Knots Miller of Conley. “I do not feel safe
letting my children walk in the neighborhood asking for
treats in costume. It is also very hard for me to teach
my children not to take things from strangers if I allow
them to participate in traditional trick-or-treat
activities.”
Miller’s two children, ages 3 and 7, instead participate
in their church’s “Truth or Treat” activities, where the
children can dress in a costume and play games to win
prizes while learning about the Bible. “This allows them
to enjoy all the fun things that Halloween has to offer,
in a fun, safe environment,” she adds.
If your child has a food allergy or may be too small to
eat candy, parents will be amazed at the number of
alternatives to candy bars and lollipops.
 Ghosts, goblins and witches just might be history.
This Halloween, more and more children will be outfitted
in their favorite characters, funny costumes or original
creations to express who they are.
“Kids are not into the gore and scary stuff the way
they were a decade ago,” says Jennifer Grizzle,
spokesperson for Party City, a national chain of party
supplies. “There’s a move away from the scary stuff and
more toward the fun, humorous costumes.”
Adults may associate Halloween with its Celtic roots,
when people believed ghosts returned to Earth. Back
then, people would wear ghoulish masks after dark so the
ghosts would not recognize them and instead mistake them
for fellow spirits.
But today’s children – no matter what age – enjoy
choosing costumes that represent their interests or
makes people laugh. It’s self-expression at its best.
Pop culture and blockbuster movies tend to drive
costume popularity. Superman is sure to be a hit this
year, Grizzle adds. Boys tend to go for heroes, from
Batman to Star Wars characters to firefighters. Younger
girls tend to go for the Disney princesses, but as they
get older, girls like to be witches. They just want to
be sparkly ones, Grizzle says. Many boys are choosing
sumo wrestler costumes, which are a huge hit with their
friends and get the laughs.
This year the hottest costumes are all about pirates,
says Grizzle. “Because of the release of ‘Pirates of the
Caribbean 2,’ there are pirate costumes, from toddlers
to adults,” she says. “The entire family can go as
pirates. And parents love Halloween as much as they did
when they were kids.”
Family costumes are exploding onto the market, says
Karry Castellano, director of store support for Party
City in Atlanta. Besides entire pirate families, old
classic movies are lending themselves to an array of
costume ideas. Wizard of Oz – Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion,
Tin Man and Glenda the Good Witch – will debut together
this year, along with future ideas based on classics
like Willy Wonka and Snow White, he adds.
The Collin family of Powder Springs has been dressing
up as a family for the past few years, when they host
their annual Halloween party. They’ve dressed as Snow
White, a dwarf, prince and wicked queen, and as a
rainbow, leprechaun, cloud, sun and raindrop. Last year,
the family dressed as The Incredibles.
“It takes a lot of thought, and we usually start
thinking about it in August,” says Luana Collin, mother
of two. While no other family in their neighborhood
dresses in costumes together as they do, it has become a
fun tradition, she adds.
If complete costumes are out of the question, many
companies are now making accessories, like hats and
boas, that create the focal point of a costume.
If you happen to be pregnant – and at the right stage
– during the Halloween season, a new trend in maternity
costumes is belly painting. If you are willing to expose
your middle, here are a few fun ways to use your belly
as a costume accessory (from associatedcontent.com):
Pea Pod: Paint your
belly green. Wear all green, leaving shirt open to show
green “pea.”
Crystal Ball: Paint
your belly white or light blue and dress like a gypsy.
Watermelon or Jack-o-Lantern:
Paint your belly to look like either, and
dress like a farmer.
If exposing your belly just won’t do, consider using
your expanding waistline in a humorous way. Dress
normally and tape a brown bag with the words “Trick or
Treat” on your belly. Tell people you are taking your
unborn child trick-or-treating.
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