HOW TO carve the perfect pumpkin

Halloween is almost here! Are your pumpkins showing off their toothy grins on your front step? If not, follow these few steps and round up the family to start carving! Even if your child is too young to use the carving tools, he or she can still help in other ways.

First, you will need a few things:

• A pumpkin
• Three tools: pen, mini screw driver, mini carving saw (available in a pumpkin carving kit) 
• Paper pattern: make one or print one you find online
• Tape
• A candle

Carving Instructions: 

1. Cut an opening in the top of your pumpkin, but make it big enough so you can get your hand in to pull out the guts. Save the top so it can be used as the lid.

2. Clean and scrape out the inside. Let your child dig in and get messy! This is a perfect task for the little ones. 

3. Cut out the pattern you found online or make your own out of a piece of paper. Tape it to the pumpkin.

4. Transfer the design. Using the pen, poke through the paper making dots along each outline on the pattern. Make sure to pierce the skin to give your screwdriver a starting hole. Then remove the pattern. (Save it and refer to it while you are carving.)

5. Drill the holes. Hold the pumpkin in your lap and twist the screwdriver into each hole made by the pen in step 4. Turn the drill gently until it creates a larger hole.

6. Start sawing. Move the saw steadily up and down, working from dot to dot. Always hold the saw at a right angle to the pumpkin.

7. Cut a chimney. Light a candle inside the pumpkin, then close the lid. Quickly put out the flame and look for the blackened spot inside the lid. Cut a small hole there; it will let the smoke and heat escape while a candle glows inside.

Have a great Halloween! 

Contributed by Darcy, Fairmont Private Schools