Pumpkin Activities

Pumpkins are a traditional decoration during the autumn. They are a common site decorating the fronts of peoples houses for Halloween, and most are decorated or carved to make brilliant designs and creative creatures. They are also popular Thanksgiving decorations. No matter what holiday or reason you have for celebrating with pumpkins, these resources will certainly inspire you!

Start out by browsing through these special features:

• Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns
  Here is a collection of pumpkin carving patterns you can download and use to make your own jack-o-lanterns. If you prefer, you can use them as a pattern to paint a pumpkin instead of carving one.

• How to Make Pumpkins
  Create a variety of pumpkin craft using everything from mason jars to paper bags! These are great for decorating, gifts, kids, and much more.

• Creative Pumpkin Books
  Here are some great books that will help you carve or decorate your Halloween pumpkins.

• Pumpkin Photo Gallery
  Browse through this index all of the pictures of the carved and decorated pumpkins that have been posted.

• Share Your Pumpkin Design
  After you carve or decorate your pumpkin, take a moment to snap a picture of it and then submit it to be published in this Pumpkin photo gallery! It is never too late to send in your pictures; we take pumpkin submissions year rounds.

After you read through the features above, browse through these collections of Pumpkin pages.

• Creative Pumpkin Recipes
  Try one or more of these pumpkin-themed recipes. It includes recipes for making your own pumpkin seed recipes, a fun pumpkin treat holder, and more.

• Pumpkin Carving Patterns and Tips
  Besides the printable patterns above, you can find more patterns along with information about how to carve a pumpkin.

• Pumpkin Decorating
  If you don't want to carve your pumpkin, find out how you can easily paint and/or decorate your pumpkin this year.

• Pumpkin Games
  Browse through this collection of fun pumpkin-themed games you can make and play.

If you still want to see more holiday ideas after you are done exploring these, check out this index of Halloween Projects or this index of Thanksgiving Project Index.

If you make any of these crafts, make sure you send in a photo to be included in this collection. You can also get your pumpkin crafts published. If you want to be one of the first to know when new craft projects are posted, take a few moments to sign up for the Family Crafts Newsletter and you can also chat about pumpkins with others in the Family Crafts Forum.