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How To Carve A Pumpkin!

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Oct 11, 2009 3:38 pm US/Eastern

How To Carve A Pumpkin!

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Halloween is just another holiday without a grinning Jack-O-Lantern at the door. Here in South Florida, pumpkins pose a bit of a problem. Once carved, our heat and humidity tends to make them rot quickly, which means most pumpkin carving is best done a day or two before Halloween. However, with the right timing a pumpkin can be great!

As an alternative, there are a numb er of pre-lit plastic pumpkins which are a good stand-in, or some companies are making ceram ic pumpkins which you can light with a candle.

But, if nothing but the real thing works for you, here are some great instructions:

Supplies:

Pumpkin
Damp Cloth
Newspaper
Marker Pen
A Sharp Knife (let your parents work with this)
Large Strong Spoon
Stencils

1) Clean your pumpkin; Wipe it with a clean damp cloth and pat it dry. Place it on a sheet of newspaper to contain the mess.

2) Draw a circle around the stem with a marker.
UNDER ADULT SUPERVISION, take your knife and hold it so that it is pointing to the center (on an angle) of the pumpkin and cut out the circle. This prevents the top from falling in. Lift the top off.

3) Reach into the pumpkin with your bare hands. Pull out all the seeds and mushy interior.

4) Choose the type of face your pumpkin will have. Scary, silly, unusual, or any idea which suits you. We've included some ideas to get you started.

 Once you have decided what face to make, draw the face on cardboard and cut out the eyes, nose, mouth or designs. Trace these images on your pumpkin using the marker pen and cut out your features.

5) Light your pumpkin.

--You can use a flashlight; carve a hole in the back of the pumpkin about the size of your flashlight. Put the flashlight through the hole and turn it on.
--You can also use a spotlight or a strobe light. Carve a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin and lower your creation onto the light.

--Christmas lights. Use colored lights and circle them inside the pumpkin.

--Properly supervised, you can also use candles. Place your candle in a small candleholder and place it into your pumpkin. Get your parents to light the candle.



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