Pumpkin carving

A fun creative activity to be enjoyed with your section, family or on your own

  • Time 45 minutes (or as long as you like) 
  • Preparation prior to carving your pumpkin, consider what style or design you would like to use. A traditional scary face, a firefighting theme or something completely different? 
  • Equipment:
    • Good sized pumpkin
    • Marker pen
    • Pumpkin carving kit – avoid using sharp knives (Be careful!)
    • Spoon or scoop
    • Container
    • LED Light ore glowstick (reduce burns or fire risks)

This is a very basic guide to pumpkin carving there are many other techniques you can research

  1. To start, use your pumpkin carving kit (these can be bought cheap online or in supermarkets) to cut off the crown of the pumpkin. If you imagine the pumpkin as a big cooking pot, the ‘crown’ would be its lid. 
  2. Using your spoon carefully scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin and place the flesh in the container. You should leave at least a 5cm shell of the pumpkin or it may collapse when you carve it. 
    1. Sustainable Idea… Why not use the flesh of the pumpkin to make a delicious pumpkin treat. 
  3. With a marker pen, draw a simple outline of a face on the pumpkin. Be creative – do you want them to look happy, scary or something else. What shape do you want the eyes, the nose and mouth? Use your pumpkin kit to cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Always cut away from you for safety – even with a pumpkin kit. 
    1. When Cutting… Remember - if you cut a whole shape, anything inside of that shape will be removed so be careful with your design. Think of how a stencil works. Always leaves a small part connected to the rest of the pumpkin. 
  4. Finally, pop an LED style candle or glowstick inside the pumpkin, light it up, replace the ‘lid’ and bring your pumpkin to Spooky Spectacular

Safety first!

Although not an exhaustive risk assessment, the following safety advice should help reduce the risk of injury during this activity. 

Use the right tools 

Instead of the knives in your kitchen, use specialty tools in a pumpkin carving kit— readily found online and in supermarkets designed for pumpkin carving safety. These tools can saw through rinds, poke holes, and scoop out innards without being razor-sharp. 

Carve your pumpkin with its top on 

You won’t be tempted to put your hand inside and cut toward your hand. 

Keep things clean, dry, and bright 

Work in a clean, dry, and well-lit area, keep your hands and tools clean and dry, and take your time. 

Avoid using knives 

Always opt for safety. Buy a pumpkin carving kit online or in supermarkets. Young children should not be allowed to handle sharp objects. 

Always wash and dry your hands after removing the seeds 

The insides of the pumpkin can be extremely slippery, leading to greater chances of injury to your hands. Once you are done removing the seeds, wash and dry your hands before starting to carve with your pumpkin carving kit. 

Naked flames

Always use an LED light, avoid using tea light’s due to the risk of burning your skin and fire risk. If you choose to use a tea light - ALWAYS - ensure that appropriate adult supervision is in place whilst handling the naked flame to avoid risk of burns. Never leave the pumpkin unattended as it may catch alight and always have suitable fire extinguishing means available in proximity should you need them.

Other things to consider: our top tips 

  1. Choose your pumpkin wisely. The lines on the skin could form a witch’s wrinkles, while a misshapen squash could provide a devilishly different canvas. 
  2. Use a template to perfect your spooky design. Create your own or find inspiration from the many websites dedicated to pumpkin carving. We have shared two fun designs templates on this page. Secure your chosen template to the front of your pumpkin, then carefully trace the image by poking holes along the lines. Once finished, remove the template and carve. 
  3. Coloured tissue paper behind the face of your design creates an eerie filter. Make sure you light your pumpkin with a torch rather than a naked flame though! 
  4. Funny faces and ghoulish grins not your thing? Try making simple shapes like stars or spooky creatures with cookie cutters or use an apple corer or drill bits to add polka dots for a more grown-up pumpkin.
  5. Try shaving parts of your pumpkin rather than cutting all the way through. This will give your design a two-tone effect and add depth.