Halloween is a great time of year to let the creativity go wild, and when decorating for this fun and family-oriented holiday, it really wouldn’t be complete without a jack-o’-lantern or two!  While carving pumpkins is the traditional way to create a jack-o’-lantern, if you have young children or kids who want to create jack-o’-lanterns without adult supervision, then it can be a dangerous and risky craft idea.  You would be surprised at the number of kids, and even parents, who end up in emergency rooms each year from pumpkin carving related accidents.  So to prevent this from happening to your family, here are some safe carving tips and alternatives to keep little fingers safe!

Alternatives To Carving

While carving a jack-o’-lantern is the traditional way, more and more people are choosing to paint their pumpkins as a safe and kid-friendly alternative to pumpkin carving.  The easiest method is to use stencils similar to ones that you would use in carving, and simply paint the image in black paint rather than cutting it out.  This can include things like simple faces, or more complicated images such as a silhouette of a witch flying on a broom or even a skeleton.  You can also get really creative with this idea and use other colors!  Try painting an entire pumpkin silver or gold, or even just let the kids go crazy and create a one-of-a-kind pumpkin masterpiece.

For The Jack-O’-Lantern Purist

If the idea of painting your jack-o’-lantern doesn’t appeal to you, and you want the effect of the glowing light shining through on Halloween night, there are a few steps you can take to prevent injury.  Be sure that you always have an adult supervising any children who will be carving, and purchase a special carving knife that is safe for children to use.  Also, you may want to do the actual carving yourself, and just have the kids draw on the stencil and scoop out the pumpkin.  Also, if you are going to light your jack-o’-lantern, be sure you use a flashlight, or even better a battery operated tea light, rather than a candle.  It will prevent accidents, and you won’t have to re-light it throughout the night.

Halloween really is a great time for the family to get creative together, and keeping everyone safe while having fun will make the season most enjoyable for everyone!