A small confession: My organized, clean-obsessed, Virgo self just isn’t a fan of carving pumpkins. While I do have fond childhood memories of my dad constructing elaborate pumpkin creations, I myself haven’t really attempted to do so in my adult life, especially since having kids. Who wants to have little hands intertwined with sharp carving tools and messy pumpkin innards?
While I know I will have to return to carving eventually, for two years in a row we have “stuck” to pushpin pumpkins. See what I did there? Joking aside, my school-aged son and even my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter are pretty big fans of this technique. While it still does require parent supervision because of the pins, I feel it’s a good alternative to carving. Here’s the short supply list and instructions:
STEP 1: COLLECT THE SUPPLIES
The supplies needed are as follows:
- Assorted pushpins or upholstery pins
- Pushpin googly eyes or sticky googly eyes
- Gauze (optional for mummy pumpkin)
- Pencil
STEP 2: CREATE OUTLINE
Using a pencil, make an outline of what you want to create.
STEP 3: INSERT PUSHPINS
Following the outline, insert pushpins along the lines.
There are so many variations you can come up with. We did Halloween images, such as ghost, mummy, and spider as well as words such as “boo” and “eek”, but the options really are endless. In the past we have also done a bat and a cat, and next year I may even attempt a Frankenstein image. Use your imagination, and have fun creating your no-carve Halloween pumpkins using pushpins!
Note: I should mention that I found my white, black, and silver pushpins at my local Home Depot.
