Here are some helpful tips for carving your very first pumpkin.

What You Need

• Ice cream scoop
• Knife
• Pattern
• Pencil, ballpoint pen, nail, or sewing pattern wheel
• Pumpkin
• Small saw with pointed tip
• Tape

What You Do

1. Clean Out Pumpkin
   Cut open the top of a pumpkin and clean out the inside. Scrape the inside surface with an ice cream scoop until smooth.
2. Tape Pattern to Pumpkin
   Tape a pattern to the side of the pumpkin. Then use a pointed tool to make dots in the pumpkin’s skin along all the pattern lines. Or roll along the lines with your pattern wheel. Remove the pattern and save it so you can look at it while you carve.
3. Carve Out Pattern
   To cut lines, use your saw. Push the saw down through the skin. Then move it straight up and down along the lines of dots.
   Be careful! Always ask a grownup for permission and for help when carving pumpkins or lighting candles.
4. For more carving tips, along with pumpkin games, patterns, and puzzles, check out these websites:
   www.spookmaster.com
   www.pumpkincarving101.com