Non Scary Halloween Party perfect for kids

Having a Halloween pumpkin carving party is a great way to get families together for one last fun filled out door time before the snow begins to fly. Carving pumpkins or painting them is for all ages. There are no scary masks here to frighten the little kids.  All you need are some pumpkins and some fun loving people, to get you right into the Halloween spirit.

This is a fun filled outdoor activity and so it is great if you have spooky music set up to add to the festive Halloween party atmosphere. Figure out how many people will be showing up so you can have enough pumpkins to go around. Have the pumpkins there and waiting for the pumpkin carvers.

You need to figure on at least one pumpkin per person but in my experience the 3 to 10 year old children want to do multiple pumpkins so grab a few extra for them. Everyone at the pumpkin carving party I attended on Sunday carved at least one pumpkin, some of the adults also carved two pumpkins.

My younger sister and her husband went to a country farm in a neighboring town, got 45 pumpkins, and paid almost 40 dollars for these. At the party was a free will donation to help with the cost of the pumpkins. You just gave what ever you felt was warranted, her gas and all the pumpkins were paid for that way. In town, pumpkins are easily 2 to 3 bucks apiece and everyone knew she had gotten a sweet deal on the pumpkins.

Carving pumpkins and painting pumpkins.

We sat up three long tables in my sister's driveway so that people could carve pumpkins with plenty of elbowroom. There were also two smaller tables set up so that the young kids could sit and paint their pumpkins. Let us face it craving pumpkins can be messy, so carving them outside in a driveway that you could hose off is a great idea.

With the carving kits now sold in stores, it is fun and easy to crave pumpkins. In some kits, not only do you get the pumpkin carving tools, but you also get the paper stencils so you can do those fun exciting pumpkins. The carving tools cut the pumpkins nicely but they know the difference between a pumpkins and a finger and will not cut a finger.

Using the paper stencils is easier then one might think. You simply tape the paper on the pumpkin and use it to create an outline on your pumpkin. Trace the open areas of the stencil with a maker. Once your pumpkin has a design on it you are ready to go ahead and carve your own pumpkin.

Everyone had fun carving their pumpkins and everyone gathered around the tables carving or simply watching other people carve their pumpkins. It was for the most part much quieter then I have seen family gatherings because everyone was concentrating on carving their pumpkins, except at the small table where smaller pumpkins were being painted.

Poster paints in a rainbow colors along with little dishes to mix paint in were on the smaller tables. If someone felt like not carving, he or she could choose to paint a pumpkin. This was a huge hit for the elementary school ages children as well as a few adults. The little kids were talking about painting the pumpkins and just having fun. The painted pumpkins when dry got attachments such as little plastic spiders and bats hot glued on if the pumpkins owner wanted it.

After we were, done carving our pumpkins or painting all the pumpkins were set in the grass, grouped together and photos were taken. Some had candles in them burning, but not all pumpkins did. It was very nice to see so many decorated pumpkins gathered together. Some were very cool.