The Kokomo Post Kids Do Halloween
A few of The Kokomo Post Kids came together for Halloween fun and learned all about pumpkins this month. Follow along for multiple fun ways to engage with kids of all ages using items you may have at home or can easily access with a quick trip to the local grocery store. In this article, we share a hands-on activity, a craft, and an easy recipe, all involving pumpkins.
Hands-On Activity: Pumpkin Carving
You can visit a local farm, pumpkin patch, or grocery store to pick the perfect pumpkin for a day of family fun. Some families enjoy a little friendly competition when it comes to carving or decorating pumpkins, but sometimes working together to complete a project is more fun.
We started our pumpkin activities with some of our older kids removing the seeds by hand and carving a full-size pumpkin with their special designs. You can get creative with your seed removal and carving techniques, but our carvers loved making a pumpkin mess. If your kids aren’t ready for carving, they can decorate a pumpkin with paint, stickers, or even playdough. You can find the printable activity mat we used, created by Amber from ABC’s to ACT’s.
TKP Photo | Joseph Andrews
Craft: Pumpkin Seed Fall Art
This craft was inspired by an article by Mary Catherine of Fun-A-Day. Using dried and dyed pumpkin seeds, the kids made beautiful fall trees full of pumpkin seed leaves. To do this on your own you’ll need:
Dried pumpkin seeds, either store bought or from your carved pumpkin
Your choice of dyeing agent to add color to the seeds (we used liquid watercolors)
Liquid school glue or another adhesive
Paper to draw your own bare trees or this printable from Love Your Real Life
The kids had so much fun and even used real trees as inspiration for their designs. While making these crafts you can have conversations with your kids about the autumn season and the science behind why leaves change color and trees loose their leaves.
TKP Photo | Joseph Andrews
Recipe: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Some pumpkins may have more seeds than others. You can choose to make the craft above, especially with younger kids, or head to the kitchen to make a sweet treat with kids of any age. We made Cinnamon Toast Pumpkin Seeds from All Recipes.
For this recipe you’ll need:
About 1 and 1/2 cups of dried pumpkin seeds
3 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of white sugar
Before getting started, make sure your seeds are dried out and not slick or too moist. Then begin by preheating your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. (To speed up the process, we used the air roast setting on our air fryer oven for an extra crispy seed snack.)
In a separate small bowl, mix the cinnamon and salt with the melted butter. Pour the butter mixture over the dried pumpkin seeds and toss until evenly coated. Spread the seeds out in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the seeds are light golden brown. Remove the seeds from the oven and sprinkle sugar over the warm seeds.
Only one of our Kokomo Post Kids didn’t want to try the seeds, but they all enjoyed being part of the baking process. Kids can easily participate in kitchen tasks like retrieving ingredients, mixing and measuring. While the pumpkin seeds are roasting, your family can watch a Halloween movie or play a game together.
Did you try any of these activities at home? Which one was your favorite? Leave us a comment below.
P.S. If you liked these activities you’ll love our Kids Halloween Upcycling Craft too - click the image to the right to learn more.
