By no small miracle, my little family made it, once more, through an exhaustive and fun-filled summer! My eldest child and I survived her first day of preschool and all of the enthusiasm and bitter-sweetness brought on by that milestone-the latter only experienced by me, of course. I am now keeping my family busy through the changing of seasons in preparing my household for upcoming fall festivities. While the stores in this country insist on marketing Christmas items in September, I encourage parents not to miss all of the fun that the current season makes available. In addition to spur-of-the-moment fun that can be had by taking a nature walk, making a homemade wreath of leaves or stomping in some puddles planning to attend events around Halloween can bring some fall excitement as well. You never know, some events may be so fun they may quickly become fun family traditions.
When parents think of Halloween, they immediately think of pumpkin carving. To little kids, pumpkins are a very big deal and I encourage all parents to get as creative and goopy as is physically possible! Visiting a pumpkin patch to pick just the right jewel is a fun tradition shared by many families. Many pumpkin patches go to great lengths to attract the crowds, so a quick online search to see what different activities pumpkin patches have to offer could prove beneficial. Once at the pumpkin patch parents can have just as much fun as their kids if they enter into this venture with the understanding that yes. They will be wet and dirty by the end of the activity and no. Their children are not going to choose the pumpkin that they themselves would have picked. Sticking to these rules can help parents maintain their sense of sanity during this outing. Many parents can find a lot of joy in standing back and letting the photo ops happen.
Once at home, carving the pumpkin can be fun as a family activity or as one shared with others. For many years, our family made pumpkin carving an annual party. To create their unique work of art, many think that they need to purchase a pre-packaged kit, but I have found that cutlery and large utensils from home work even better. A friend even taught me the trick of using coloring pages as templates to satisfy the perfectionist within. Always reminding myself to keep the activity child-centered, I have the child pick the pumpkin theme and then stand back and let the guts fly and the magic happen being careful to only step in when cutting is needed or interest has been momentarily lost. This allows the child to have ownership in the little orange creation and takes all the seriousness out of what should be a fun activity.
What I enjoy the most about the entire pumpkin carving tradition is allowing my children to take pride in what they have created. We always have them proudly display their pumpkins and then take pictures galore of them with their new treasures. While the days get shorter and the to-do lists get longer I encourage all parents to be sure not to overlook this very simple but very fun opportunity. Whether they are spooky or silly, sassy or sweet pumpkin carving is its own special treat!
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