Pumpkin Crafts for Kids
Kids of all ages can make decorative pumpkins from many household items. Just take a trip to the craft store for some paint, glue and a few other supplies, and get started. Festive fall crafts are fun for the whole family and a great way to enjoy a day together.
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Paper-Plate Pumpkin
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Children as young as 2 years old can make paper-plate pumpkin masks with adult assistance. You'll need a paper plate, orange paint, a paintbrush, black and green construction paper, scissors, and glue.
Help your child paint her paper plate orange. Cut a stem and leaves from the green paper and a jack-o'-lantern nose and mouth from the black paper.When the paint is dry, cut eye holes out of the plate and glue a craft stick to the bottom. Let your child glue on the pumpkin's stem, leaves, nose and mouth.
Paper-Strip Pumpkin
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Children 4 and older can use paper strips to create decorative pumpkins. They'll need a few sheets of brown, orange and green construction paper, crayons, scissors, a paper towel tube, and glue.
Color a few pieces of paper with autumn colors, layering reds, oranges and browns for a rich effect. Cut most of these sheets of paper into long strips, leaving a few sheets whole. Cut your paper towel tube into thirds and cover one piece with a sheet of construction paper, securing with glue. Glue five or six strips of paper into one end of the covered tube. Allow to dry slightly, then continue gluing strips until the entire top of the tube is evenly filled. Let dry completely.
Curl the loose ends of these strips around and glue them into the other end of the tube. The strips will bow out, forming a pumpkin shape. Glue all of the strips and allow to dry fully. Cut a piece of green construction paper into the shape of an index card, then roll into a cylinder to form the pumpkin's stem. Glue the stem into place, then from your remaining paper, cut leaves and vines to glue onto your completed pumpkin.
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Dryer-Vent Pumpkin
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Kids over 9 can make realistic pumpkins using dryer vents. For each pumpkin, you'll need 2 feet of white 4-inch flexible vinyl ducting, which you can find at home improvement stores, two twist ties, orange spray paint, green raffia, scissors and a sharp pencil. Adults should prepare by gathering the ducting into a circle to form a pumpkin shape, then using a sharp pencil to make two sets of holes through the joined ends--one on top and one on the bottom.
Give your child the ducting and allow him to gather it into a circle and match up the holes, then use twist ties to join the holes together. Assist him in spray painting the ducting orange, then let dry for half an hour. Your child can push green raffia through the center of the pumpkin to create a vine.
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References
- Photo Credit citrouille de chocolat image by sylbohec from Fotolia.com
