Kid Friendly Pumpkin Decorating


With three kids age 5 and under, carving pumpkins just isn't a fun {little project}.  Knives and babies just aren't a great mix and it always turns into such a mess. 
Plus, after the kids pick out their favorite pumpkin at the patch the squirrels always eat them!  
So....

 Instead of them being heart-broken about their carved masterpiece turning into squirrel food and me stressing that someone is going to loose an eye, we do kid-friendly pumpkin {projects} at our house. 

 This year we made edible pumpkins and they took on a "mr. potato head" look.

See what I mean?
 Did you know that rice krispies make great pumpkins?!

Here's what you need to make {this little project}
Marshmallows (I used colored since we were dying them but it doesn't matter)
Rice cereal (larger pumpkins require more)
food coloring (red and yellow)
Cereal Straws (apple jacks kind-for the stem)
butter/margarine

How to make {this little project}
I made my rice krispie treats in the microwave--this is a kid-friendly {little project}, right?

  Just follow the recipe on the box.  I put the butter/margarine and marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl for a little more than a minute.  If you watch them they start to expand really big (the kids love that!)  When they get pretty big I take them out and stir them together.  This is the time to add your food dye (BEFORE adding the cereal!)

After you have the color that you want and have stirred the marshmallows and butter/margarine together, add your rice cereal and stir together. 

To form your pumpkins you need super greasy hands.  We rubbed some butter on our fingers and then formed the pumpkins.

For the pumpkin face "parts" we picked up a couple of packages of them at the Dollar Tree.  Also, it helps if you let the "pumpkin treats" sit for a couple of minutes before you put the pumpkin face parts on.

p.s. here are more survival tips for cooking with kids.


This is Kay's {little} pumpkin.  After we took regular photos they went crazy and we ended up with what I call, "picaso pumpkins."  You can use your imagination on that...body parts in all kinds of places.  

They were very proud of their silliness and wanted me to take their picture with them making silly faces next to their silly pumpkins...oh the fun memories!  It was a family night activity we'll remember!


Little Ellie made her own kind of "picaso pumpkin."  I put the "face parts" on magnets so she can decorate her pumpkin again and again.




It's a {little} spooky to have your food look like it could talk to you!

Have fun making a kid-friendly Halloween {little project}!

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