Best of Halloween for Kids: Pumpkin Carving

If you're like most people, at some point in time or another, you've sat down with your children to carve pumpkins. But do you know why you carve Jack 'o Lanterns? Most people don't. Supposedly, it started with a man called Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and in turn after his death wasn't allowed into hell. Instead, he was forced to wander the earth with only a coal to light his way. Stingy Jack put the coal in a carved out turnip, causing people to start referring to him as "Jack with the Lantern".

Soon, people began placing similar lanterns in their windows with carvings to scare Stingy Jack away. And so, the Jack 'o Lantern was born. The history channel has an excellent article on the full story here: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/pumpkin.html

If you're looking to start this age old tradition with your children, or are interested in kicking your carvings up a notch, we've picked some great websites to help you get started.

For the novice pumpkin carver, head on over to PumpkinCarving101.com where you will find everything you ever wanted to know about carving your jack 'o lantern and then some. Learn about different tools that can be used, traditional pumpkin carving, carving with stencils, the lifespan of a carved pumpkin and how to grow your own pumpkins. Don't miss the articles on the proper burial of your pumpkin, how to juggle pumpkins, and how to take photographs of your pumpkins. This site might seem a little obsessive to some, but it's full of great information that's sure to help any pumpkin carver achieve their goals.http://www.pumpkincarving101.com

If you've been carving pumpkins for awhile, and are ready to do something new, try these great free pumpkin templates. You'll find many patriotic images (American Flag, the President, Statue of Liberty) as well as a mix-and-match section. If you don't see what you like, for a small fee you can subscribe to their even larger collection of templates.http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-freebies.htm

Another great site for both simple and complicated templates is Jack-O-Lantern.com. For the true computer geek they offer an assortment of emoticons, as well as a set of templates to create a "haunted forest". All templates are free, forever.http://www.jack-o-lantern.com

If you're looking for more fun and childish templates, be sure to stop by aHowlingGoodTime.com . This pumpkin farm has a very nice assortment of pumpkin faces. Choose from happy, sad, scary, howling, and more.http://www.ahowlinggoodtime.com/carving/patterns.shtml

Tips, tips, and more tips. That's what you'll find at Walt's Pumpkin Carving Pages. Learn how to get those templates from your computer (or book) onto the pumpkin, which carving tools do what, how to make your own patterns, as well as how to select the right pumpkin to carve.http://wls.wwco.com/garden/pumpkin.htm

To read more articles from the Best of Halloween for Kids series, click here. http://www.raisingourkids.com/hol/halloween/index.shtml

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