Everywhere you look, there are signs of the Halloween season. Orange fruits carved with glowing faces peer out of windows and from front porches and whispery ghosts dance from the trees. The tradition of carving jack-o-lanterns traveled across the Atlantic with Irish immigrants and has been an integral part of American Halloween festivities ever since.
Who ever thought to carve a pumpkin anyway? Have you looked inside one lately? It’s pretty stringy and slimy. As Derek says, “Eeeeew! Disgusting!” Jack-o-lantern carving has been around for several centuries and originated with the Irish tale of “Jack of the Lantern.” Stingy Jack made a deal with the devil, but when the devil came to claim his soul he tricked the evil spectre. When Stingy Jack died, God wouldn’t allow such a dishonest and scheming man into Heaven. The Devil wouldn’t allow Jack into Hell either and was so upset that he cast Jack away with a burning coal to light his way. Jack put his coal into a carved out turnip and has wandered the earth ever since. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern,” and later simply as “Jack-o-Lantern.” That’s at least one version of the legend. There are many more out there if you care to look them up.
From then on, children throughout Great Britain carved beets, potatoes, and other forms of bulbous produce into scary faces to frighten away Jack-of-the-Lantern and any other evil spirit who happens to pass by. When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered that the native American pumpkin made a perfect Jack-o-Lantern. We’ve been carving them ever since.
Evidentially, the ancient Pagans also carved gourds, turnips, and other vegetables and put an ember from their sacred bonfire inside so that they could light their fires at home. Interesting stuff.
Pumpkin carving is a favorite pastime in our family. We don’t necessarily believe in evil spirits or celebrate Halloween in a scary way, but it is a fun activity. The kids can’t wait to choose out their bulbous orange fruits and draw creative faces on the fronts with washable markers. This was Alex’s second Halloween pumpkin of the year and she was sure she’d come up with a even better design than last year. She decided on Tinkerbell and enlisted Daddy to help her with the cutting. It turned into “Evil Tinkerbell” as soon as daddy started carving with the knife.
The boys and I got to work as well. Derek requested Mickey Mouse and Ethan wanted Lightening McQueen from the movie Cars. We found some templates online and printed them out for guidance. They turned out pretty well, I think. The boys were thrilled with the results. Derek thought that the pumpkin’s insides were disgusting, however, and got Mom and Daddy to clean it out for him. “If I stick my head in there, it will get stuck and yellow and slimy,” he proclaimed. Well, I guess that’s as good a reason as any not to clean out one’s pumpkin. 
Our Jack-o-Lanterns are lit and eerily glowing from the front stoop. It’s Halloween tomorrow! Stay away, Jack-of-the-Lanterns, the children have carved spooky pumpkins to keep you away.
Happy Halloween!
Derek gets ready to dig in!Alex is hard at work cleaning out the pumpkin
But mom, I want to eat the pumpkin! Waaa!
Eeeew, dad! You clean it out!
Ethan cleans out his pumpkin
Alex looks on as Daddy attempts to cut out Tinkerbell
Derek's Mickey Mouse Pumpkin
Ethan's Cars Pumpkin
Alex's "Tinkerbell" Pumpkin
Three Little Pumpkins Sitting in a Row
October 30, 2011 | Categories: Fun Projects | Tags: Halloween, Halloween for kids, Halloween legends, homeschooling, Jack of the Lanterns, Jack-o'-lantern, Mickey Mouse, photography, Pumpkin, Stingy Jack, why we carve pumpkins | 2 Comments »
As multi-cultural as our world is today, it’s easy to forget that people have vastly different customs and traditions in different parts of the planet. We were reminded of these differences when it came time to carve our Halloween Jack-o-lanterns at Grandpa Jim and Grandma Brenda’s Washington home. They have two high-school exchange students this year, one from China and one from Brazil, and neither boy had any idea what the whole pumpkin-carving thing was about. They were willing to get involved, though, and we had great fun learning from each other!
Alexandria was very excited to make a “vampire” pumpkin and busily sketched her ideas on newspaper. Grandpa Jim (my dad) helped the kids cut open their pumpkins and each of them busily scooped out the inside. The exchange students thought this part was so gross. “This never ends!” each boy bemoaned. I think they thought it was a weird holiday tradition. Brazilian exchange student Bruno asked my mom if he could search the internet for ideas for a pumpkin face. He found a super-complicated design. My dad warned him he’d need specialized tools to successfully create his design, but Bruno opted to try it with a knife. It didn’t exactly work out… but he had fun and it was a great experience with a common American Halloween tradition!
Chinese Exchange student “Little Jim” took his design slower and drew a dragon face and flames on his pumpkin. It was a simple design and turned out well. Alex and her cousins learned a lot and shared what they knew about the holiday as well. We talked about what pumpkins are used for in different countries. Little Jim said that while they don’t carve pumpkins where he’s from, pumpkin seeds are sold in traditional Chinese markets.
Not only was it special to carve pumpkins with Grandma and Grandpa, but it was a learning experience as well. We were able to relate to and bond with the exchange students over a common project. Alex liked both boys very much. She and Little Jim were able to relate well despite the language barrier. One evening, she and Little Jim were playing on the couch. She played a sonnet on her piano Ipad app and he would try to complete his Rubix Cube before she finished. Very little language involved, but lots of fun. She also liked playing ball with Bruno, who has a little sister just her age back home in Brazil.
I’m so glad that my parents got such great boys. Their nearly empty home is no longer quiet, but instead full of laughter and funny stories. Perhaps when the kids are older we’ll host an exchange student of our own. It was a great experience for me when I was a high-school exchange student in France. It’s amazing what we can learn from one another. Something as simple as carving jack-o-lanterns can be a new and exciting experience. I hope Alex remembers it for years to come.
Alex draws a "Vampire" Face on Her Pumpkin
Grandpa Jim Helps Alex Make a Vampire Mouth
Grandpa Jim Helps Anthony Too
Alex Scoops Out The Insides Like a Pro
Sis-in-Law Ashley and Cousin Emily Clean Out Their Pumpkin
My neice Emily and I work on a pumpkin.... I was bundled up because it was cold!
My brother Kent and Emily
My dad and his exchange students, Bruno and Jim
Brazilian Exchange Student Bruno and His Jack-o-Lantern
Alex's Jack-o-Lantern
Our Halloween Pumpkins Light Up the Night
October 29, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Brazil, carving pumpkins, China, cultural differences, exchange students, Halloween, homeschooling, Jack-o'-lantern, Pumpkin, Washington | 2 Comments »
- 18-Month-Old Bella Says “Hi!”
Do you know what I love most about this time of year? It’s the plethora of parties and Fall festivals that fill each week with magical excitement. If childhood is full of wonder and learning, Autumn is the epitome of childhood splendor.
This week was full of Halloween-related fun in our house. Yesterday we picked out our pumpkins. We’ve been creating Halloween art and reading Fall-themed books, composing poetry about what makes Fall beautiful and singing fun Fall fingerplays. Today was the busiest day of the season, I think. We had two holiday parties in one morning!
One great thing about living on base is that Housing plans many fun events. Today they hosted a Pumpkin Patch Playgroup at a park in housing. That was our first stop of the day. A cold front blasted through last night, so it was nice and nippy out. Perfect weather for cozy Halloween costumes! The kids ran and squealed with neighborhood friends and chose small pumpkins from a good-sized supply. Bella thought it was fun to pick them up and throw them and to attempt to escape from her costume. The bigger kids carefully selected just the right pumpkin and decorated them with glitter glue and stickers. Hot cider and sugar cookies made the morning even sweeter. I loved visiting with neighbors and meeting new friends. The community base housing offers is unbeatable. I could never be lonely here.
Derek the Frog Waits Excitedly for some Halloween fun!
Bella looks for just the right pumpkin, throwing all that don't meet her fine standards
Mama's Little Chick
The boys pick out baby pumpkins
Derek the Goof-Ball and His Pumpkin
Decorating Pumpkins
Alex decorates her pumpkin for Halloween
Ethan's Pumpkin
18-Month-Old Bella Says "Hi!"
After the pumpkins were successfully beautified, we sped across town to our second Halloween Party, hosted by Jacksonville Homeschool Kids. When we arrived, it was already bustling with activity and happy costumed kids. We dropped off our orange-frosted-and-Halloween-Sprinkled-cupcakes at the food table and set up our booth with Halloween crafts. We had two activities: Halloween placemats to color and foam jack-o-lantern ornaments. Parent participation was huge and there were numerous other booths with great activities as well as games, face-painting, and even tattoos.
Ethan was completely uncooperative by this time and sat through the party stewing, but the others had a blast. Alex tried every activity and booth at least once. Derek made playdough pumpkins and ate his share of sweet treats. Bells snacked almost the entire time.
We left with plastic pumpkins full of goodies and smiling faces covered with frosting. The kids had an amazing time. Several hours later, they’re still buzzing around on sugar highs. We could all use a little rest about now. It was all worth the hustle and bustle! We made some great Fall memories and got some cute pictures too.
Has there ever been a better time to be a child?
Alex Shows Off Her Face Paint
Derek Cuts Out Playdough Pumpkins
So Much Fun!
Alex Makes Lovely Pumpkin Ornaments
Bella and I
Alex Makes Spooky Spiders
October 20, 2011 | Categories: Field Trips | Tags: Fall kid activities, Fall parties, Halloween, Halloween kid activities, halloween parties, Holidays, homeschooling, Jack-o'-lantern, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Decorating | 1 Comment »
I’m sure my husband sometimes wonders how we spend our hours while he’s away at work. Although… the mounds of fresh crafts and creative projects decorating our house may give it away. This week we studied Fall and created lots of cool works of art to go with the theme.
The decorations are up, the air is a bit cooler, and the kids are in the mood to celebrate. We have a pumpkin just waiting to be turned into homemade pumpkin pie… our next experiment! We painted face masks for dressing up and made sunflower decorations for the flower bed too. We also created some cute hair flowers for the girls. That’s on top of our school work, of course. It can’t be all fun and games, right?
While daddy was slaving away to provide for our large brood (for which I’ll be forever thankful), we dressed up and had some good, old-fashioned fall fun outside. The kids love to dress up almost as much as I love taking pictures.
I hope your October is as festive as ours! I think Fall may be my most favorite season.
The kids show off their hand-painted Halloween masks
Bella the Princess Diva
Derek is proud of his jack-o-lantern mask
Alex, the Sunflower Princess... We Painted Them Ourselves!
Ethan and his fall friend
Wacky! At least he was having fun!
All four in one shot!
October 6, 2011 | Categories: Art, Fun Projects | Tags: Halloween, homeschooling, Jack-o'-lantern, Jacksonville, kids fall crafts, kids Halloween crafts, Pumpkin | 1 Comment »
