Carving a pumkin is pretty easy. With a few straight lines you can make triangular shapes for the nose, eyes and mouth as our instructions show.

To make a truly terrifying pumpkin a little planning can go a long way, just follow the steps below.

If you want to try a more advanced design, why not download one of the templates opposite, or even try designing your own.

Carving essentials:

Many of the tools used for carving pumpkins are very dangerous so it is very important that you ask an adult to help you! Before you start it's best that you gather all the materials needed. Use this list to help:

Step 1.

Your pumpkin should sit on a flat surface without rolling over. Cover your worksurface with newspaper and put on your apron. Use the marker to draw a circle around the pumpkin's stem. This will be the jack-o-lantern's lid. The circle should be about two thirds the diameter of the pumkin.

Step 2.

Ask an adult to cut along the line using the boning knife.

Adults: Point the knife inwards (towards the centre of the pumpkin) at about a 45 degree angle - this will keep the lid from falling inside once the pumpkin is hollow. Scrape the pulp away that is hanging from the lid.

Step 3.

Remove the pulp from the pumpkin using the spoon or your hands. This can be quite messy but children will love helping.

Put the stringy pulp and seeds into the bin as we won't need them now.

Step 4.

Scrape the inside of the pumkin clean with the spoon or ice cream scoop. The more of the pumpkin you scrape away, the more light will shine through the surface. Make sure you scrape the bottom flat so your candle won't fall over.

If you are making the pumkin pie recipe on the games & activities page, you should save the flesh you scrape out and put it into the bowl.

Step 5.

On the surface of the pumpkin draw simple straight lines for the eyes, nose and mouth (as shown below) or use one of the templates to draw the jack-o-lanterns face on the surface of the pumkin ( as shown opposite). If you make a mistake use the damp cloth to wipe it away.

If you're feeling brave you could design your own jack-o-lantern face!

Step 6.

Adult: Use the paring knife to cut carefully along each line, being careful not to let the knife slip. Use your fingers to push the cut-out peices out of the pumkin.

Step 7.

Mark where the chimney will go by drawing a small square on the lid. You can make the chimney any shape you like, a bat or a spider can look nice.

Step 8.

There you have it, your spooky jack-o-lantern is finished. All you need to do now is find a torch or a tealight (a small candle in it's own metal holder) that will light him up in the dark!

SAFETY

Always ask an adult to light the tea-light.

Once the tea-light is lit, keep it out of the reach of young children and do not leave it burning unless there is an adult in the room.

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