Saturday, October 9, 2010

More Great Crafts For Mini Pumpkins!


Mini Pumpkins make perfect candle holders for tea lights! We have some great ideas from our families on how to not only extend this activity but make wonderful centerpieces for the month of November as well.

How to Make Mini Pumpkin Candle Holders:
Materials: Mini Pumpkins, four black pipe cleaners, small carving knife (specific for carving/plastic), spoon, newspapers, one tea light, black sharpie marker, scissors
Procedure: Draw a circle on the tops of each pumpkin as a guide for the children to cut. We work in small groups because preschoolers need lots of assistance on cutting. Lay down newspaper and begin scooping out the seeds with a spoon. We encourage the children to tell us what they see and feel. Give the children the four pipe cleaners you have cut in half (eight total) and have them push the spider legs in to the pumpkin. the children can them bend ans shape them any way they please. Now place a tea light inside for the finished product!
Extensions:
  • Paint the pumpkins different colors before you begin
  • Use glitter glue the paint the pumpkins (gold looks great!)
  • Add wiggle eyes
  • Twist pipe cleaners with two different colors, such as orange and black for the legs!
For November: Leave off the pipe cleaners and do any one of the extensions for a beautiful holiday centerpiece.

1 comment:

Theresa Milstein said...

That's great as well. My son like the bats. We'll need to find and paint some pumpkins today or tomorrow.