Skip the ordinary jack-o’-lantern this fall and make a pumpkin planter instead. Carve a face, fill it with soil, and plant grasses, herbs, or mosses so your pumpkin grows wild green “hair.” It’s a pumpkin craft for kids that combines carving, planting, and a little science, and it looks great on a porch or windowsill all season long.
Materials
Supplies:
- 1 medium pumpkin (any shape works)
- Potting soil
- Small plants: mosses, grasses, herbs (parsley, thyme, or chives work great), succulents, or small ferns
- Newspaper or a plastic bag (to line the inside, optional)
Tools:
- Marker or pen
- Pumpkin carving kit or sharp knife
- Large spoon or ice cream scoop
- Scissors
Don’t want to buy plants? Dig up a small clump of grass or moss from outside. Sprinkle leftover seeds (beans, sunflower, or grass seed) into the soil and watch them sprout over the next week or two. Free and fun.
Steps
- Cut the lid. Cut a large circle around the stem at the top of the pumpkin. Lift it off and set it aside. (Ask an adult for help.)
- Scoop out the insides. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to scrape out all the seeds and stringy pulp. Get the walls as clean as you can. Save the seeds if you want to roast them later.
- Draw a face. Use a marker to sketch eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the front of the pumpkin. Keep the shapes big and simple since plants will poke through them.
- Carve the face. Ask an adult to carve along your drawn lines. Make sure the eye, nose, and mouth holes go all the way through the pumpkin wall.
- Fill with soil. Pack potting soil inside the pumpkin, filling it about three-quarters full. Press the soil gently against the carved openings so it stays in place.
- Plant your greenery. Tuck plants into the soil at the top of the pumpkin to create wild “hair.” Poke smaller plants or moss through the eye, nose, and mouth holes from the inside so they peek out through the face. Use your fingers to push stems through gently.
- Water and display. Give the soil a light watering. Set your pumpkin planter on a porch, stoop, windowsill, or table. Water it every few days to keep the plants alive.
Grownup help needed: An adult should handle all cutting and carving (steps 1 and 4). The knife and carving tools are sharp. Kids can do everything else: scooping, drawing, planting, and watering.
