From decorating to cooking to games and activities, carve out some fall fun featuring this versatile gourd.

Fall in Ohio marks the return of many families’ seasonal favorites, from apple orchards and corn mazes to hayrides and pumpkin patches. Dozens of local farms offer fresh produce, family-friendly entertainment, and all the pumpkins you can fit on your front porch.

This fall, expand the pumpkin fun at home with unique ways to decorate, themed games and activities, and even a couple of new recipes to try. Check out these ideas for all ages, and enjoy your very own pumpkin festival.

 

Distinctive Decorating

Traditional carved pumpkins will always be in style, but try these unique ideas to inspire your budding artists. 

 

Pumpkin Painting

Create a rainbow of color — literally — by painting several pumpkins solid colors and arranging them in a row in the order of a rainbow. For older kids, try mixing and layering paint to create an ombre effect. For fun designs, try arranging tape in a pattern — spider web, funny face, etc. — paint the pumpkin the color of your choice, then remove the tape to reveal the design.

 

Glue & Tissue Paper 

Use a paint-on glue, like Mod Podge, and different colors and shapes of tissue paper to create a colorful, stained glass effect. 

 

Nail Polish Marbling 

Create a colorful, marbled look using regular nail polish and water. Put several drops of polish in a bucket of water and swirl to mix colors. Dip pumpkins (miniature is easiest for this technique) into the water to transfer the color and create your design.

 

Crayon Drip 

Put those broken crayons to use and create a colorful drip effect on your pumpkins. Remove the paper and break crayons into small pieces. One at a time, set the pieces near the pumpkin stem and use a hair dryer (set on low heat) to melt them. As the wax melts, turn and tilt the pumpkin to control the path of the colorful drips.

 

Get Crafty

Especially for toddlers and preschoolers, there’s no need for fancy decorating techniques. Gather an assortment of art supplies — stickers, glue, ribbons, colored thread, pom poms, pipe cleaners, lace, etc. — and let your kids decorate their pumpkins however they’d like. 

 

Fall Fun & Games

Pumpkin Bowling

Find a small, round pumpkin to use as a bowling ball and experiment with different objects as pins: toilet paper rolls, plastic bowling pins, action figures or other toys. See who can knock down the most pins, then stand farther back to create more challenging rounds.

 

Ring Toss

Get in the game by going large-scale using hula hoops tossed around entire pumpkins, or small-scale using smaller rings tossed around just the stems. For nighttime fun, use glow stick bracelets or necklaces and play after dark.

 

Hammering Nails

Give your child’s fine motor skills a boost with this activity. Older kids can use a small hammer, toy hammer or wooden mallet to insert nails all over the pumpkin’s surface. For little ones, gently insert the tips of a couple dozen nails into the pumpkin yourself, then let them hammer them the rest of the way in. 

 

Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe

Use five small orange pumpkins and five small white (or painted) pumpkins, then draw a tic-tac-toe game board on a large sheet of paper. Leave the game somewhere convenient for use throughout the season, or host a family tournament complete with a championship bracket.

 

Sensory Play

Oooey, gooey, fragrant and colorful, pumpkins make the perfect sensory exploration for toddlers and preschoolers. Explore all five senses with your children: touch the stem, skin, seeds and pulp; see the colors and shape; hear what it sounds like to knock on a pumpkin before and after it’s carved; smell the pulp and seeds; and taste some goodies made with pumpkin (see the following recipes for ideas).

 

Seasonal Recipes

Spend some family time in the kitchen whipping up a delicious, pumpkin-themed meal or treat. From sweet to savory, this seasonal fruit is surprisingly versatile. (Recipes courtesy of Ohio Farm Bureau, ofbf.org)

 

Sausage Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• • 1/2 pound roll of Italian sausage
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Dash of cinnamon
  • Dash of nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parsley for garnish

Directions
Crumble and cook sausage and onion in a large saucepan until sausage is brown. Drain off any grease. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. In a separate saucepan, heat milk to steaming; do not boil. Set aside.

Stir pumpkin into the sausage and broth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Add milk, lemon juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered for five minutes, stirring often. Garnish with parsley.

Pumpkin Dip

Ingredients

• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 30-ounce can pumpkin pie filling mix
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger

Directions
In a large bowl, mix sugar and cream cheese, beating until well blended. Add remaining ingredients. Store in refrigerator. Serve in a bowl or hollowed out pumpkin with gingersnaps or vanilla wafers. Makes seven cups.

 

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Ingredients

• Bottom Layer:

• • 1 box yellow cake mix (reserve one cup for topping)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 stick butter, softened

• Filling:

• • 1 large can pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup white sugar

• Topping:

• • 1 cup reserved cake mix
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients for the bottom layer with a fork and spread in an ungreased 13 x 9-inch pan. Mix filling ingredients together and pour over the bottom layer. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of filling. Bake for 50-55 minutes.