How To Carve a Jack o’ lantern

How+To+Carve+a+Jack+o+lantern

Willy C (Year 0)

*Disclaimer: Please ask your parents before attempting to carve a Jack o’ lantern*

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED

  • Sharp, serrated knife and paring knife
  • Melon-baller or spoon
  • Chalk
  • Battery-operated tea-light candles
  • One large carving pumpkin

HOW TO CARVE A JACK-O-LANTERN PUMPKIN

  • Start by cutting around the stalk, and inserting the knife at an oblique angle, to create a removable cap. Ensure the hole is big enough to allow you to reach inside the pumpkin.
  • Using a melon baller or spoon, remove the seeds and flesh from the walls of the pumpkin.
  • Decide what sort of face you want to create. The classic jack-o’-lantern has a big, gape-toothed grin and triangular eyes and nose.
  • Turn the pumpkin around until you find its ‘face’ – the surface that looks most like a head.
  • Use the chalk to draw the features straight onto the pumpkin skin.
  • Use the paring knife to cut out small features and the serrated knife to cut out the mouth, being careful to avoid severing any floating features, such as teeth or the center of an eye.
  • Once you’ve finished carving, wipe any visible chalk or flesh from the outside.
  • Settle the lantern in its designated spot and place some battery-operated tealight candles inside.