Halloween for kids Pumpkin carving ideas Black cat
Cat pumpkin carving idea
Ages 6+ · about 1 hour
A cat pumpkin is a sitting cat cut out of the side as one shape. Keep the ears and tail at least a finger wide, so they don't break off, and the cat glows against the dark.
What you need
- A pumpkin
- The black cat stencil
- A big spoon
- Tape and a pushpin
- A small pumpkin saw (for the grown-up)
- A battery tea light
How to make it
- Print the stencilPrint the cat stencil at the size of the pumpkin's front. Check that the ears and tail are at least a finger wide; draw them thicker if not.
- Open it (grown-up)A grown-up cuts a lid around the stem with the knife angled toward the middle, so the lid sits on a ledge and doesn't fall in.
- Scoop it outYour kid scoops out the seeds and strings with a big spoon, then scrapes the inside of the front until the wall is about 2 cm (1 inch) thick.
- Trace the catTape the stencil on and poke along the outline with the pushpin. Peel it off.
- Carve (grown-up)A grown-up saws around the body first, then the ears, and the tail last, in slow small strokes.
- Light itPut a battery tea light inside and put the lid back on. It is safer than a candle, and the pumpkin lasts longer.
Tips by age
For younger kids
Draw a moon behind the cat on paper first: it helps your kid see where the cat sits.
For older kids
Add a crescent moon above the cat and a fence line along the bottom.
More ideas like this
Flying bat
Wide wings, one shape. Tape the stencil on and trace with a pushpin.
Polka dots
A grown-up drills round holes all over; your kid marks where each dot goes.
Haunted house
For kids 9 to 13: more pieces and thinner walls, so cut slowly.
On Kubrio, your kid can build a monster in Monster Maker and use its face as the design for the pumpkin.