If your child goes to school, chances are during Fall you have seen the flyers coming home for a Story Book Pumpkin Parade. This Fall project is both fun and inspiring, especially for children who haven’t yet discovered a love for reading.
Once your child picks his or her favorite storybook, here are some tips to help them paint their own perfect pumpkin:
Choosing the Perfect Pumpkin
Make sure the surface of your pumpkin is nice and smooth, otherwise it will be difficult to trace on the image. If you are using other items to decorate your pumpkin making it more 3-d, then choose the shape that fits your design best. Give it a wipe with a damp paper towel to ensure that there is no left-over dirt or dust that will prevent the paint and or glitter from sticking.
Trace Away
Using a sheet of thin paper, trace the image from the book your child wishes to display on their pumpkin. If you child is old enough to do this, then give them a go at it. Once the trace is complete, tape the paper to the surface of the pumpkin and using a very blunt pencil, slowly trace the image so that an indention is left in the flesh of the pumpkin deep enough for your child to see the design clearly but not too deep that it pierces the flesh.
Paint and Decorate to Hearts Content
Using acrylic paints, glitter, feathers or what ever goodies your child chooses, this is the time to decorate the image and make it as creative as possible! Let them go nuts!
Finishing Touches
Once they have painted, dressed and glittered their pumpkin you can assist them in cleaning up any areas that may need it. For the project used for this post, I used a black permanent marker to trace the image so that her colors had separation and matched the book’s illustration. Be careful not to overtake the project, it is their project after all.
Have fun Moms! And be sure to tag and share your Storybook Pumpkin with us on Facebook and Instagram using #coastalbendmom
 DIY tutorial for creating a Fall Storybook Pumpkin with your child.){kind=link}