Hello my Omschooligans! Teacher Omi of the Omschool Tree Fort here with a whole harvest of pumpkin-themed fall lesson plans, craft projects, recipes and activities with pumpkins! I've got pumpkin math games, free printable pumpkin carving stencils for STEAM lessons, pumpkin snack crafts and science activities and more!
Pumpkin carving is lots of fun. But it also creates an enormous amount of food waste. In the US, around 1.5 billion pumpkins and gourds go in the trash. So keep reading for ways to enjoy pumpkin carving in more sustainable ways!
Pumpkin Carving STEAM Lesson Plans
The Pumpkin Lady HGTV Monday Mandala Woman's Day Homemade Gifts Made Easy
Pumpkin carving tools you'll need
- Grapefruit knife. This is a paring knife with serrated edges on both sides.
- Serrated grapefruit spoon. This spoon has a jagged edge along the top and makes gutting pumpkins easier.
- Vegetable peeler set. This is for paring down parts of the pumpkin skin to make contrasting color patterns. Look for parers/peelers with multiple functions. You might also use vegetable "stripers" such as those used in sushi prep.
- Metal cookie cutters--the outline kind that are hollow in the middle. Flat plastic cookie cutters won't work to cut but can be used as templates.
- hammer or wooden mallet (lightweight)
- large metal spoons for scraping insides and gutting pumpkin
- sturdy plastic knife for trimming off ragged edges.
- medium pumpkin or gourd, one per person.
- paper to design pumpkin pattern
- printable pumpkin patterns
- permanent marker or paint pen to draw designs
To carve pumpkins with cookie cutters:
- Clean pumpkin.
- wipe outside and dry
- cut a circle around the stem to remove stem and slice off pithy part. Save this piece.
- gut pumpkin using grapefruit spoons and large metal spoons.
- Have students design their pumpkin patterns or choose from one of the printable pumpkin stencils.
- Align metal cookie cutter on pumpkin exterior.
- Gently tap edges of cookie cutter with hammer to press into pumpkin.
- Remove cutout piece.
- If cookie cutter doesn't go all the way through, use plastic knife to finish cutting along pattern lines, through to the inside.
- Save pumpkin membrane and carved out pieces.
To carve pumpkins with grapefruit knife and/or potato peeler:
- Print pumpkin stencil and cut out black parts (this is what you'll carve away)
- Trace printable pumpkin pattern on pumpkin using paint pen or permanent marker.
- Use grapefruit knife to carefully carve out design.
- Or peel off top orange layer of pumpkin skin along design pattern. Yellow rind will show through.
- Use curved end to dig out small areas of pumpkin rind. The deeper you pare, the thinner the rind and the more light will show through.
Teacher Omi's Jack-o'-Lantern Carving Pro-Tips
Place a wax votive or battery-operated candle in your pumpkin and display!
Remember when carving pumpkins:
- Work outside for easier cleanup and mess containment
- Supervise children using sharp tools
- Wear old clothing
- Leave pumpkin guts for squirrels
Sustainable Halloween Fun
The science behind Halloween unsustainability
Key USDA & Agricultural Statistics:
Total Annual Production: According to the
USDA Economic Research Service Fresh Market (Decorative) pumpkins vs. Processing (Canned):
Over 15,000 U.S. farms grow fresh-market decorative pumpkins, compared to fewer than 1,000 farms that grow processing pumpkins for food.
Outside of Illinois (which produces the majority of canned pumpkin puree), top-producing states like Indiana, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New York produce almost exclusively fresh-market decorative pumpkins and ornamental gourds.
Jack-o'-Lantern Specialties: Over 500 million pounds of Howden pumpkins—the standard orange jack-o'-lantern variety—are harvested every year solely for carving and decoration.
Post-Holiday Waste: Because most decorative pumpkins are carved or left outside as porch decor, the vast majority end up in municipal waste streams or composting programs after Halloween rather than being eaten.
Reusable Edible Alternative Carve-ables
- Pie Pumpkins: these are smaller and can be carved using the peeler method. Or use removable pumpkin stickers. Then after Trick-or-Treat, fully pare them and cook to make your own pumpkin pie ready puree.
- Apple-lanterns: Using an apple corer, remove core and insert a solar candle. Solar is the way to go in sustainable outdoor lighting. Add little faces. After Halloween, rinse, cook down and make yummy Happylesauce! 🍏🎃
Sugar-Free Halloween Happylesauce
Naturally sweet, warm-spiced homemade applesauce—no added sugar needed! Perfect hands-on Omschool fall activity for all ages!
⏱️ Prep: 15 mins🔥 Cook: 20 mins🥣 Yield: 4–6 servings🎃 Zero-Waste Halloween Tip: Perfect for turning post-Halloween "Apple-Lanterns" into a delicious treat! Just trim away any charred or candle-exposed bits, rinse well, and cook them down into fresh Happylesauce.Ingredients
- 3 lbs sweet-tart to tart apples (such as Macintosh, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jonamac), cored (from life as a Halloween decoration!)
- 1 cup water (or unsweetened apple juice)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp ground allspice
- Optional: fresh cranberries or raisins
Instructions
- Prep Apples: Core and cut apples into 1-inch pieces. (Peeling is optional; leaving skins on adds extra color, fiber, and nutrients).
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, combine the chopped apples, water, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Stir well.
- Simmer: Cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are very soft and tender.
- Mill and mash: Remove from heat.
- For Chunky Happylesauce: Press through an apple mill to remove skins
- For smooth, blend till chunks are broken down.
- Serve & Store: Enjoy warm or chill in the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Bonus Happy: Package in resealable containers decorated with pine cones or cinnamon sticks. Share with the neighbors!
- Squash. Not all gourds are decorative. Most squash can be eaten. Look for butternut, buttercup, sweet dumpling and acorn squash. If you use for decorating, wipe them with a coating of oil to preserve. Acorn squash make the cutest little heart shaped jack-o-lanterns, carved with a tea light inside. And then they make a yummy dinner stuffed with sausage, apples and spices.
- Turk's Turban Squash. Listing these separately because they actually look already like a face with a hat. All you have to do is carve out a little tope, insert your tea light, add some features and you have your jack-o-lantern.
- Potatoes and sweet potatoes.
- Daikon radish. These long tubular radishes can be carved to look like ghosts and then eaten like mashed potatoes.
- Watermelon, honeydew or cantaloupe. Not just for summer, melons can be cut down to the rind, to remove (and eat) the fruit, then carved as you would a pumpkin.
Pumpkin themed snack crafts and treats
1. Clementine "Little Jack" Oranges
Ingredients: Clementines or mandarins, black edible food marker (or permanent marker if peeling before eating).
How to Make:
Hand kids a clementine and an edible ink marker.
Let them draw jack-o'-lantern faces—triangle eyes, toothy grins, or silly expressions—directly on the peel.
Optionally, insert a tiny piece of celery stick into the top center to act as a pumpkin stem.
2. Rice Krispie Treat Jack-o'-Lanterns
Ingredients: Premade Rice Krispie treats (or a homemade batch dyed orange with food coloring), green M&Ms or green pull-and-peel licorice, mini chocolate chips or black decorating gel.
How to Make:
Have kids gently roll and shape a pre-made Rice Krispie treat into a round ball.
Press a green M&M or a small piece of green licorice into the top for the stem.
Use mini chocolate chips (pressed tip-down into the treat) or black decorating gel to construct eyes, nose, and a smile.
3. Jack-o'-Lantern Rice Cake / Toast Smiles
Ingredients: Rice cakes or toasted bread slices, orange spread (such as cheddar cheese spread, pumpkin butter, or cream cheese tinted with orange food dye), raisins, chocolate chips, or sliced olives.
How to Make:
Spread the orange topping evenly across the rice cake or toast to create a blank pumpkin canvas.
Provide small bowls of toppings like raisins, chocolate chips, or olive slices.
- Let children arrange the toppings onto the spread to build custom jack-o'-lantern face features.
Free printable Halloween Puzzles and Word Games
🎃 Halloween Word Scramble 🎃
Unscramble the letters to reveal the Halloween words!
P M U P N I K — _ _ _ _ _ _ _
S T O H G — _ _ _ _ _
C T W I H — _ _ _ _ _
Y A C D N — _ _ _ _ _
A C U L A R D — _ _ _ _ _ _ _
O S O P Y K — _ _ _ _ _ _
L A N T E R N — _ _ _ _ _ _ _
T C I R K — _ _ _ _ _
T A R E T — _ _ _ _ _
A C D O R U L N — _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
🔑 Answer Key
PUMPKIN
GHOST
WITCH
CANDY
DRACULA
SPOOKY
LANTERN
TRICK
TREAT
CAULDRON
Printable Fall Harvest Word Search
- Trees
- Rake
- Wet
- Orchard
- Pick
- Apples
- Scarecrow
- Bounty
- Fall
- Squash
- Leaves
- Cornucopia
- Cider
- Pie
- Harvest
- Bounty
- Flower
- Pumpkin
- Field
- Cart Ride
1. Pumpkin Chemical Eruption (Acid-Base Reaction)
Objective: Explore chemical reactions, gas production, and pressure by creating a foaming eruption inside a pumpkin shell.
Materials:
1 small to medium hollowed-out pumpkin (or carved jack-o'-lantern)
½ cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon liquid dish soap
5–10 drops food coloring (orange, green, or red)
Shallow tray or baking dish (to catch overflow)
Steps:
Prepare the Base: Place the hollowed pumpkin on a tray. Add ½ cup of baking soda directly to the bottom of the pumpkin.
Add the Foaming Agents: Stir in 1 tablespoon of dish soap and a few drops of food coloring into the baking soda.
Trigger the Eruption: Pour 1 cup of white vinegar directly into the pumpkin and watch the foam erupt out of the top and carved face features.
The Science:
This experiment demonstrates an acid-base reaction. Vinegar (acetic acid) reacts with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to create carbon dioxide gas ($CO_2$). The dish soap traps the escaping $CO_2$ gas, converting the rapid gas release into a thick, foaming eruption.
2. Pumpkin-in-a-Pumpkin Germination (Plant Life Cycles & Decomposition)
Objective: Study seed germination and natural composting by transforming a fresh pumpkin into a self-sustaining pot.
Materials:
1 small pumpkin
Potting soil
Water
Knife and spoon (for adult setup)
Spray bottle
Steps:
Prep the Shell: Slice off the top off the pumpkin. Leave the seeds, pulp, and guts fully intact inside.
Fill with Soil: Fill the interior of the pumpkin with potting soil until it reaches about 1 inch below the rim, lightly covering the loose seeds inside.
Moisten and Place: Water the soil thoroughly until damp. Place the pumpkin in a sunny location indoors or outdoors.
Observe Growth: Water every 1–2 days with a spray bottle to keep the soil moist. Within 7 to 10 days, pumpkin seeds will begin sprouting through the soil.
The Science:
As the seeds absorb moisture and germinate, the inner flesh of the pumpkin gradually breaks down. Microorganisms decompose the organic pumpkin flesh, releasing essential nutrients (like nitrogen and potassium) directly into the soil to nourish the growing seedlings. Once the outer shell weakens, the entire pumpkin can be planted straight into a garden bed as a biodegradable pot.
Pumpkin Recycling and Composting
Zoos, Wildlife Sanctuaries, & Nature Centers: Many local zoos, petting farms, and wildlife rehabilitation centers accept leftover pumpkins as nutritional treats or enrichment toys for animals like bears, tortoises, pigs, and deer. For example, institutions like the
Detroit Zoo Livestock Farms & Animal Sanctuaries: Local farms with pigs, goats, cows, sheep, or chickens frequently welcome pumpkin donations. Organizations like
Pumpkins for Pigs Municipal & Community Composting Programs: Many city public works departments, county conservation districts, and waste management authorities host post-Halloween drop-off sites or "Pumpkin Smash" collection events to keep organic waste out of landfills.
Community Gardens & Urban Farms: Local community gardening groups and neighborhood urban agriculture projects accept whole or broken-down pumpkins to enrich their compost bins for spring soil preparation.
Food Pantries & Food Rescues: If pumpkins are completely uncarved, undamaged, and of an edible culinary variety (such as pie pumpkins or sweet squash), local food banks and organizations like
Pumpkins for the People
Essential Drop-off Guidelines
Remove All Non-Organic Materials: Ensure candles, wax, tea lights, toothpick structures, stickers, glitter, and plastic decorations are fully removed.
Avoid Painted or Treated Pumpkins: Do not donate pumpkins decorated with paint, sealer, bleach, petroleum jelly, or chemicals, as these are toxic to animals and disrupt soil composting.
Check Acceptability: Most animal organizations strictly accept uncarved pumpkins or only freshly carved jack-o'-lanterns without mold. Always confirm requirements or call ahead before dropping off.
Remove All Non-Organic Materials: Ensure candles, wax, tea lights, toothpick structures, stickers, glitter, and plastic decorations are fully removed.
Avoid Painted or Treated Pumpkins: Do not donate pumpkins decorated with paint, sealer, bleach, petroleum jelly, or chemicals, as these are toxic to animals and disrupt soil composting.
Check Acceptability: Most animal organizations strictly accept uncarved pumpkins or only freshly carved jack-o'-lanterns without mold. Always confirm requirements or call ahead before dropping off.
Pumpkin STEAM activities
Pumpkin Counting Board Game
Pumpkin Patch Counting Adventure
Count your way from the Barn to the Harvest House! (Spaces 1 to 40)
Setup & Materials Needed
Game Board: Print out the game board above.
Game Tokens: Small pumpkin erasers, buttons, pennies or colored beads (one for each player).
Dice / Spinner: 1 standard six-sided die (or a 1–3 number spinner for younger children).
Counting Cards (Optional): Small cards with numbers 1 through 10 or dot patterns for extra practice.
How to Play
Start: Each player places their token at the START space (Pumpkin Patch Entrance).
Take Turns: Players take turns rolling the die and counting out loud as they move their token forward that many spaces along the numbered track.
Special Spaces:
Pumpkin Tile (🎃): Count the total number of seeds on the space and take that many extra steps forward!
Scarecrow Tile (🌾): Stop and count to 10 out loud to keep the crows away.
Mud Puddle (🌧️): Lose 1 turn while washing off your boots.
Winning the Game: The first player to reach the FINISH (Harvest Barn) wins!
Print & Play Variations
Pre-K / Kindergarten: Use a 1–3 die or number cards so children focus on one-to-one correspondence for smaller numbers.
Math Addition Challenge: Have players roll 2 dice, add the numbers together, and move that total number of spaces.
Print and use this game board which has the numbers out of order. Children must identify which number should be next. This boosts higher order thinking skills of evaluation.
Fall Harvest Story Time in the Omschool Tree Fort Book Corner
Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Moist, spiced, and naturally sweetened using applesauce or banana!
Ingredients
- two 8 oz cream cheese packages, softened
- 1 cup sugar (or 1/2 c. maple syrup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 stick softened butter
- dash of salt
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (or whole wheat flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp cinnamon + ½ tsp nutmeg + ¼ tsp cloves)
- 2 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling) set aside 1/4 cup for frosting)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce OR mashed ripe banana
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease with cooking spray.
- Make Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Divide in half and set two bowls aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, applesauce (or mashed banana), brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until fully combined.
- Combine: Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined (do not overmix).
- Assemble & Swirl: Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups (about ¾ full). Spoon 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of each. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the cream cheese into the batter.
- Bake: Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin portion comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before serving.
- Decorate to look like pumpkin face. Color reserved half of cream cheese filling with canned pumpkin or orange food coloring. Arrange candy corn for eyes and nose and a smile of raisins or chocolate chips. Use a Rollo candy for pumpkin stem.
Kids Literature to enjoy with your muffins!
🎃 Pumpkins & Science
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell (Ages 4–8) — A young boy watches his carved jack-o'-lantern rot in the garden, sprout seeds in the spring, and grow brand new pumpkins by autumn. Ideal for science lessons on decomposition and plant life cycles.
How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin? by Margaret McNamara (Ages 4–8) — A primary school class estimates and counts pumpkin seeds using skip-counting, estimation, and grouping. Great for STEAM and math activities.
Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano (Ages 3–7) — A unique square pumpkin embraces his differences and saves the patch during an autumn storm.
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll (Ages 4–8) — Two mice secretly tend to the exact same pumpkin, learning to work together to raise a record-breaking giant.
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White (Ages 4–8) — When a truck spills pumpkins all over her yard, Rebecca transforms an accidental harvest into a festive community feast.
🍂 Fall & Harvest
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert (Ages 3–7) — Illustrated with real autumn leaf collages, this book follows the wind blowing leaf critters across fields, orchards, and pumpkin patches.
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak (Ages 4–8) — A young child walks through the woods and town, greeting the subtle signs of nature shifting from late summer into cool fall.
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger (Ages 4–8) — A gentle story about a lone yellow leaf finding the courage to let go of its branch as the season turns.
Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by Julia Rawlinson (Ages 3–7) — Fletcher the fox gets worried as his favorite tree loses its leaves, until winter brings a sparkling surprise.
Apple Harvest by Calvin Harris (Ages 4–7) — A simple non-fiction book introducing young readers to how apples grow, get picked in the fall, and get turned into treats like cider and applesauce.
Stick Man by Julia Donaldson (Ages 3–7) — Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children, but gets blown away and carried off on a long autumn journey as dogs, swans, and humans try to use him as a twig.
👻 Halloween & Trick-or-Treating
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams (Ages 3–7) — A classic cumulative read-aloud with interactive sound effects (CLOMP, SHAKE, CLAP) as spooky clothing items follow a brave woman through the woods.
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman (Ages 3–8) — A witch grows a pumpkin so massive she can't pull it off the vine, requiring teamwork with a ghost, vampire, mummy, and a clever bat.
Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson (Ages 3–7) — A friendly witch invites a dog, bird, and frog onto her broomstick, and her new friends band together when a dragon appears.
Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds (Ages 4–8) — A humorous, mildly spooky tale about Jasper Rabbit, who suspects the carrots he's been harvesting from Crackenhopper Field are following him around.
Ten Timid Ghosts by Jennifer O'Connell (Ages 3–6) — A playful countdown book where a witch tries to scare ten ghosts out of her haunted house, but the ghosts figure out a trick of their own.
All lesson plans and activities are property of the Omschool and lovingly shared for non-profit educational use and homeschool families. Thank you for respecting that. 💞🥰 Teacher Omi
