All joking aside, this is a wonderful time of year to take advantage of this festive gourd and to teach your kids about the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. Here are some fun ways that you can eat, play with and enjoy pumpkins.

Classic Pumpkin Carving

Most parents who grew up in the USA will remember carving pumpkins when they were kids and this is a great tradition to pass on to your children. Your professional au pair will also appreciate trying out such a classic American craft! If your little ones are too young for this activity, you can buy a smaller pumpkin that they can decorate with markers or glue on decorations while you focus on the bigger squash. They'll love playing with the insides of the pumpkin once you scoop it out!

When you're finished, proudly display your pumpkins on your front porch with battery operated candles inside. Here are some more helpful tips for carving pumpkins. Don't forget to take pictures!

Roast Pumpkin Seeds

One of the biggest bonuses from carving your own pumpkin is that you get to roast the seeds. The traditional flavoring is simply salt, but you can mix it up by making Sugar-and-Spice pumpkin seeds instead.

Toss the pumpkin seeds in melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Bake them at 300°F until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

This recipe, and others, can be found here. Bon appetite!

Paper Pumpkin Crafts

If playing with real pumpkins is too messy for your taste, try out some creative crafts with your kids instead. This blog has some great options, including edible pumpkin pie play dough, a book pumpkin, and a paper plate pumpkin.

Our favorite is the Five Little Pumpkins idea- simply glue five mini felt pumpkins onto a glove with googly eyes and enjoy story or tickle time with your kids!