CHARLOTTE – Pumpkin season is so much fun! Visiting a local pumpkin farm is one of my family’s favorite fall activities. After we pick our pumpkins, then comes the best part—decorating! We’ve decorated our pumpkins in many ways from carving, to painting, to melting crayons on top. No-carve decorating is my favorite since the pumpkins last so much longer that way.

There are many fun and simple ways to decorate a pumpkin without carving. Here are five ideas to try with the kids this Halloween.

1. Spider web pumpkin. Cut a long piece of cotton twine. Hot glue one end of the twine to the bottom of the pumpkin. Wrap twine around the pumpkin in a random web pattern securing with pins or hot glue where needed. Finish by securing the loose end of the twine to the bottom of the pumpkin. Add a plastic spider to the web.
2. Melted crayon pumpkin. First, choose your crayon colors and remove the wrappers. Break the crayons in half and hot glue to the top of the pumpkin. Then, use a hairdryer on low to melt the crayons and watch the wax drip down the sides of the pumpkin. Allow the wax to dry and enjoy the colorful result!
3. Pumpkin mummy. Wrap a pumpkin in gauze and glue on some googly eyes to turn your pumpkin into a mummy.
4. Painted pumpkin. Toddlers can use finger paint to create a colorful design on their pumpkin. Older kids can paint their pumpkin to look like a favorite character or use stencils to create a Halloween design on their pumpkin.
5. Pour paint pumpkin. Squeeze paint in a variety of colors over the pumpkin. Pour paint over the top and then tip the pumpkin to pour over the sides. Once the paint settles around the bottom of the pumpkin, move and allow to dry overnight.