Don't forget your camera when the family sits down to carve a pumpkin.
The kids at work make for great family shots, according to master carver Sheryl Shermak, who stages her 12th-annual Pumpkin Yard featuring hundreds of carved pumpkins plus ghosties and ghoulies at her Victoria home.
The camera is important, but even more so is the right pumpkin and where the family carves, she says.
A round table covered with a vinyl cloth – yes, it's going to be messy – is best. This allows parents to supervise and jump in when any cutting looks risky for little fingers.
Leave kitchen knives in the drawer. There are pumpkin-carving tool kits available. So are kids' pumpkin carving saws. Choose tools with chunky blades and chunky handles for little hands to grasp, Shermak says.
