Pumpkin with a View

This friendly ghost is fun to
make from lightweight clay.

• Small pumpkin
• Knife
• Spoon
• Four 8-inch-long pieces of 1/4-inch dowel
• Pencil sharpener
• Acrylic paints in lime green and purple
• Paintbrush
• 2 small black beads
• 1 large black bead
• Toothpicks
• Shredded colored paper

1. Cut the pumpkin in half horizontally, keeping the cut line as smooth as possible. Clean out the inside by scraping it with a spoon.

2. Sharpen both ends of the dowels in a pencil sharpener, for easy insertion into the pumpkin. Paint two dowel pieces lime green and the remaining two purple. Let the paint dry. Add dots on each dowel by dipping the handle end of the paintbrush into paint and dotting onto the dowel surfaces. Let the paint dry. Paint the pumpkin stem purple. Let dry. Add green dots. Let dry. Insert the dowels into the bottom half of the pumpkin, then place the pumpkin top on by firmly pressing it onto the dowels.

Step 4

3. To create the ghost, take a portion of clay suitable for the size of your pumpkin. Knead the clay until it is smooth. Shape the clay into an oblong smooth piece. Gently twist the top portion to create a ghostly head. Shape arms from small pieces of dough. Position the arms onto the ghost's body and press into place. Form the bottom of the ghost to fit inside the pumpkin. Use the photograph as a guide to make the eyes and mouth. Press the black beads into the face using a toothpick.

4. Press toothpicks into the bottom of the pumpkin. Position the ghost over the toothpicks and press into place.

5. Add shredded paper around the pumpkin.