Boise, ID

Until the last few days autumn has been amazingly gorgeous here in SW Idaho this year, providing us with no excuse not to get outside and enjoy! Over the last month or so, our family has experienced some great fall fun that could be adapted and enjoyed on a crisp autumn day or evening anywhere in the country. We just happen to think our little corner of the world is the best!  The first event occurred literally in our backyard, and was one of those spontaneous things that turned out to be a hit. The mission: paint pumpkins. The operatives: my own two kids and two friends who were spending the afternoon.

As is often the case with great ideas, this one occurred to me about 4 hours before I needed to execute it. As luck would have it, I had a little time to pile my kids in the car and head out for some last-minute supplies. Not wanting to go far, I hit the downtown Caldwell branch of Honk’s $1.00 Store. There I found paint, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and various other art supplies that seemed appropriate for pumpkin painting. Since I hadn’t told my kids what I was doing, an air of mystery surrounded this adventure and I had fun keeping them guessing about what on earth I was up to.

Now obviously, to successfully paint pumpkins you need . . . a pumpkin. Trying to avoid a slightly longer trip and definitely longer lines that a trip to WalMart would entail, I decided to check Caldwell’s own country market—Cliff’s Country Market to be exact. There we found enormous pumpkins as well as a variety of small squash and gourds. It was there that I also told the munchkins the plan, which resulted in much excitement. The market was definitely more fascinating than a big retail chain store, and we spent a little time checking it out and chatting with the friendly clerk. It certainly added to the sum of the morning’s adventures. Ultimately we picked out an assortment of pumpkins and pumpkin cousins, paid for them, loaded them in the trunk, and trundled on home to prepare for our big afternoon.

I set up our patio table, covering it with plenty of paper, swept off the patio, set out the art supplies, washed the dirt off the pumpkins and squash, and generally got the project ready to go. We had lunch, and when the friends arrived, I told the kids to play for awhile and then we would start our masterpieces.

After awhile, when my son had asked for about the 29th time if it was time to paint the pumpkins, we found old adult-sized t-shirts that the kids donned for paint shirts and the project began. The first round included two pumpkins, a small spaghetti squash, and a gourd, which turned into a princess, a crazy pumpkin (so named by the artist, who glued on an extra googly eye for a nose), a beauty with curly orange hair, and what would have been a rainbow gourd if all the many layers of color hadn’t blended into nice shades of brown. I had brought some sewing pins out to see if we could pin the pipe cleaners on to attach as hair and although that didn’t work, my son added a few sticking out of the sides of his pumpkin. I’m not sure of his intent, but the pumpkin looked like it was getting acupuncture. In the second round, the girls painted a joint pumpkin. Sitting one on each side, they each painted their own face. Interesting! My daughter decided her side was a Grandma pumpkin, to which my mom, who had happened to stop by about then, teasingly admonished her to be kind in her depiction of a Grandma.

All in all the venture was definitely a success. Throw in a little caramel corn as a snack for the busy artists and call it a perfect way to enjoy a beautiful fall day while keeping the kids occupied. Or adapt it for a rainy day and set up in your kitchen or garage. You could even make it a more adult event–maybe hold a contest among friends, or a fun ladies’ craft time. Halloween may be over, but painted pumpkins make great Thanksgiving centerpieces. They can also be hollowed out, filled with dirt, used as planters for little flower plants, and placed on the table or around your home for some fun fall decor.

Check out your neighborhood for your own version of Cliff’s Country Market and your favorite $1 store. (Anyone want to add a comment and recommend a friendly market in your area of the valley?) My creative endeavors did wind up costing a little more than I intended when all was said and done, but it was worth it. The only problem is the precedent it set. Now when the friends come over, everyone expects to do something special when in reality, some days I just want them to keep each other occupied using their own resources and imaginations.