Nativity Scene Project (ages 4-6)

Every year we try to do a Christmas project with our son, when a friend referred me to this idea I thought it looked like fun. We didn’t have any felt, but we did have lots of construction paper, so we tackled the project as a family.

First we looked at the different nativity blocks here, and dh drew the shapes on the construction paper:

Then ds cut out the shapes…

And I glued them on the wooden blocks!

Gourdy the 59 lb Organic Pumpkin – Carve your Own

Gourdy started out as a little organic seedling, planted in our lasagna garden at the end of May. We harvested him a week before Halloween, and he’s found a comfy resting place on our patio. His last days will be spent in the Gabriola tunnel, a long corridor of trees that line a long straight stretch of road. His inner candle will shine bright until he returns to the earth as mulch.

Steps to carving a pumpkin:

1. Pick your pumpkin. We picked ours out of our garden, but picking a pumpkin from the market is fine too.
2. Clean your pumpkin. The side that was on the ground got quite muddy, so we gave Gourdy a bath before starting.
3. Set up your carving station. Supplies: a compostable plastic bag, a large bowl, a solid metal spoon, a serrated knife, a stencil drawing, tape, a marker, and pumpkin carving tools.
4. Position and tape your stencil to the pumpkin. Draw the carving pattern on your pumpkin with a marker. Remove the stencil.
5. Cut the top off your pumpkin with the serrated knife. My husband made an irregular cut mark on one side so we could easily tell how it fit back on.
6. Scoop the seeds and pulp into the bowl. Set aside if you plan on roasting the seeds.
7. Carve the face.
8. Insert and light a fire safe light in the pumpkin.
9. Set outside and enjoy.
10. When Halloween is over, break up the pumpkin and layer on your garden beds to let it break down over the winter as garden mulch.

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