Some tips and tricks if you want to do pumpkin carving with the kids

It's nearly Halloween!

There's no doubt that the kids are bugging you to decorate your home with witches and webs - and whether you have the house already fully kitted out or don't want to bother until the day arrives, a fun activity to do with the little ones in pumpkin carving. They will absolutely love it, but to make it handier for you, here are a few tips and tricks on the easiest way to carve a pumpkin. A lot of mothers took to Mumsnet to outline how best to do it:

1. "Don't use a knife. Fork out £1.50 or whatever for a pumpkin carving set at Lidl or coop. Worth every penny. Especially if it comes with a book you can use a design out of, or print one off the Internet." 2. "I print templates off the internet to do mine. I then stick the template to the pumpkin (after removing the top and scooping out the inside) and use a wee poking device to mark round the template. Remove template and put a little flour over the markings so you can see them better. Use little pumpkin saws to carve around the dots. I have a pumpkin carving kit from the supermarket." 3. "I use glow sticks to light them up." 4. "Apparently dunking them in a bleach and water bath once carved makes them rot slower or spraying with WD40." 5. "Use a sturdy ice cream scoop to scoop out the middle, much easier than a spoon. And the cheap supermarket kits do indeed make carving so much easier." 6. "Don't even carve it, there are some brilliant ideas for pumpkin painting."