Naturally Educational » 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts » Beaded Pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern Ornaments
Beaded Pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern Ornaments
We made these easy beaded pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern ornaments to add to our Halloween decorations.
My children love to bead and it is great fine motor skill practice.
Materials
- orange and black beads
- chenille stems (2 orange, 1 green)
- fishing wire
Directions
1. First, I put them to work sorting out all the orange beads.
2. Then they strung the orange beads onto a chenille stem.
3. Twist the ends of the stem together and shape into a pumpkin.
4. Then, cut the green stem in half. Wrap the middle of the green stem around the top of the orange circle of beads. Take one end of the stem and twist around a pencil to create a curvy vine.
5. Take the second orange stem and twist to attach it to one side of the beaded pumpkin shape near the top. Bead two black beads on (these are the eyes). Bring the stem across to the other side of the beaded pumpkin shape and twist. My daughter decided she wanted hers to have blue eyes.
6. Add another black bead for the nose. Bring the stem across the pumpkin diagonally and connect on the other side. My daughter went for yellow, “like candlelight shining through”.
7. Thread five more black beads and shape into a smile or frown and connect to the other end. Twist the rest of the stem to hide the end. My daughter opted for a red smile.
8. Use fishing wire to hang the ornaments,
(If you have been joining me here for a while, you know we love to hang our ornaments from our chandelier. You may have even noticed this is a lovely, new chandelier. This was my Granny’s and so it is special to us. My Granny kept several of my crafts displayed around her house, decades after I made them. So, I like to think she would appreciate this use of her chandelier.)
Educational Connections
- Preschool Skills: Beading on chenille stems is a fun, low-frustration way to build fine-motor skills.
- Mathematics: If you have different shades of orange, you can create patterns.
- History: Examine how immigrants bring cultural traditions with them to their new homelands and how those traditions sometimes change. Research the origin of the “jack-o-lantern”. Why was the original one a turnip?
Check out more of our pumpkin crafts and activities.
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Written by Candace
Candace Lindemann, Yale, BA, Harvard Graduate School of Education, EdM, is an educational consultant and published writer. She enjoys new learning experiences with her children, ages 6 and 4 and 1.5.
Filed under: 3-5 (Preschool), 3-5 (Preschool), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 5-6 (Kindergarten), 6-8 (Early Elementary), 6-8 (Early Elementary), Fall, Featured, History and Culture, Home Arts · Tags: Autumn, Fall, Halloween, Harvest, Jack O' Lanterns, Pumpkins
8 Responses to "Beaded Pumpkin Jack O’ Lantern Ornaments"
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About the Author
Candace Lindemann is a published children’s writer and educational consultant. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Working with school districts around the country and some of the most well-known companies in the education industry, Candace creates custom strategies, textbooks, and lesson plans. Her articles have appeared in print and online.
While Candace’s degrees prepared her for a career in education, she’s found that the best preparation for parenting is on the job training.
Contact Candace via e-mail, read her full biography, or connect with her using the social media icons below or on Google.
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I enjoyed watching my grand children making these!!!
Thank you for sharing this family activity. I bet my daughters would love it.
Ahhh what a great October kid craft! I love it! THe kids look like they are having fun! I’m going to file this for when my son is old enough to do this kind of craft!
Those are adorable! I see a trip to the craft store in my future!
These are great! I think my girls will have fun with this idea
[...] lovely little activity to involve children in, are these little Halloween crafts that Naturally Educational made. Aren’t they adorable? They would look great hanging in windows or from a [...]
Great craft! Linked to this post and used one picture. Gave you credit, of course!
Thank you so much for this wonderful activity. I incorporated it in our class party this past week. The kids loved it! Super October fun!