Want a festive decoration that won't clutter up your porch? Try a patch of mini pumpkins small enough to fit in your child's hand.

Materials

• Acorns
• Orange acrylic paint

• Brown acrylic paint
• Black permanent marker

Instructions

1. Remove the caps from a handful of acorns.

2. Coat each one with orange acrylic paint, adding a bit of brown to the acorn's point for a stem.

3. Let the paints dry, then add a jack-o'-lantern face with a black permanent marker.

Tips:

Warning:
As several FamilyFun readers who made this craft found out, some acorns are infested with weevils. The weevils feed on the nutmeat while they develop over the summer, and when the acorns hit the ground in the fall, these insects know it's time to start chewing their way out and into the ground -- or your home. Reader Janie Foster offers a solution: before you start the project, bake the acorns in a slow oven to kill the weevils. Just be careful not to burn the acorns!

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Find more about:

• 30 Minutes or less |
• All Ages |
• beef |
• Decorating Projects |
• Nature Projects |
• Painting Supplies |
• Pumpkins

Related Categories:

• Backyard Nature Crafts |
• October 2004 |
• Halloween Decorations