Halloween Health and Safety

A well turned-out jack-o'-lantern can light up a doorway or windowsill and beckon to roving trick-or-treaters. But pumpkin carving is not child's play. To get that sinister grin requires a good, sharp knife and a steady hand.

• Keep children out of the way of the cutting tasks. Adults only! Have your child draw the face they'd like onto a sheet of paper while you're busy with the carving.
• Once you have the top of your pumpkin opened up, invite kids over to scoop out the goopy pumpkin guts out with their hands. It's a fun, sticky job that kids love.
• Save the seeds for roasting. They're full of iron and protein and make a healthy pre-trick-or-treat snack.
• Snuff out candles. Foot traffic around a porch pumpkin can be a fire hazard. Glow-sticks or a small flash-light may not have the traditional flicker of a candle, but they're safer.