Pumpkin Decorating

What to bring

• A pumpkin that is already decorated

  Do the decorating at home. There is no decorating time at the meeting, so the pumpkin should arrive finished and ready to show.

• Battery lights only. No open flames.

  If the pumpkin lights up, use battery-powered lights such as LED tea lights or a small string of lights. Candles and anything else with a flame are not allowed.

• Give your pumpkin a name

  Every pumpkin needs a name. It gets written on the voting sheet in front of it and on the certificate that goes home.

• Siblings are welcome

  Brothers and sisters can bring their own pumpkin. They vote like everyone else and have their own award.

• The scout does the work

  An adult can help with the tricky parts. The ideas and most of the work should be the scout's.

Voting and categories

Part of the evening is a vote. Everyone gets three votes: scouts, siblings, and parents. Each pumpkin has a sheet in front of it, and you spend a vote by marking the category you think that pumpkin fits best. Spread your three votes however you like. Each category winner gets an award certificate, and every pumpkin gets a certificate for taking part.

• Spookiest Pumpkin

  The one that gives you goosebumps.

• Funniest Pumpkin

  The one that gets the biggest laugh.

• Most Creative Pumpkin

  The idea nobody else thought of.

• Best Scout Spirit

  Shows scouting, the pack, or the outdoors.

• Best Character

  Looks most like a character from a book, show, or game.

• Best Glow

  Looks best with the room lights off. Battery lights only.

• Best Sibling Pumpkin

  For brothers and sisters. Goes to the sibling pumpkin with the most votes.

Leaders

Before the meeting

• Print the certificates

  One award certificate for each category, plus a blank in case of a tie. The last page of the PDF is the Pumpkin Decorator certificate that every scout and sibling gets: print one for each pumpkin you expect and a few spare. The Cubmaster signs them ahead of time and names are written in on the night.

• Print a voting sheet for every pumpkin

  One sheet per pumpkin, linked below, and a few spare. It has a line for the pumpkin's name and a box for each category. No ballots, no ballot box.

• Dot stickers or pens

  Three small dot stickers per person is the easy way to hold everyone to three votes: hand them out at the door and when they are gone, they are gone. Pens and tally marks work too and cost nothing, but then three votes is on the honor system.

• Remind families about lights

  Say it in the announcement and again the day before: battery lights only, no open flames. Keep a few spare LED tea lights at the door for the pumpkin that shows up with a candle.

Leaders

Running the night

• Display tables

  Line the pumpkins up on tables with room to walk past on one side. As each one arrives, ask the scout for the pumpkin's name, write it and the scout's name on a voting sheet, tick scout or sibling, and lay the sheet in front of the pumpkin.

• Voting

  Everyone gets three votes: scouts, siblings, and parents. A vote is one sticker or tally mark in a category box on a pumpkin's sheet. Give it about ten minutes, and turn the room lights down for a minute or two so the Best Glow pumpkins can be judged fairly.

• Counting

  Two adults walk the tables and write the count in each box while the pack does a game or a song. The most marks in a category wins it. Best Sibling Pumpkin goes to the sibling pumpkin with the most marks in all its boxes added together. If one pumpkin wins more than one category, give it the one it won by the most and pass the other to the runner-up, so seven different kids get an award.

• Awards

  Call each category by the pumpkin's name, hold it up, and hand over the award. Then every scout and sibling gets a Pumpkin Decorator certificate with their pumpkin's name on it, handed out by den so nobody is missed.

• Pumpkins go home

  Every pumpkin leaves with its family at the end of the night. Check the tables and floor before locking up.

Leaders

Cubmaster's notes: the Scout Law

Ideas for the Cubmaster's Minute. Pick one point, tie it to something you saw a scout do that night, and keep it to a minute.

Kind

Every pumpkin on the table took somebody real effort. Point out a scout who told another scout what they liked about theirs.

Trustworthy

Everyone had three votes and nobody was counting. Using three, and giving them to the pumpkins you honestly thought were best, is being trustworthy.

Cheerful

Only a few pumpkins won an award. Clapping for someone else's win is what cheerful looks like.

Obedient

The no-flames rule was not the fun one. Following it anyway kept everybody safe.

The full Scout Law is on the oath and law page.

Links and downloads

• Voting sheet (PDF) Leaders

  One page. Print one for every pumpkin.

• Certificates (PDF) Leaders

  Nine pages: an award for each of the seven categories, a blank award, and the Pumpkin Decorator certificate for everyone. Print the last page once per pumpkin. Color, landscape, letter paper or card stock.

• Certificates (web page) Leaders

  The same certificates, to view or print from the browser.

Leaders

Retrospective: for next year

What worked, what did not, and what this page is still missing.

Nothing written down yet.