One week into October, the kids are loving our daily countdown towards Halloween. Older kids can help put together this quirky craft, while younger ones will definitely need your assistance. That said, the materials turn the project into sensory play, with a little bit of learning and imagination thrown in!

To make each face, round up a collection of gourds from a local farm or market, and then use items from your craft bin to turn those bumpy silly shapes into little creatures.

You can talk about the shapes of the gourds as you work, or ask your child to spot the biggest one, the smallest one, or the one with the most colors.

I added wiggle eyes, bead noses, and red felt mouths to each of our gourd friends with hot glue.

One had a decidedly lopsided look!

Meanwhile, Veronika was busy with all those materials, and I could tell she was mimicking my motion of “gluing” the items on.

When the gourds were done, Veronika immediately dubbed the smallest one the “baby”. She loved pretending to add cheeks to it with additional beads, and pointed out its features. “She has eyes!” she said with delight.

Then she tucked it into bed under a piece of extra red felt. “She’s warm and dry,” she told me.

So there you have it: Halloween gourds are so much more than just decoration, but great for playing pretend, too!