Pumpkin Fun

Remember to get an adult’s help when cooking.

Illustration by Kevin Keele; photographs by John Luke

Pumpkin Pancakes

2 cups dry pancake mix

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Spray a frying pan with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat it on the stove on medium.
Combine the pancake mix and water in a large bowl. Add pumpkin and cinnamon and stir well. If the batter is too thick, add a little water. If the batter is too thin, add a little pancake mix.
Pour a scoop (about 1/4 cup) of batter into the hot frying pan. When the pancake bubbles on top, it’s time to flip it over. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
Serve with bananas, applesauce, or another favorite topping, and enjoy!

Paper Pumpkin

You will need:

orange and green construction paper

1 cardboard paper towel or toilet paper roll

clear tape

scissors

a pencil

Have an adult help you cut the cardboard roll as tall as you’d like your pumpkin to be. (The shorter the roll, the wider the pumpkin.) Cover the roll with a strip of orange paper and tape it in place.
Cut the orange paper into long strips that are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. You will need 8–10 strips.
Tape one end of the strips around the inside of one end of the roll.
Tape the other end of the strips inside the other end of the roll.
Cut a leaf out of green paper and tape it into the hole at the top of the pumpkin. Wrap a strip of green paper around a pencil and hold it for 20 seconds, or until it holds a curl. Tape it next to the leaf.