Then, scrape the inside of the pumpkin with your spoon to remove any soft tissue and prevent rotting. Now, cut out your design with the knife using an up and down motion along each line you drew. Finally, set a candle or light inside of your carved pumpkin and put the top back on.

Don't just dive in there and start hacking away with a knife. Exposure to oxygen and loss of moisture into dry air also contribute to the breakdown. There are a few things you can do so your carved pumpkin stays reasonably firm and attractive for as long as possible.

This article was co-authored by Amy Guerrero and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Amy Guerrero is an Arts and Crafts Specialist and the Owner of Sunshine Craft Co., a crafting studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. Amy specializes in macrame, DIY crafting, and teaching fiber arts. She offers monthly in-person and online workshops along with having developed a range of DIY craft kits for at-home projects. Amy holds a BS in Industrial Design from Philadelphia University.

Start by washing the seeds thoroughly; then, grind them in a food processor until they are smooth. That’s right, early jack-o-lanterns were carved from root vegetables. Unbeknownst to the ancient Celts, their fall tradition of Samhain and of keeping evil spirits at bay would evolve throughout the centuries. Samhain morphed into Halloween, and the myth of Stingy Jack and the use of jack-o’-lanterns to scare off his evil spirit TooMuchFun arose. But unlike the spooky-yet-cute jack-o’-lanterns we’re familiar with today, the earliest jack-o’-lanterns appeared quite macabre. With crudely-cut eyes and mouths, their faces seemed fully capable of truly frightening both the living and the dead.

Like the ghouls and ghosts who spook us every Halloween, jack-o’-lanterns—so tempting to tiny predators and susceptible to mold and rot—are not really meant for this earthly plane. If you get the big pieces of pumpkin out of the way first, you can go back and clean up the edges of your design later. If you want to avoid the mess and decorate a pumpkin without carving it, then you could try painting it instead. A small paring knife or a craft knife may make it easier to work on small, intricate details.

Want to mess with somebody's favorite TV or computer without doing any permanent damage? Just attach a tiny piece of tape over the laser sensor on the underside of their remote or mouse, which will block the signal. Make sure it's the right color—if the remote is black and you don't have any black tape, use a sharpie to color in it—and then leave it out and wait for the confusion. Everyone loves the distinctive Wookiee growl from the Star Wars movies, right?

Wait until there's a tense moment in the show they're watching, then suddenly switch to the Home Shopping Network. Practice makes perfect on this, so make sure to do a few dry runs before your moment of April Fools' glory. The old adage "don't cry over spilt milk" isn't as easy to abide by when the milk is splattered all over your laptop. You obviously wouldn't want to actually destroy somebody's computer for an April Fools' prank, but you can briefly trick them into thinking you did.

Sometimes it takes a little time to set up the perfect prank, so you have to be willing to be patient and wait for the right time. Tell them it’s a really major part of their grade and lay it on thick. Remind them of the importance of reading all directions and answering questions carefully.

Print up dozens of photos of Food Network host Guy Fieri and stick them in every frame in your victim's house, replacing their snapshots of friends and family. When they finally notice, it'll either make them laugh or scream, depending on their feelings for the Mayor of Flavortown. And it doesn't necessarily have to be Guy Fieri. One guy replaced all the photos in his mom's house with pictures of Steve Buscemi. If you're able to get into their Facebook account, change the date of their birthday in the settings to Apr. 1. They'll be inundated with birthday wishes and have no idea why.

When your kid reverses it to see what’s wrong, they will see Cage. Add a few drops of food color to your kid’s cereal bowl. As they pour the milk, they will see color oozing out.

Then, place a piece of cardstock over the opening and flip the glass over. Set the glass and cardstock at your child’s place on the table, and slide the cardstock from under the glass. Invite your child to come to have breakfast and see what they do! You back to school can also leave the juice out for an after-school beverage for your kids to find when they get home like this example in Old Orchard. What better way to break up the long work day than with some harmless fun? When your coworker is away from their desk, leave them a note saying they missed a call from "Mr. Baer" or "Mr. Lyon." And don't forget to leave a number!

Tape the sign to the back of your friend, partner, or coworkers car. People will be honking at them on the drive all the way home. Just make sure that the driver is distracted while getting in the car so they don’t see the sign. This is a great option if you’ve been going to the office and want to prank an unsuspecting coworker. It’s the old stapler stuck in Jell-O trick, previously made famous by the jokesters on The Office, when Jim pulled the stunt on colleague Dwight. To make this work for you at home, make some Jell-O, placing it in a bowl in the fridge to set.

Carefully pry off the keys using a screwdriver and switch them around, and then wait for your prank victim to get annoyed at his or her constant misspellings. It could take days for them to realize what's happened, so be sure to let them off the hook after a few hours. Write "I need to see you ASAP" on a Post-It note, and then add an illegible signature.

Looking In - If the windows in your office open, open one and tape a picture of a person on the outside. When your colleague sits down at her desk, she’ll be in for a shock. Pranks have been around for thousands of years, and psychologists have been studying the reasons why. The verdict is that people enjoy pranks because they simulate a crisis while actually being very simple to resolve. This stimulation actually fosters self-growth and forces people to recognize their own shortcomings. Pranks can also teach people to respond to unexpected failings with grace and good humor.