How To: Too Lazy for Jack-O'-Lanterns? Make Your Pumpkins Glow in the Dark This Halloween

Halloween is less than a couple weeks away, so it's about that time you start thinking of cool ways to decorate your house (if you haven't already), and pumpkins are an obvious choice. Pumpkins are one of the cornerstones of Halloween celebrations, dating all the way back to the early 19th century. Carved jack-o'-lanterns are a great way to add some spookiness around the house, but that takes time, skill, and effort. Creating cool glow-in-the-dark pumpkins requires no carving at all—and looks really cool, too!

Here's how you do it. You'll need some luminous zinc sulfide, spray adhesive, spray sealant, some other materials you probably have around the house. And of course—pumpkins. If you don't want to buy any glow-in-the-dark powder, you can try making your own green or blue phosphorescent powder, though you'll have a harder time finding the ingredients.

To make the spooky faces, you can use contact paper or tape and cut out your desired designs. Once the designs are done, you will stick them onto the pumpkin. Spray the pumpkin with adhesive spray and dump the zinc sulfide powder over it. Repeat the steps until the pumpkin is completely covered.

Now remove the taped-on designs, revealing your spooky face, and turn off the lights. Your glow in the dark pumpkin is ready for the night. To enhance the glow, add a black light.

Check out the step-by-step video of the entire project:

For the full list of materials and further instructions, check out Steve Spangler's project page. And for more glow-in-the-dark Halloween projects, check out how to make your own glow-in-the-dark cocktails.