Next Friday is Hallowe'en, which means most kids are rounding up those last bits and pieces that will make their costumes extra special.

And they are thinking about what kind of candy they will eat first once they've emptied their collection on the kitchen table.

But let's not forget about those pumpkins and the fact that carving them, giving them some sort of a face, is all part of the Halloween tradition which no child should be deprived. There are also lots of arts and crafty things they can do to help decorate.

Like Christmas, a few families seem to take the time to decorate the inside and outside of their homes for Hallowe'en, making trick-or-treating more scary and exciting.

Frank and Phyllis Flood, of Smiths Parish, take great pride in their homemade Hallowe'en decorations which they place in their front yard.

"This is the second time we have done the front of the house. We have ghosts, witches, Dracula, tombstones, and a big Halloween sign at the gate. I might put the web stuff up for Halloween,'' Mrs. Flood said.

She added: "It is a lot of fun to decorate, I make all the things myself. I draw them cut them and make patterns with wood then I paint them. My husband will put them up for me. We have them lit up at night.

"It takes a long time to make the decorations. I work on them every once and a while starting in late September and then I start putting them out at the beginning of October.

"All the items are made out of plywood so I will have them for years to come; maybe next year I may want to make something else to add to it.'' Mrs. Flood said her grandchildren have always liked the Hallowe'en decorations: "It is something we have always done for the fun of it. We also make a pot of soup, pumpkin pies, and we have the candies.

"My husband and I also get dressed up in a wild costumes.'' She added: "You have to make things because the stores don't seem to have much available so I stretch my imagination and go to work, plus I get a kick out of making the decorations.

"The one thing that we enjoy from having the yard decorated is watching the people passing by, it's nice to know that people get a kick out of it.'' In the October issue of Martha Stewart Living, the queen of decorating herself suggests other ways to carve a pumpkin other than doing the usual scary face.

She believes that using a little fallen nature can make for a beautifully carved pumpkin.

She says you might not create the Great pumpkin, but pumpkins carved with leaf patterns will be some of the "greatest pumpkins around''.

Martha Stewart is of course talking about the many great shaped leaves that fall with the autumn breeze across North America, but in Bermuda we also have some great leaves that you can find in the yard or on the sidewalks.

"Fallen leaves provide the only templates you'll need. Simply tape them to the pumpkin with masking tape and draw around the outlines in pencil.

Instead of cutting out the entire outline, experiment a little: Use a linoleum cutter with a narrow blade to peel away the rind and expose the flesh creating decorative motifs or realistic veins.

"Or here's another option: Cut out the entire leaf pattern, with a utility knife remove it from the pumpkin, and carve thin swirls and patterns into the `leaf' with a long X-Acto knife.

"Reposition the embellished leaf, letting it protrude slightly.'' She also suggests making smaller jack-o'-lantern's out of turnips for hanging decorations.

She writes: "Traditionally, the jack-o'-lantern was used to ward off the restless spirits who roamed the earth on All Hallows' Eve. Pumpkins make fine sentries, but so do turnips. You can hang them from anywhere a pumpkin won't fit.

"After cutting off the tops with a kitchen knife hollow out the inside with a small melon baller. Draw a face in pen and cut it with an X-Acto knife. Use a linoleum cutter to cut small holes also use the cutter to make a small hole on each side of the turnip.

"Cut a piece of twine to the desired length, slip an end through each hole, and knot the ends. When lighted with a tea candle, this jack-o'-lantern will be ready for duty.'' And on the food front she adds that for a kids Hallowe'en party it's a good idea to make a pot of witches brew: "Serve root-beer floats from a `steaming' cauldron and a chilled bowl that fits inside (dry ice might cause glass to crack, so use bowls made of metal), dry ice, frozen root-bear mugs, and root-beer and ice-cream.

"Wearing gloves, use and ice pick to break up dry ice (never touch dry ice with your bare hands) place a few pieces in cauldron.

Cover ice with water (push ice under if necessary) place chilled bowl in cauldron, fill bowl with root-beer. Put a scoop of ice-cream in each mug; ladle root-beer over the top.'' The Decorative Artist's Workbook suggests painting different shaped boxes in Hallowe'en motif for kids to store their candy.

"The whimsical witch and smiling pumpkins are painted on a purple-sponged background with festive "trick-or-treat'' lettering. The results are "spook''tacular!