Here is a fun activity for your kids.  It is messy, but messy must be synonymous with fun to a child.  So throw down a junkie wipeable table cloth, grab your pumpkins and some puffy paint.  

 

My kids enjoyed making blob after blob and exploring the difference in output when you squeeze REALLY hard (yes, puffy paint did fly up in the air!).  But whether you have preschoolers with blobs or elementary-aged artists, they will have fun.  Happy Painting!