Drop that Christmas ornament! Yeah, I know all of the stores seem to have forgotten that Halloween happens before Thanksgiving and Christmas, but let’s keep some of the Halloween spirit alive and well (at least until the end of the month) with this DIY STEM activity for kids!

It’s time to bust out your VEX pieces and put together your own DIY Jack-O-Lantern – guaranteed to stay fresh even when your carved pumpkins shrivel 😉

Ready, set, build!

Supplies:

Pumpkin (Orange)

• 4×6 Plate (6)
• 1×6 Beam (12)
• 1×4 Beam (4)
• 1×1 Connector Pins (56)
• Small Chassis Corner Connector (8)

Stem (Green)

• Small Turntable Outer Housing (1)
• 1×1 Connector Pin (2)
• 0x2 Capped Connector Pin (10)
• Tooth Crown Gear (1)
• Small Turntable Center Bushing (1)
• 1 Wide, 1×1 Offset Corner Connector (1)
• Worm Gear (1)
• Idler Pin

Face (Yellow)

• 0x2 Capped Connector Pin

The Pumpkin:

Step 1

Take a 4×6 Plate and attach 4 Small Chassis Corner Connectors to the corners of the plate. Make sure the corner of the Chassis is aligned with the corner of the Plate. Repeat this step 3 times.

Step 2

Take two 4×6 Plates. Attach one to the side of the first 4×6 Plate in Step 1 so that they are perpendicular to one another. Repeat this step for the two other plates. Connect the plates so that it forms a box shape.

Step 3

Add a 1×1 Connector Pin to each of the 4 holes of the Small Chassis Corner Connectors. Flip the box over and repeat this step. Set aside.

Step 4

Take a 4×6 Plate and place a Connector Pin in the 2nd and 5th hole of the outer edge of the long side of the Plate. Do this for both sides. Set aside. Take two 1×4 Beams and attach Connector Pins to each end of both the Beams. There should be 4 Pins in total and they should all face the same direction.

Once this is done, attach the Beams to the short edges of the 4×6 Plate, that was set aside, with the Connector Pins connecting the pieces.

Step 5

Take four 1×6 Beams and lay them side by side. Take two more 1×6 Beams and place Connector Pins in the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th holes of both of the beams (8 Connector Pins total). Attach the Beams across both edges of the four beams, laying side by side so that all the pieces are connected. Make sure the four beams are centered between the two Beams.

Step 6

Attach the products from Step 4 and 5. Repeat Step 4, 5, and 6 so that there are two sets total.

Step 7

Attach Step 6 to the top and bottom of the box made in Step 3. The side with the 4×6 Plate should face inward.

The Stem:

Step 1

Place the Small Turntable Outer Housing centered on top of the pumpkin. Use eight 0x2 Capped Connector Pins to secure it to the pumpkin.

Step 2

Place the Tooth Crown Gear on top of the Small Turntable Outer Housing from the previous step. Use two 1×1 Connector Pins to secure it to the pumpkin. The Connector Pins should be diagonal one another not side by side.

Step 3

Place the Small Turntable Center Bushing on top to the Tooth Crown Gear. Use two 0x2 Capped Connector Pins to secure it to the remaining holes of the Tooth Crown Gear.

Step 4

Place the Idler Pin in the hole of the 1 Wide, 1×1 Offset Corner Connector and attach the Worm Gear to the end of the Idler Pin. Place the Corner Connector in the middle hole of the Center Bushing.

The Face:

Use 0x2 Capped Connector Pins of any color to create a unique face for your Jack – O – Lantern.

Personalize it!

No need to keep it orange and green! Use your favorite colored pieces to create your own custom Jack-O-Lantern! Share your Jack-O-Lantern with us by tagging @hexbug in your pics on Instagram!