i use all

we carve just the fronts and compost them later, they grow into new pumpkins and even if the groundhogs get them, you still have a good chance of getting one or two for the next year.

Painting pumpkins instead of carving is becoming so popular now, I think a lot of people with young kids just can't think of other less mess/safe ways to decorate. Don't forget you can always use stickers which are easier to take off than paint, or your child could draw a face on paper and color it, cut out the eyes/nose/etc and pin it on the pumpkin or use easy to remove glue like rubber cement. Then the paper could be recycled and pumpkin composted, and the kids have a lot of fun drawing their own pumpkin faces. It's easier clean up than paint too.

I agree, I would not think paint on the pumpkin would be good. Even if the pumpkin isn't cut...the paint can absorb into the flesh of the pumpkin. Years back we used to write with markers on IV bags in the hospital...;listing all the things we added to the bag that the doctors ordered. At a point, that was no longer allowed as the maker could absorb into the fluid. Thus came the paper sticky labels!

cool