You can find some awesome patterns for decorating a pumpkin at http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/pumpkins. You can also find more ideas at http://www.countryliving.com/crafts/projects/pumpkin-decorating-1009
Why not go to the best. Good Housekeeping has an excellent site that has many popular ideas. You can see them at www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/...ideas/...pumpkin-decorating
To throw a child's Halloween party, make sure you have some spooky snacks in addition to candy and a special Halloween "prizes" for the best costume. You can also have a pumpkin pinata, or pumpkin cake to serve for dessert.
I try every year to get good decoration ideas and I always browse around. Here is a good site that has many great ideas. http://www.hgtv.com/topics/halloween/index.html
You can get some great ideas for scary Halloween decorations from a book called, "Extreme Halloween: The Ultimate Guide to Making Halloween Scary Again," by Tom Nardone. Inside the book are ideas for creatures to make and other ideas such as pumpkin carving.
Lots of websites offer craft ideas for Halloween, espcially pumpkin creations. Please see the folowing for more information: www.celebrationideasonline.com/halloween-craft-idea.html
Some of the specialist Halloween sites offer good lists of ideas, hoping to lure you back to purchase later. Alternatively, various lifestyle sites do occasional posts, for example: http://www.moneycrashers.com/cheap-DIY-Halloween-decoration-ideas/
Some great ideas for fun Halloween treats are candy apples coated in chocolate, Rice Krispy squares with pumpkin designs, or homemade spooky cat cookies.
I'd recommend making your own decorations. This can be as simple as buying little pumpkins for all of the kids and letting them paint faces on them. Halloween does not have to be an expensive venture.
Pumpkin
Better Homes and Gardens have several pumpkin decorating ideas without using knives nor carving your pumpkin up. You can learn how to apply their techniques by visiting their website at www.bhg.com/halloween/pumpkin-decorating.
Some of the easiest halloween decorations may be black and orange crepe paper that you can twist and string from items in the room. You can also get fake spider webs for doorways and walls.
Some good homemade halloween costumes could be for one the original witch or even a pumpkin. Easy, fast, and fun! You could also do frankenstein and the bride for couples.