Celebrating The Fall Harvest

Game & Activity Ideas For Kids  

The.harvest season is upon us once again; a time for celebrating the bounty brought forth from mother earth and a time of wonder amidst the beauty and charm of autumn!  

 

 

Planning an outdoor fall party for your child's birthday, classroom, or playgroup? Need to keep the children amused at a harvest block party or  festival? Organize some quick and easy autumn and harvest-theme party games.

 

 These outdoor party games use common fall items including: pumpkins

apples
 gourds

 seeds

 hay

dried corn

 

 Most appropriate for ages 5-11, these fall games can be modified for younger or older children in a snap.

 

The Great Popcorn Eating Contest

This fall party game is fun! Each child gets his own bowl of popcorn. Here's the trick: the popcorn is eaten without using utensils or hands. First child or team to finish wins. Keep lots of apple cider or juice nearby; the kids are usually thirsty after the game!

 

The Great Harvest Dig

Fill inexpensive containers or harvest baskets with dried seeds or hay. Hide ten (or more) mini plastic apples in the baskets. Give each child their own container and time who finds all the apples the quickest. Plastic pumpkins, scarecrow figures, or other small fall items also work great.



Harvest Dash

Set up a fall relay with the kids. Fill large containers with sunflower seed bird feed. Have smaller, clear containers at the opposite end. Kids fill up a cup with seed and race to dump it in the empty container. They sprint back to the start and hand-off the cup to the teammates. Goal of the race is to be the first team to fill up the small container with the seeds. As an extra challenge, give the kids an over-sized soup ladle instead of a cup. Don't worry if the seeds spill; that's part of the fun! The birds will easily find them later. Try a dollar store for inexpensive clear containers. They usually stock plastic ones in apple or pumpkin shapes in the fall. Popcorn or candy corn also can be used in place of seed.



Pass the Apple

A fun fall team game! Children tuck in the apple under their chin and shoulder, race to their teammate, and pass the apple to them without using their hands. If the apple is dropped, it can be put back into place using hands. Depending on the size of the kids, the fruit can be switched to small gourds, fall squash, or tiny pumpkins.



Autumn Obstacle Course

The only limits to this game are your outdoor space and your imagination! Set up hay bales to jump or climb over, pumpkins to run around, strings of apples to crawl underneath, seed-filled balloons to pop, and more. Connect large cardboard boxes for tunnels and hang dried apple rings inside. Painted sheets or fall-theme fabric can be strung up on tall bamboo poles to run through. Kid-size harvest scarecrows from the dollar store add a fun touch to the course.



Hot Apple

Play "Hot Potato" with a harvest twist by using an apple. This fall party game can also be done as "Hot Pumpkin" or "Hot Corn".



Fall Gourd Roll

Have each child take a turn rolling a small, round gourd. Try to find one with lots of bumps for extra craziness! The kid with the longest roll wins. Play on a sloped driveway or a small hill for extra fun.



Harvest Bingo

Make autumn bingo cards using different types of dried seeds and beans. Check out your grocery store or natural foods co-op for plenty of unusual choices. First child to get bingo wins.



Apple-Apple-Pumpkin

Remember duck-duck-goose? Same game but with a fall flair. This is a perfect non-competitive outdoor autumn game for younger children.


 
Fall Corn Fling

Create different sizes circles out of apples. Have the kids line up behind a line and fling ears of decorative Indian corn toward the circles. The child with the most ears inside the apple circles wins.

 

Gourd Bowling

Set up harvest bowling using empty two-liter soda bottles. If preferred, the bottles can be weighted with seeds or water. Use a round, bumpy gourd as the ball.

Crazy Scarecrow Dress and Dash

Stock up on over-sized plaid shirts, goofy pants, floppy hats and any other silly clothing that a scarecrow might wear. Make piles containing one of each item. The number of piles is determined either by the number of kids or teams participating. Line up kids and let the game begin! The children run to the pile, put on the outfit, and dart back to the starting line. If doing it as a team game, they would then switch the outfit with their teammate, who dashes out and back. First team with their last team member dressed as a scarecrow wins.



Bobbing for Apples

An easy fall favorite! Set up large containers filled with water and several apples. Children have to try to pick up an apple just by using their teeth. No hands allowed!



Apple Grab

Similar to Bobbing for Apples, the Apple Grab is another traditional autumn game. Hang a string up between trees or use a clothesline. Tie some more string to apple stems and hang the apples from the clothesline. The kids can then attempt to grab an apple just by using their teeth

Guess the Candy Corn

Take a fall-theme container, such as a harvest bucket, and fill it up with specified number of candy corn pieces. Let the children guess how many pieces are in the container. The closest to the right number wins the container and the treats. A perfect way to end a successful outdoor fall party!

 

                                            Healthier Halloween


Halloween is truly a kid’s holiday –- good friends,
creative costumes, event-filled parties –- all with a cool spooky theme -- who could ask for more? Oh yes, one more thing, the treats –- lots of sugary candy treats!

With all the fun of this holiday come a parent’s worst fears -– too many sugary treats in your kid's possession and the arguments that ensue
over this treasured trove. If you don’t feel like to contributing to the neighborhood children’s tooth decay, consider giving treats that are
healthier. Here are some suggestions:

• Cheese and cracker packages
• Naturally flavored and sweetened gun or sugar-free gum
• Small bags of pretzels
• Small packages of nuts or raisins
• Peanuts in the shell
• Fruit-Roll Ups
• Granola bars

If you are not opposed to sugar, but would prefer your treats to be natural or vegan, we suggest you visit your local natural food store. There are
many natural candy companies that offer a big variety of candies.
The one drawback, expect to pay more for these items. Natural products
come at a higher price tag.

You could make a homemade treat. Unless you are in a neighborhood
with close friends, we don't suggest this approach. Most parents are
trained to go through the Halloween candy and throw out unopened, unwrapped or homemade treats.
 *If you decide to make your treats, wrap your homemade item up well, and add your name and phone number  to the bag with the treat. If the parent recognizes your name, it will make them feel the treat is safe. 

 Tip- make a "Happy Halloween" address sticker on your computer, include your address & phone number!

                           HALLOWEEN TREATS TO NOT HAVE TO BE EADABLE!

 

An alternative to avoiding the junk food challenges is to hand out a non-food treat. Today, many families are opting for this choice. With a
little bit of thought and some clever shopping, you can find some really nice items for a few cents per item. Here are few ideas:

• Cool stickers or temporary tattoos
• Halloween balloons, you can even rent a helium tanks and fill
  them on the spot
• Crayons, pencils, colored chalk or fun-shaped erasers
• Whistles or noise makers
• Rubber spiders, worms, or other equally creepy figure
• Spider, skull, or pumpkin plastic rings

Check your local dollar store for fun items. There is plenty of time
to shop online, and have items shipped to you.
Oriental Trading Company, Inc. offers a good selection.

Halloween Day:
Star the day off right, with a festive breakfast of bagels, pumpkin cream cheese (recipe follows) and fresh apples. This meal also works as a
great treat for a morning Halloween party at your child’s school.


                     HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS FOR KIDS
 
Combine dressing up in costumes with free candy and you create a kid friendly holiday!
Although Halloween is a favorite holiday for children it does come with it's own unique dangers that all parents and caregivers should be mindful of. With a few basic safety measures your family can have a fun and safe celebration!

      

                                        KEEP HALLOWEEN COSTUMES SAFE

 To ensure a safe Halloween, first plan your child's costume wisely. From masks to footwear all parts  should be considered for comfort and safety.
All Halloween costumes and accessories should be flame resistant - masks, capes, wigs, beards and hats.
 
Whenever possible try to avoid masks for children.
Obstructed vision can easily lead to accidents.
Make up is safer and more comfortable.
However, if you choose to use a mask or child is begging for one.... they should be made with soft, comfortable material and allow for a full field of vision.

It's really best to wear sneakers for trick-or-treating.
They are comfortable and

Swords, knives, wands, etc. should have no sharp edges or points and preferably made with foam or cardboard.

                           HALLOWEEN CANDY SAFETY

Children should be taught never to eat the candy they've received until you have carefully inspected it .
 
It's best to throw away unwrapped candy, homemade items and fruit.
 
Keep small candies from children under the age of five,
it is a choking hazard.


                             INJURIES and ACCIDENTS

When participating in the frenzied quest for candy
kids can get injured. Most parents provide flashlights
to avoid auto injuries but less serious accidents can also occur due to falling.

Make sure your child's costume is the correct length
to avoid tripping.

Not only will a flashlight let drivers see your child
but it will improve your child's visibility.

Walk on sidewalks, walkways, driveways and well
lit streets only.

Attach a few strips of reflective tape to costumes.