Hobbies And Interests
Trunk-Or-Treat
A common idea with fall church parties is to host a trunk-or-treat. Church members sit in the back of their cars or outside their cars in lawn chairs to hand out candy in the church parking lot. This creates a safe environment, and the children do not have to go door to door collecting candy.
Pumpkin Bowling
Paint 10 two-liter soda bottles with orange, black and yellow acrylic paint. For added decoration, use stencils to paint fall leaves, gourds and pumpkins on the "bowling pins." Place the 10 bowling pins in the shape of a triangle and mark a standing line about 20 feet away. Give each player two tries to knock down as many pins as he can, using a pumpkin as the bowling ball. Award small prizes equal to the number of pins each player knocks down.
Prizes in a Haystack
Place a large bale of hay in the church parking lot and spread it out. Put several small prizes, such as plastic toys, individually wrapped candy and miniature pumpkins, in the hay. The children must dig through the hay to find a prize. Be sure the children are not allergic to hay before they dig through it.
Pumpkin Ring Toss
Create a ring toss game using pumpkins with large stems. Place the pumpkins about 10 feet from a standing line. Give each player five embroidery hoops or metal rings to try to toss onto the stems of the pumpkins. If the player rings a stem, she earns a prize. Adjust the distance to the pumpkins according to the age of the player.
Beanbag Toss
Print a large picture of a pumpkin and glue it to a piece of cardboard. Cut out the eyes, nose and mouth, and stand it against a wall. Give the children orange and green beanbags to try to toss in the eyes, nose and mouth of the pumpkin. Adjust the distance according to the age of the child. Award a prize for each beanbag the child tosses through a hole.