Homespun Family Fall Festival

This idea won't be new to any of you, but it was a simple and fun hit today with my kiddos, so I wanted to share. About 10 minutes before my kids got off the school bus today, I threw together a fall festival, to celebrate the cool weather, and to force remind my kids how fun it is to play outside (they've forgotten over the long, hot summer). I looked up some autumn craft and games ideas on www.familyfun.com. I made quick invitations in Microsoft Publisher:

You're invited to the Family Fall Festival

Forget homework and chores—today is a special day! Come bob for apples, make foliage friends, play a new tag game, scarecrow relay, make mud pottery, and other fun fall festivities.

Date: Today

Time: 4:00 p.m.

Place: Our Driveway

At the last moment, I decided to print a few extra invitations to give to the other three kids and their two moms at the bus stop. We ended up with 6 kids ages 5-10, and the activities worked well for all the ages involved. My kids love to be bossy and in charge of things (hmm, could it be from their control-freak mom?!), so I put each kid in charge of an activity. The festival consisted of the following:

1. Scarecrow relay race--Divide into two teams. Team members jumped on squishy foam pogo sticks (thanks grandma) half way to a dress up box, where they dropped the pogo sticks, put on a large flannel shirt and a hat, ran down to the mini trampoline and jumped 5 times, ran back to the dress up box and changed, and then bounced back on the pogo sticks, and then the next person went, etc. till everyone had a turn.
2. Bobbing for apples--No need to explain this one. Just make sure to take the stems off the apples or it's too easy. It wasn't very sanitary, but the kids loved it, and it was harder than they thought it would be.
3. Foliage Friends--Art activity. Click here for instructions.
4. Tell the Truth Tag--New version of tag--it was the biggest hit of the afternoon! Click here for instructions.
5. Mud pottery--I had to incorporate water and dirt somehow for my 5-year-old boy's daily dose. Just like it sounds, they made little sculptures (blobs, really) out of mud.
   

Afterwards, the kids washed off in the water apple bobbing bucket (sans apples) and ate popsicles. It lasted about 50 minutes, and the kids kept going with tag afterwards. I didn't know one of the moms or her kids very well, so it was a great way to meet my neighbor.

Happy Autumn, gals!