A great theme idea to celebrate this wonderful season, for an Autumn Birthday party, a school party, or instead of a Halloween Party! Fall Harvest or Autumn Parties are fun for the teachers, room moms and children alike...
Fall Harvest Party Invitations:
Send out pumpkin or leaf pictures with the party information, or if you are going to hand deliver, paint (or use black permanent ink) the information on tiny pumpkins themselves, or you could have the party girl or boy find enough large, live leaves to write the info on and mail them!
Fall Harvest Party Game Ideas:
Pumpkin Rolling Contest- Divide the children into two teams. have a start line and turnaround line, 20 ft apart. Have the first child in each line roll a pumpkin from the start line, to the turnaround line and back to the next person on their team. The first team to have everyone play wins!
Purchase small pumpkins and let each guest paint their own pumpkin (or you could use construction paper for younger kids).
Bean Bag Toss - Draw a large pumpkin and glue onto cardboard box. Cut out mouth and have children toss beanbags into its mouth.
Scents Of the Season - Supplies: Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Mix spoonfuls of these spices together. Pour them into a square of aluminum foil. Add a few drops of water and close leaving a small opening at the top. Place them onto a cookie sheet and into a 275 degree oven. As the water evaporates you will notice the aroma wafting through the house. You can also achieve this activity using a damp paper coffee filter sealed with a twist-tie.
Ring The Pumpkin - Line up three large pumpkins with stems, to form a ring toss. Use embroidery hoops or make hoops with rope and duct tape. Mark a throwing line on the floor and take turns trying to ring a pumpkin stem. Use stickers or small prizes for rewards whether they make it or not. Or you can have them try to ring an entire large pumpkin with a hula hoop.
Apple Picking - played the same as the Lollipop Picking Game. Using only red and green suckers and a pegboard. Color the tips of several with red and green. Those who select one of these colored suckers, gets a special prize.
Pumpkin Seed Toss - Number and line up 5 small baskets or crates; then have the children stand 3 feet in front of the first crate and toss seeds into the crates in sequence. Small prizes can be given for each of the crates they get their seeds in.
Musical Bales - Play musical chairs with bales of straw instead of chairs. A scarecrow in the center makes a fun decoration for this game.
Turkey in the Straw - Fill a small blowup pool with straw and hide a plastic turkey (or a picture if you'd rather) in it. See who can find it first!
Bobbing for Apples - Who doesn't remember how much fun this was for you as a kid?
Pumpkin Walk - Just like a cake walk, but use pictures of Fall items (leaves, acorns, pumpkins)
Fall Harvest Party Food Ideas:
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds -(baking clean seeds about 8 minutes, turning once).
Pumpkin Punch - clean out a pumpkin and scrap sides very well. Fill with vanilla ice cream and ginger ale.
Bowls of Candy Corn which is popular this time of year!
Fall Fruit - Apples, Raisins, Grapes - all would be fun if served in Themed Cupcake papers.
Use cookie cutters to create pumpkin, apple, leaf shapes into sugar cookies.
Or Mini Pumpkin pies - place a wafer cookie in the bottom of a cupcake paper, fill with pumpkin filling, top with miniature marshmallows and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Fall Harvest Party Decorations:
Before the party, you and your child can go on a Fall-Hunt to get items to place on the tables - pine cones, leaves of all colors, acorns, etc. Decorate with Pumpkins of all sizes and shapes.
