Harvest Party ideas

Halloween isn't a holiday I am really into.  Mostly I see it as a waste of money. I don't want to spend time and money on costumes, nor am I really thrilled with the whole going door to door and begging for candy that will raise my dental costs..... not to mention that for the next 6 months I will be telling my kids they can't eat the candy....  So I really opt out on this one.

I like to decorate for the fall, and I like to celebrate Thanksgiving...... So you will see pumpkin on the porch in October, and around the house, they just don't have faces on them, that way I can use them from September thru November.

This morning my Living on a Dime newsletter arrived with some Halloween Alternatives....  lots of these listed could have the Halloween taken out of them and be replaces with a more Harvest type theme.  I could see incorporating it into church activities or homeschool co-op activities....

Here they are....

Halloween Hunt:

Using the same idea as an Easter Egg Hunt, hide little bags of candy corn, or other fun candy around the back yard. Set the kids loose and let them find the candy. Be sure to keep back some of the candy in case someone does poorly. That way you can give them a few more and keep it fun for everyone!
For another fun twist on this idea, hide mini pumpkins instead of candy. Let the kids find and decorate them with craft paint. Let small children attach construction paper cut-outs with glue sticks.

Guess How Many:
Fill a jar with candy corn or candy pumpkins and have guests guess how many are in the jar. (Don't forget to count as you put them in the jar!) Place the jar near the door and hand each guest a 3x5 card to put their name, their guess and their favorite Halloween candy. Halfway through the party read them all off and announce the winner.

Halloween Memory Game:
Place a few theme items such as a candy corn, apple, mini pumpkin etc. on a tray. Show the tray to the guests for a few seconds, then have them write down (or call out) as many items as they remember.

How Many Words:
Hand each person a sheet of paper printed out with a Halloween word or phrase such as Haunted House, Trick or Treat, or Scarecrow. Do these on the computer so you can include some small Halloween Graphics. Ask each person to make as many words as they can out of the letters in the phrase or word you've given them!

Now if it were me... all the Halloween elements would be removed and I would use more Harvest words, I do know that lots of people don't see Halloween the way I do.... So I left the ideas as they were written by Tawra.  Check out her website if you are interested in her Trick or Treating Alternatives.